MySpace, AP and MTV will band together for a special “Closing Arguments,” just before Super Tuesday primaries

By Stacey Silberman

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 1/29/08 – At least two of the Presidential candidates and youth-oriented media will band together with MySpace, MTV and the Associated Press for “Closing Arguments: A Presidential Super Dialogue” on Feb. 2.

The event is slated to hit three days prior to the 2008 Super Tuesday, marking the largest caucus’ ever and the most for same-day primaries ever.

Although only Clinton and Huckabee are confirmed to participate, other candidates were invited who hit the 10% poll mark, including Senator Barack Obama, former Senator John Edwards and Senator John McCain, who have all appeared on the “Closing Arguments” series before.

Invites also went out to Governor Mitt Romney, Governor Mike Huckabee and ex-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The polls were based on numbers from RealClearPolitics and based on the most current status of the candidates.

The MySpace dialogue is an ongoing event, with the latest set to close young voters as to why they should get to the polls, after making an educated and informed choice. This is the last dialogue before the final primaries and both candidates and the media hope to reach young voters who usually tend to be indifferent to United States politics.

According to a story by MTV, “Young voters tripled their 2004 turnout in Iowa and South Carolina, doubled it in New Hampshire” and hopes are high that this event too will translate into higher voting percentages among youthful adults.

What’s unique about this process is that it gives an opportunity to young adults to engage with the candidates. Each candidate will have his or her time to address questions asked online via MySpaceIM, ChooseOrLose,com or from the live audience gathered in MTV’s Times Square studio. And candidates can weigh in either from their campaign en route or from inside the studio.

Moderators for the event are political reporter Chris Cillizza of WashingtonPost.com and MTV news correspondents Sway Calloway and Gideon Yago.

The forum will also be translated into Spanish for ImpreMedia’s LaVibra to capture the young Latin vote as well. This forum is “one of the most interactive events of its kind ever,” wrote MTV.

Throughout the event, a new polling tool called Flektor will allow online viewers to say whether they approve or disapprove of candidates’ dialogue in real-time, throughout the event. And it will permit anyone tuned-in, to compare their opinions with others tuned into the broadcast.

According to MTV, past MySpace/MTV Presidential Dialogue videos have been available to viewers and have been streamed over a million times, informing upwards of 4 millions young adults about the 2008 presidential candidates.

To catch your favorite candidates live, before 24 states hold their presidential primaries, tune-in to MTV (Mobile), MySpace.com, ChooseOrLose.com, live on XM Satellite Radio, and AP radio on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. ET.