There's a recent exchange between Rep. Barney Frank and a student at Harvard University concerning TARP on the video below [1]. I don't have enough knowledge to tell who's telling the truth, but it's clear that Frank "won" or at least didn't lose.

For over two years, I've been urging people to do things like this, albeit a bit better. Here are a few tips based on the video for those of you who want to actually do something by asking politicians tough questions:

1. On the good side of things, the student was not afraid of Barney Frank and asked him questions aggressively; some others in the same situation would act like commoners addressing royalty.

2. On the bad side, the student started off with - and wasted a couple minutes with - a worthless general question: "How much responsibility, if any, do you have for the financial crisis?". What exactly is the expected response? "I take full responsibility for everything"? The student should have led off with a more specific question designed to show a flaw in Frank's policies or something that he did that led to the problems. By not doing that, he allowed Frank to filibuster, something he's good at.

3. The student should have had a flier ready with supporting information, quotes, etc. He could have waved that in the air or handed it out to a few people sitting nearby. He would have to do the latter while still engaging in the dialog with Frank; otherwise that might give Frank the opportunity to call a halt to the proceedings.

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[1] This page used to link to the video on realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/04/07/
harvard_student_takes_on_barney_frank_over_economy.html but it's since been posted elsewhere.