Features

In 2003, Howard Dean, a relatively unknown governor from Vermont, used the internet to catapult him to the front of the field for the 2004 Democratic nomination. Despite losing the nomination to John Kerry, Dean's effective use of this new medium helped him raise vast amounts of money and gave his grassroots supporters an avenue to connect to the campaign in a way never before seen in electoral politics. Since the Dean campaign's pioneering of internet-driven politics, the web's influence has grown immensely.

A promising new development in Internet politics has been the birth of the online video sharing community, YouTube. Purchased in 2006 by Google for $1.65 Billion, YouTube allows users to upload and share their videos. Its user-friendly interface and extreme popularity has made YouTube a powerful m tool and a potential weapon in modern campaigns, promoting quick and easy distribution of speeches and campaign events, but also mercilessly punishing even the slightest gaffe.

Out of all the candidates running for the 2008 Democratic nomination, all but one, New York Senator Hillary Clinton, have a direct link to their campaign's YouTube account. Campaign speeches that previously would have gone unnoticed by the world at large are now universally available for all voters to see. Former Senator John Edward's announcement speech in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans has garnered over 111,000 views in a little under a month, with smaller campaign speeches receiving nearly 25,000 views. Events with Senator Barack Obama often receive nearly 50,000 views, reflecting Senator Obama's strong support among a more tech-savvy generation.

Campaigns videos aren't the only ones that draw such large numbers of viewers. A fiery speech on the minimum wage given three weeks ago by Senator Ted Kennedy has received over 85,000 views. At one time, oratory was only watched by C-SPAN junkies, but now is both more accesible and more appealing to the general public.

While YouTube has vastly expanded the size of the audience politicians can reach, mor frequently it has been used to highlight a public figure's indelicate remarks. Just a few days before the 2006 Elections, Senator John Kerry made a statement that many perceived (wrongly) to be questioning the intelligence of American troops in Iraq. To date, a single clip of this botched joke has received over 900,000 views on YouTube. Senator Kerry, who had been campaigning furiously on behalf of Democrats across the nation, has since dropped out of contention for the 2008 nomination. YouTube's political repercussions for politicians with loose lips are not limited to the Democratic Party; in fact, it is a bipartisan affair.

Former Senator George Allen was expected to easily win re-election in 2006 over former Navy Secretary Jim Webb. Over the summer, however, Senator Allen was recorded calling a cameraman for the Webb campaign "Macaca" and welcoming him to America.

The campaign worker, S.R. Sidarth, was of Indian descent, but was born and raised in Virginia; "macaca" is a derogatory term used in North Africa by French nationals to describe people with darker skin. The statement was generally regarded as racist and xenophobic and is largely credited with propelling current Virginia Senator Jim Webb to victory on November 7th. Various clips of the incident exist on YouTube, with the top three alone combining for over 650,000 views.

YouTube is revolutionizing electoral politics; within the past year, in particular, it has demonstrated its potential to help a campaign sink or swim. While candidates will be jumping at the opportunity for free media exposure that YouTube represents, so too must they be wary of the various pitfalls and dangers that lurk in a political environment where every step you make can be so closely scrutinized.

Ted Kennedy

John Kerry

• Students Riding the Donkey of their Choice in 2008

• Terry McAuliffe's What a Party

• Dem Apples: Your Semi-Regular Roundup of Gossip in and Around the Nation’s Capital

• Dissenting Opinion: Why "Under God" Should be Removed from the Pledge of Allegiance
• The Politics of YouTube
• A Cunning Linguist: Frank Luntz and the Art of Conservative Propaganda

Older Issues (The Publication Formerly Known as DonkeyTalk)

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