I'm excited to be heading to my home state for the Republican National Convention... just arrived here from Denver and getting ready to pull in lots of great video this week from GOP party leaders, delegates, and guests. Just like we did for the Democrats and Obama in Denver, we'll be collecting video nominations from people here in MN, who will be letting the world know why they are nominating John McCain for President.
No matter where you are, if you're uploading videos this week about the GOP convention, be sure to tag them "2008conventions" so we can find them and post them on our Conventions channel.
We'll also be showcasing the winner of our "Why are you a Republican in 2008?" contest, Shawn Summers. Here's a mash-up of all the best videos we received for the contest.
And, we'll do our best to track down Sarah Palin. For an interesting breakdown on just who this Veep nominee is, check out the Vlogbrothers latest:
Obama makes history, a Hillary supporter switches to McCain, DNC attendees share their thoughts, and Mo Rocca provides some convention comic relief. Here's this week's Friday Five.
Barack Obama at the 2008 DNC (BarackObamadotcom)
Barack Obama accepts the Democratic Party's nomination for President of the United States.
Debra (JohnMcCaindotcom)
A former Hillary Clinton supporter switches her allegiance to John McCain.
Covering the Convention: Hillary Supporter, Now Obama Supporter!! (richprince78)
DNC Contest winner Rich Peters talks to a former HRC supporter who's now for Obama.
Rose Sanders: A Song for Obama (2008Conventions)
A DNC attendee sings a song about voting for Barack Obama.
How Barack Can Thank Hillary: DNC Edition (MoRocca180)
The Tonight Show's Mo Rocca asks DNC attendees what Barack can do to thank Hillary.
It’s day three of the Democratic National Convention, and on YouTube you can get a backstage pass to all the action. In collaboration with the DNC, YouTube has several uploading stations both at The Big Tent (base camp to hundreds of bloggers) and at the Pepsi Center, where convention attendees can record videos sharing their thoughts on why they’re proud to be a Democrat and/or why they're nominating Barack Obama. From politicians…
...to celebrities…
...to average citizens and delegates…
…convention attendees are using YouTube to express themselves like never before. So keep on checking back at www.youtube.com/2008conventions for more updates.
With the start of the Democratic National Convention this week in Denver, it’s fitting that our next You Choose Spotlight focuses on the Colorado Senate race between Bob Schaffer and Mark Udall. Schaffer and Udall are no novices to politics. Schaffer served as a Colorado State Senator for nine years, and in the U.S. Congress from 1997-2003. Udall meanwhile has served in Congress since 1999, representing Colorado’s 2nd district. He also comes from a prominent political family tree: he’s the first cousin of Congressman (and fellow Senate candidate) Tom Udall of New Mexico, a second cousin of Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon, and the nephew of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.
Hoping to fill the vacancy that will be left by retiring Senator Wayne Allard, Schaffer and Udall are engaged in a fierce political battle, both on the campaign trail and on YouTube. And while Udall is a popular politician, Schaffer’s business experience working with oil companies may give him an edge, especially in a state where the majority of residents are in favor of domestic oil drilling.
So, got a question for Schaffer and Udall? Watch our call-out video and submit your question by August 31st!
Democrats (and John McCain) sound off as the the Democratic Convention begins, Joe Biden joins Team Obama, and two popular satirists announce their retirement (say it ain't so, Jackie). Here's this week's Monday hotlist.
Today in Denver, the Democratic National Convention begins! Thousands of delegates, super delegates, party leaders, media, and political tourists have descended upon this Colorado city for four days of non-stop celebration. Here on YouTube, you can join them.
Visit our Convention Headquarters at www.youtube.com/2008conventions for all the latest video from the Convention floor, in addition to behind-the-scenes footage from party leaders and videos uploaded straight from the Convention by delegates. We'll also have upload booths set up around the Pepsi Center and Convention Hall, not to mention in the the Big Tent, where all the bloggers will congregate for the week. Video will be pouring in from these locations and hundreds of others...and we'll do our best to stay on top of it all on our Convention channel.
Be sure to look out for Rich Peters, the winner of our Democratic Convention contest, who will be reporting all week on the proceedings. He even wants to know you if you have questions you'd like him to pass along to those he meets in Denver.
Every Convention has had its signature moments (like Senator Obama's 2004 speech in Boston), so watch out for this year's defining occurrences and rising stars on YouTube. In fact, check www.youtube.com/2008conventions often for the kind of coverage you won't find anywhere else.
Our two Convention Contest Winners, Rich Peters and Shawn Summers, were on the campaign trail this week, following their party's respective presidential nominees. And the behind-the-scenes footage is starting to trickle in.
In his first two videos, Summers takes us on a tour of the famous "Straight Talk Express" bus, then gives us an inside look into the press pool and McCain's security detail as the Senator prepares to speak at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention in Orlando, FL:
Peters also traveled to Orlando, braving a potential hurricane, where he got to see Obama's speech at the VFW. Afterward, Peters spoke to several veterans and gauged their reactions to the speech (see below), then filmed a thoughtful response video in which he offered his own reactions.
Both Summers and Peters will be at their party's respective conventions - so stay tuned for more videos to come on their channels, jedimaster51090 and richprice78.
Can you tell the difference between Obama and McCain? Exactly what is a "Republicrat"? Will voting in this year’s election change the course of America’s future? And just how many houses does John McCain have? Find out the answers in this week’s Friday Five.
Seven (BarackObamadotcom)
Latest Obama ad targeted against John McCain.
Beautiful Amazing PSA VOTE (hoomandottv)
A voice from the future encourages Americans to go out and vote.
Obama v. McCain Challenge (davisfleetwood)
Obama, McCain…can you tell them apart?
Introducing The Republicrats (Republicrats)
Meet the Republicrats – the newest party in American Politics.
McCain's Mansions (bravenewfilms)
Latest documentary from BNF’s “The REAL McCain” series.
In light of the crisis in Georgia, world attention is once again focused on Russian leader Vladimir Putin. Few American journalists know more about Putin than Steve LeVine, chief foreign affairs writer for BusinessWeek and a former Soviet Union foreign correspondent. His recent book, Putin’s Labyrinth: Spies, Murder, and the Dark Heart of the New Russia takes a closer look at Russia’s infamous leader, and while it doesn’t excuse Putin’s methods, seeks to place them in context.
Hoping to capitalize on this renewed interest—and perhaps turn it into increased book sales—LeVine has launched a YouTube channel in which he shares his observations about Putin and the new Russia. From offering the reasons why he admires Putin, to considering whether Obama or McCain would be the best president to handle him (see below), LeVine provides us with thoughtful, well-researched, yet succinct insights into this most complex of political leaders.
In the second match-up of our new You Choose Spotlight, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire and former State Senator Dino Rossi square off and take your questions. Watch what these candidates for governor have to say about healthcare, balancing the budget, global warming, and other issues by going to www.youtube.com/youchoose08.
[Next up: Mark Udall and Bob Schaffer in the Colorado Senate Race]
"Baracky" gets a sequel, citizen journalists take to the streets, and Red State Update gives a hearty thanks to John Edwards. Here's this week's Monday Hotlist.
Barack Obama meets Rick Roll; Newt Gingrich offers a year of free gas; a propane explosion; a satirical game show; and a v-logger covers his face in peanut butter to help explain the Georgian-Russian crisis. Here's this week's Friday Five.
Barack Roll (hmatkin)
Rick Roll + Barack Obama = Internet phenomenon.
Toronto propane depot explosion (saejinoh)
Remarkable footage of a recent propane explosion.
Video Contest: Win Free Gas for One Year (AmericanSolutions)
Newt Gingrich announces contest in which a lucky YouTube user can win a year of free gas.
PEANUT BUTTER FACE (while discussing the Georgia-Russia War) (vlogbrothers)
V-logger gives informative (and entertaining) analysis of the Russian-Georgian crisis.
When It Comes to Obama, The FOX is WRONG! (bravenewfilms)
Political satire attacking Fox News’ coverage of Obama.
Former House Speaker New Gingrich is a YouTube celebrity. With several YouTube channels to his credit, and another one soon to be launched, he's one of the most prolific videomakers on the site, and among politicos one of the most popular. In particular, his video "3 Ways to Lower Gas Prices" has garnered over 2.5 million views, and has helped spearhead a movement to pressure Congress to take immediate action in implementing energy reform.
Yesterday, Gingrich visited Google headquarters in Mountain View, CA, where we got a chance to interview him for Citizentube. During our interview, Gingrich told us about the newest video contest that his think tank, American Solutions, is launching on YouTube: "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Nothing." Gingrich is asking YouTube users to submit videos arguing why they believe domestic oil drilling should take place in the United States. The user who submits the best, most creative video will win a year's worth of free gas. Talk about a timely prize... Here's the call-out video for the contest...
Back in July, Democratic and Republican National Convention Committees called upon YouTube users to answer the question: "Why are you a Republican (or a Democrat) in 2008?" Hundreds submitted, ten finalists were selected – and now, after tallying your votes, two winners have been chosen to attend this year's upcoming Democratic and Republican National Conventions and spend a day on the campaign trail with their party's candidate.
Rich Peters (username richprince78) has been selected as the winner of the DNC's Convention Contest, while Shawn Summers (username: jedimaster51090) has been selected as the winner of the RNC's Convention Contest.
In "Why I'm a Democrat in 2008," Peters goes through the list of reasons why he's supporting the Democrats and Barack Obama in the fall. Featuring clever green-screen effects and a catchy synthesized score, the video serves as a rousing endorsement of the DNC platform, from universal health care to withdrawing from Iraq. But perhaps the last line sums up his reasoning best: "I'm a Democrat because like so many of you, I love America…and I want my country back."
Meanwhile, in his video "Why I am a Republican," Summers uses a combination of dry humor and party pride to explain his reasons for supporting the Republican Party and John McCain. A freshman at Georgetown University, Summers argues that the core principles of the Republican Party are still the principles that should guide America — both now and in the future: "The Republican Party…stands poised to lead America and the changing world into a new global century. And Shawn Summer, along with millions of other Republicans…stands with them."
Peters and Summers have both won tickets to their party's respective conventions (in Denver and St. Paul, respectively), where their videos will be screened during the proceedings. They'll also spend a day on the campaign trail next week, in the press pool of their party's candidate... Stay tuned for the videos they'll upload there, which we'll feature here on YouTube.
Boasting a weekly viewership of over ten thousand, NewsBusted has become one of the most popular political humor shows on YouTube...and it also happens to be one of the few that leans right. Hosted by JodiMiller, this weekly faux newscast pulls no punches in its coverage of politics and current events. From skewering Barack Obama to mocking Tatum O'Neal—everyone and every topic is fair game for their crosshairs.
Newsbusted creator Matt Sheffield recently took time to answer some questions for Citizentube. He discusses the origins of the project, what conservatives can do to combat perceived liberal bias, and the challenges of producing a political humor show without Jon Stewart’s budget.
By now, nearly a million people have seen “Barack Roll,” a clever music-video mash-up that combines presidential politics with the art of “Rick Rolling”.
But did you know that the video wouldn’t have been possible without Google’s Election Video Search Gadget? Released in July to great reviews, the gadget allows you to type any word into a search engine and not just get a list of all of the political speeches that contain that word, but within each video, yellow markers allow you to jump to the relevant part of the speech where the word comes up.
“I'd had the idea for the video for a few months before [the gadget was released], but had no real way of tracking down all of the right words,” Hugh Atkins, the creator of “Barack Roll,” recently told Citizentube. “Being able to search for particular words and know when they appeared in a given clip made the whole project feasible.”
Atkins, who lives in Sydney, Australia, has made several other popular political videos, including one video that, for propriety sake, we can’t mention by name. And when he’s not making videos? The irreverent Mr. Atkins works at a law firm—proving that anybody, no matter their occupation or time-constraints, can become a video pioneer on YouTube.
We're off with our first version of the You Choose '08 Spotlight this fall - Norm Coleman and Al Franken took the top 5 questions submitted on YouTube and we've featured their answers side-by-side at youtube.com/youchoose08.
[Next up, Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi in the Washington State Gubernatorial race].
As we blogged about in mid-July, “Where is the Red?” is a group of four college students who set out on a cross-country trip to prove you can drive from East Coast to West Coast without ever having to leave a Republican district. Their mission: to encourage Republicans to show their “red” pride in ‘08, and get young people excited about a potential McCain presidency. Along the way, they’ve volunteered for various campaigns, registered new GOP voters, and experienced first-hand the breadth and diversity of the Republican Party.
The “Where is the Red?” team—Jeremy, Christie, Kerry, and their videographer Chris—recently took time to answers some questions for Citizentube. But rather than do it the traditional way, they hopped in their car and answered our questions “road-trip” style.
As the world prepares for the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing, nonprofit organizations, elected officials, and Olympians are using YouTube to draw attention to some of China's most pressing social and political issues. UNICEF, for example, has posted a video that shines the light on Chinese children affected by AIDS, leveraging former Chinese Olympians like gold-medal gymnast Lou Yun in their attempts.
Other organizations and individuals, however, are casting a more critical eye on China's policies, especially those surrounding human rights. Amnesty International recently uploaded a fourteen-video series chronicling human rights issues in China, while U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf has urged political leaders to boycott this year's Olympics in light of Chinese violations against human rights and religious freedom:
And just a few days ago, Olympic speedskater Joey Cheek had his visa revoked by Chinese authorities just hours before he was scheduled to fly to Beijing. Cheek is one of the founders of "Team Darfur," an organization that aims to bring public awareness to the political situation in the Darfur region of Sudan.
The controversy around the Beijing Olympics is not a new phenomenon -- demonstrations for and against China's hosting of the Olympics have drawn much attention over the past year. But will they continue through the Games? Stay tuned to YouTube to find out.
If you've been paying attention to political video these past few weeks, you know that Senator McCain's YouTube channel has officially gone viral. A series of attack ads that mock Senator Obama's celebrity status have drawn millions of views on YouTube and likely several times more eyeballs on television, as the news networks have been amplifying each new provocative clip. The ads have drawn criticism and praise from the mainstream media, including the accusation that "The One" is a not-so-subtle insinuation that Barack Obama is the anti-christ. One thing is certain - the videos are getting viewed.
Yesterday, McCain's YouTube channel was the third most-viewed on the ENTIRE site (see above screen shot), and as of the time of this post, his new series of ads had racked up the following impressive view counts on YouTube:
These videos have elicited hundreds of responses from viewers on YouTube... some fighting the veracity of the claims made about Senator Obama, some mocking the religious undertones of "The One" (while agreeing with its premise), and others taking the bait and claiming that McCain is NOT the one. And of course Paris Hilton got involved as well, bizarrely trying to rise above the conflict and play peace-maker on energy policy. You know its a crazy world when it's Paris Hilton whose trying to rise above political advertising...
But back to McCain. We've been waiting for his YouTube channel to take off... up till now, most of his content lingered around a couple of thousand views, while Obama's YouTube machine churns out 2-3 videos a day that draw tens and often hundreds of thousands of views each. That Obama has beaten McCain on YouTube so far isn't surprising. His resonance with a younger demographic, his consistent uploading pattern (at around 3 videos a day the campaign is essentially producing an internal documentary archive of their candidate), and his Internet outreach strategy have fueled a YouTube channel that boasts over six times as many subscribers as McCain's.
But the ironic thing here is that John McCain is a candidate made for YouTube. His infamous "Straight Talk Express" has always been about giving direct answers to important questions... of engaging with people and not backing down from difficult issues. McCain likes to call himself a maverick and has earned that reputation in Washington.... and it's that sort of candor and independence that is almost perfectly tailored to YouTube. Indeed, McCain's strengths as a candidate are arguably more advantageous to a YouTube world than Obama's: the YouTube community values authenticity (a loaded word) or at least perceived authenticity far more than slick phrases or well-put together speeches, for which Obama (fairly or not) has been criticized.
Yet, McCain has not taken advantage of his straight-talking image on YouTube. Most of his videos are clips pulled from TV or heavily produced web ads. He should be uploading direct-to-camera videos from the campaign trail every day - telling voters around the country how the campaign is going and what he's focusing on, taking questions from people via video when he can. This isn't rocket science and doesn't require production time or a high-tech editing suite to produce... the campaign just needs to have a video camera in the back pocket of McCain's personal assistant wherever the Senator goes. They could shoot the videos on the fly.
McCain would do well to take some queues from his daughter, Megan. Her YouTube channel - McCain blogette - is a great glimpse into life on the campaign trail through the unfiltered (mostly) eyes of a 23 year old kid. She's been posting direct-to-camera videos talking about the primary season, behind-the-scenes footage from the Senator's biography tour, and even personal family stories. Each of these videos give you a personal view of her life and of modern day politics in an Internet age. The videos connect you with her on a personal level... something YouTube is built to do.
Megan's father should do more of the same... by all accounts he's got a great personality - I can vouch for that in at least the one time I've spoken with him - during a visit to Google in which we had the chance to interview him. McCain was engaging, humorous, and self-deprecating as he fielded questions from YouTubers in this short Citizentube video.
That McCain's YouTube channel took off this week on the rising tide of negative political advertisements isn't surprising - negative ads have always drawn attention in American politics. But now that he has this new audience, Senator McCain should seize the opportunity and use YouTube to connect with people in the genuine, straight-talking manner he's so well-known for. It would be a hit on YouTube.
Ralph Nader isn’t this year’s only presidential candidate challenging the two-party system. Former Republican congressman Bob Barr is also in the running, having secured the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination back in May. Known for his outspoken political views, as well as his prominent role during the Clinton impeachment hearings, Barr is determined to run a competitive race against his better-financed opponents. Indeed, he’s expected to be on the ballot in at least 49 states. And although Barr doesn’t get nearly as much mainstream media attention as do McCain and Obama, he’s put together an aggressive grassroots strategy to reach potential voters. And one key element of that strategy has been YouTube.
Recently, Barr’s YouTube Channel has been buzzing with activity. Not long ago his team posted this video petition calling on politicians to stop the “bill of rights blackout” that Barr believes has been happening under the current Bush administration. And last week, he started putting out a series informal videos in which he criticizes both McCain and Obama, and addresses issues such as the Real ID Act (see below).
While Barr is unlikely to be sworn in as America’s 44th President come January, his presence in the race could have an impact, potentially siphoning votes away from the two major contenders. Regardless, Barr proves that in the YouTube age, being a player in presidential politics doesn’t require a huge war chest. Just a little imagination.
For a few weeks now, voters from across the U.S. have been submitting their videos in response to the question: "Why are you a Republican [or a Democrat] in 2008?" The Democratic and Republican National Convention Committees have reviewed those videos, and each selected five finalists for their 2008 conventions program. Starting today, you can vote for who gets to spend a day on the campaign trail with their candidate and attend the Party's biggest, well, party of the year. Vote here, until August 13 (at noon ET).
Both the Democrats and Republicans have been using YouTube extensively to connect with supporters interested in content around the conventions, including unique construction clips from Denver and St. Paul, where the events will be held. The winners of the YouTube convention contests will have their videos played live on stage at these two events, which promise to be major media frenzies, not to mention a whole lot of fun.
So go vote for your favorite clip and look out for two YouTube users to shine on the convention floor…
Last week, the Lifetime Channel kicked off their Every Woman Counts Tour, a nationwide bus tour that asks ordinary women what they would do if they were president. Starting their tour in Indianapolis, the bus will travel to eleven different cities, including Denver and St. Paul during the Democratic and Republican Conventions, respectively. Their mission: to empower women voters and create a forum where they can discuss the issues that matter most to them. Here’s their first video report from Indianapolis:
Back in July, we blogged about Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens and his strategy to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil by investing in domestic renewable resources, particularly wind power. In a series of videos on his YouTube channel, Pickens has outlined his plan to build the largest wind farm in Pampa, Texas—and his company, Mesa Power, had already committed $2 billion toward financing the project.
But while many are praising Pickens’ crusade, one group of citizen journalists is taking him on. Zaproot, a news show devoted to environmental issues, decided to take a closer look at the Pickens Plan and the circumstances out of which it evolved—and, according to their latest video, there’s more to Pickens’ selfless crusade than meets the eye:
Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier. Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran. Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed... Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi.
There have been some great rematches in American political history, and the one taking place in the Washington State gubernatorial race right now is no exception. Chris Gregoire, the incumbent Democrat, and Dino Rossi, the challenging Republican, are facing off again after going toe-to-toe in the closest gubernatorial race in American history back in '04, when Gregoire edged out Rossi by a mere 133 votes out of the 2.8 million that were cast.
This time, it's personal. And, it's on YouTube. Both candidates have agreed to take questions from YouTube users in round 2 of our You Choose '08 Spotlight (Round 1, which features Norm Coleman and Al Franken, will conclude next Monday when we premiere both candidates answers to YouTube questions on our You Choose '08 channel).
See the video below for more information, and if you're so inclined, submit your question for these two candidates. It's your change to step into the ring and face them directly on YouTube. Just don't get caught between Rossi's right jab and Gregoire's left hook...
If you like your political humor short and to the point, then chances are you're familiar with Headzup. A partnership between businessman John Shay and animator/comedian Matthew Filipowicz, Headzup is a daily animated web show focusing on politics and current events. With over 450 videos on their YouTube channel, most of which are under thirty seconds, they've developed a biting style of satire all their own. Whether spoofing Hillary Clinton's Bosnia trip or having John McCain perform a rap song, Headzup is quite literally putting a new face to an old genre.
John and Matthew (who live in Seattle and Chicago, respectively) sat down to answer some questions for Citizentube about Headzup and the brave new world of political satire.
McCain and Obama go tit for tat, the NRSC takes aim at a Mississippi Senator, a user submits a poignant entry to our DNC Convention contest, and John Edwards calls Bill Clinton at 3:00 a.m...courtesy of Barely Political. Here's this week's Friday Five.
Celeb (johnmccaindotcom)
John McCain’s latest attack ad against Barack Obama.
"Low Road" TV Ad (BarackObamadotcom)
Barack Obama’s counter-attack to John McCain’s latest ad.
Sex Scandal When John Edwards Calls the Cheat Team (barelypolitical)
Senator John Edwards finds himself the target of Barely Political’s latest video.
Happy Ronnie Musgrove Day! (TheNRSC)
New ad from the NRSC targeting Senator Robert Musgrove (D-MI).
DNC Commercial Submission (catjwin)
Video submission for YouTube’s DNC Convention contest.
CitizenTube is YouTube's News and Politics Blog. Here you'll find important breaking news videos from citizens; developing trends in the use of YouTube by news organizations, activists, politicians, and governments; and lots of other YouTube goodness. Hit us up on Twitter, @citizentube, if you see something worth posting here.
