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Born at the Crest of the Empire

Sunday, February 03, 2008

You gotta watch this



Take the time. It's worth it.

8 Comments:

  • To get full screen. Click on the video while it's playing to open the YouTube window, then do fullscreen there. (Little button on bottom right video frame.)

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 10:01 PM  

  • Stylistically very powerful. Given how light it was on substance, it would be more effective at half the length.

    But he did get his message across:

    Yes we can... make a video with no white people over 40 in it.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 1:10 AM  

  • And song is traditionally the best medium for delivering detailed policy information?

    Sorry. Couldn't resist, but it does highlight his main selling point.

    To your second point, yeah, definitely. This sweetspots right into one of Obama's existing demographics. It's not likely to draw retirees in Arizona.

    But, like I say with alot of these momentum items, better to have it than not.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 7:30 AM  

  • Pretty compelling message, even for an over-40 white guy like me.

    I don't know if I can vote for Obama given his health care plan. But sometimes I think I'd like to find out if Obama really could move us past the negativity and cynicism and mistrust that Americans have felt about government for, what - 40 or 50 years.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:31 PM  

  • Not saying he should have made a wonkish video... just that it was too long for what it was. I found myself quite absorbed and moved for the first couple of minutes... then the repetition got boring and my attention wandered. And his target audience is hardly known for having a long attention span.

    And while it's great that he's bringing out people who don't usually vote, pushing that dynamic too far can limit his appeal and even cause a backlash. I got a robocall this morning: "Hi, this is Scarlett Johannson, and I'm calling to urge you to join me and thousands of other YOUNG California voters..." (emphasis added.) At which point I hung up. So he doesn't want to be labeled the "black candidate"--but he's OK with being the "young candidate"? Ick.

    It's entirely possible that this is just the right strategy to win, but to me it's just sleazy Madison Avenue branding--all style and no substance. And I don't think he should be too quick to write off the "retirees in Arizona"--remember the general election isn't going to be decided in California, but in places like Florida, Ohio, and oh yes, Arizona.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:49 PM  

  • Abi, Policy about the best reason not to vote for him.

    And, at best, he "gets past the negativity" about as well as Reagan did, except from the other side.

    (And a Dem president will have a Dem congress.)

    ...


    Tom, I was just being snarky. Sorry.

    And it's completely branding over substance. Way back in, maybe, November, I read a very interesting article dicussing how Obama's team was selling his brand and how that varied from traditional political campaigning. The idea being to stay away from "side effects" advertising like policy points and whatever, and try to create the happy free people image.

    (And, just as point. I don't know if it's any sleazier than traditional campaigns. You could argue deceptive.)

    As we were discussing the other day, Obama is the gamble in the general. Big upside and potential flop. His young appeal will not likely carry him through the general. He will definitely have to broaden.

    (On the other hand, Carville on MTP this morning pointed out that women vote about 56/44 in Dem primaries, while women vote 51/49 in the general, so Clinton would have some broadening to do, too.)

    It all comes out Tuesday, and I have a hunch, Clinton wins.

    By Blogger mikevotes, at 4:33 PM  

  • I agree, what Obama's doing is not any sleazier than traditional campaigning; perhaps not even quite as bad. What annoys me so much is that he claims that it is (and that people believe him.)

    Maybe I'm too jaded and cynical, but I have heard SO many politicians say "I'm not like all those other politicians..." and it's just never, never true.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:02 PM  

  • Um, meant to say, he claims that it's different.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:05 PM  

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