• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, August 31, 2007

Republican presidential candidates aren’t exactly clamoring for their turn at the CNN/YouTube “People’s Debate.” Mitt Romney expressed doubts about the “respectfulness” of the format and reluctance “to answer questions from a snowman” (as candidates did during the Democratic CNN/YouTube debate). And both he and Rudy Giuliani cited scheduling conflicts with the original Sept. 17 air date (now changed to Nov. 28).

Could the perception that YouTube is a bastion of liberal activism have anything to do with the GOP resistance? Earlier this year, a pair of former Reagan administration officials started QubeTV as an alternative to what they and many conservatives view as a left-leaning YouTube.

But Michael Bassik, vice president of Internet advertising at political direct mail firm MSHC Partners, recently posted data on techPresident.com showing that YouTube actually attracts more Republicans (3.3 million) than Democrats (3.1 million). Democrats did spend more time on YouTube, however, racking up an average of 20 minutes per user to 13 minutes for Republicans.