Presidential candidates for the 2008 US elections are popping up left right and centre, and no doubt, they’ll be heavy on the internet. John Edwards actually has a YouTube account, video log and all (presumably his aides update it for him, but still) – and although some of his videos are kind of clumsy, others definitely play with the casual YouTube aesthetics – look, a chance capture of a conversation about multi-millionaires paying minimum wages, followed by music and cheap computer titles just the same as we can do ourselves. I assume someone will write about the rhetoric of political YouTube videos, right? Probably a lot of people. Would make a nice thesis topic.

Me, I hope Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama gets the democratic nomination and then, the presidency. About time there’s a woman or an African American president for the US. Actually, I’d been wanting Hillary, but she voted for the war, and kept posing with the military – and honestly, what’s with this keep-it-in-the-family presidential thing? Nah, Barack Obama’s looking better (we’ll have a woman next time) – he seems to have done a great job in Chicago and Illinois, and he’s young and, um, kind of looks like a movie star, and obviously has a professional production team. Which I know shouldn’t matter, but well, then again, maybe it should (not the good looks but the well-kempt looks and the production quality), it’s certainly part of the rhetoric a statesman or -woman needs to master today, just as the ancient Greeks or Abraham Lincoln needed to master a different style of rhetoric. And he’s playful. I mean, look at this:

Mind you, Barack doesn’t have his own YouTube account yet. Does he need it?

4 thoughts on “presidential candidates on youtube

  1. Toril

    Jill, you may have guess that I disagree with you 🙂 I hope Hillary wins the democratic election and becomes the next US president – certainly about TIME that a woman won the American presidency, and I’m tired of the American presidential movie stars, good-looking or not! We need talents and wisdom, which I believe Hillary inhabits huge quantities of!!!!

    Hope your Christmas has been delightful and relaxing 🙂

  2. Jill

    Of course, Toril, I know you’ll disagree 🙂 And I’m not really set on anything other than that I sure hope someone who’s not a white male wins the election… What I’ve seen and heard of Barack Obama does show wisdom and talent, though – I guess this video’s a pretty bad one to show someone who isn’t already familiar with him, really, it shows none of his sense and politics at all, and was meant for people who already know him (and are fans of the Chicago football team).

  3. Elisabeth

    Very interesting with politicians on youtube! Definitely would be an interesting thesis topic.

  4. […] And so although I’m possibly an Obama supporter I found myself pleased that Clinton won in New Hampshire. […]

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