The first ever CNN-You Tube debate was a huge success because real people asked real questions without any pretense. The candidates responded with what seemed to be more candid and direct answers, often speaking directly to the voter, as opposed to a discussion between elite politicians and elite media. The videos, sometimes humorous, more often informed and serious, won the debate, and make it hard to imagine going back to the rigid formality of debates past. The debate format is further evidence of a real shift in politics as usual, spurred on by the democratization that new media technology fosters.

Certainly the mainstream media (CNN) still has the filtering power by controlling the questions asked. But the variety and personality of the questions combined with power of the real lives of a lesbian couple lovingly asking for marriage rights; a breast cancer patient courageously removing her wig asking about health care; a family asking about alzheimers while spoon feeding their mother; a veteran with the flags of his grandfather's, father's and son's caskets just over his shoulder asking about Iraq — this is the power of new media.

On reproductive health issues, if you got up to get more popcorn you might have missed it, but it was fitting the one Planned Parenthood Votes question asked was about comprehensive sexuality education, and if the candidates had discussed sex in an age appropriate, medically accurate way with their own children.

The candidates who responded favorably were on safe ground. In a poll recently released by Peter Hart Research for the National Women's Law Center and Planned Parenthood, Americans overwhelmingly supported comprehensive sexuality education, including Evangelical Christians (60%) and Catholic voters (78%) — with the overall support at 76%, only 14% supporting abstinence-only education and 10% saying their opinion "depends."

John Edwards said he wanted to warn his children about "wrong touching", and Sen. Barack Obama echoed that sentiment while responding to criticism from Republican Mitt Romney who earlier this week equated "age-appropriate" with teaching sex to kindergarten children. As Governor of Massachusetts Romney also supported age appropriate sexuality education.

The GOP will hold their version of the You Tube debates on September 17, and you can submit your questions to those candidates now. If you do submit a question about sexual and reproductive health for the GOP debate, please send us a link at [email protected] and we'll feature those periodically on TV Reality on our front page.

Anyone who thought this exciting people-driven format might have livened up the post-debate analysis would be sorely mistaken, at least for those who stayed tuned to CNN. Most people were probably online chatting about the debate while the predictable pundits discussed the success of the format, its long-term potential vs. its novelty, the all important "what the candidates wore" discussion and anxiously looked as though someone was just off stage with a hook, their fifteen minutes of fame almost over.