In YouTube Special, CNN Favors Videos Calling For Universal Healthcare

Over the last week CNN has been airing hour-long specials to promote their upcoming YouTube presidential debates. CNN has been asking viewers to submit videos to YouTube.com for a chance to have their questions answered by presidential candidates. Of the videos aired so far, those with a leftist slant have greatly outnumbered those from a conservative viewpoint. Of the videos aired on Monday night MRC concluded that distinctly liberal video submissions outnumbered conservative ones by a margin of 8 to 1 (though a slim majority of total videos shown were neutral or non-partisan).

Video (2:07): Real (1.56 MB) or Windows (1.28 MB), plus MP3 audio (971 kB).

CNN has been particularly adamant in their use of video submissions calling for universal or socialized health care. On Wednesday night CNN recycled a video that had already aired on Monday, despite that fact that some 1,400 videos had been posted on YouTube at that point. The video was submitted by Kim of Long Island, New York who is battling cancer.

Kim: I’m thirty-six years old and hope to be a future breast cancer survivor...Like millions of Americans, I’ve gone for years without health insurance...What would you, as president, do to make low cost or free preventative medicine available for everybody in this country?

During the video, Kim removes her wig to reveal a bald head, presumably from the effects of chemotherapy. The video, indeed heartbreaking, is one of many submissions aired by CNN promoting universal or government-assisted health care

Jim Pence of Kentucky asks "The place that I worked at for 35 years promised me healthcare insurance as part of my retirement package; they broke their promise...Members of Congress have the best healthcare insurance money can buy, paid for with my tax dollars. Why should I pay for their healthcare insurance when they didn't bother to protect mine?"

CNN also aired a video from little Susie Flynn, who claims to be "running for president." Behind Susie is what appears to be her campaign van complete with a banner that reads, "SUSIE FLYNN FOR PRESIDENT" and ‘9 million uninsured children need a solution now.’

Susie Flynn: Children are the least expensive to insure compared to other costs the government easily funds...Why is it so difficult to find the money to insure them?

Ann Carter of Charleston also weighed in. "My father suffers from diabetes...I want to know what you intend to do to emphasize provision in your healthcare plan so that the cost and burden of common disease is decreased for future generations."

To be perfectly clear, not all of these questioners are explicitly calling for universal healthcare and many of the videos offer valid points. What is most concerning however, is the absence of videos critical of government intervention in healthcare. The questions aired by CNN seem tailor-made for Democratic candidates, in that they all seem to call for some sort of government solution. The videos aired by CNN do not question the dangers of the government taking over the healthcare system.

Maybe CNN is saving the submissions critical of socialism for next month’s Republican debate. Or maybe not.

Updated at 14:26 EDT with video links.