Orwellian Politics - Hillary in 1984

If you look back at my post of February 14, you'll see I anticipated a youtube video featuring Hillary Clinton. And just a little over a month later, courtesy of "parkridge47" here it is. OK, it's not exactly what I thought it would be, but the influence of video on the hyperindividualized culture is the next big thing in marketing (and political campaigns). There are already over 240,000 hits (update-make that 1 million) to the site. Careful, once you see this mash-up of the classic Apple 1984 commercial you may not be able to scrape it off your consciousness. You think I'm kidding...

Marcotte, McEwan and Edwards - Hello I Must Be Going

Web 2.0 has extended further into the political arena. X-treme (read "progressive") political bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan were just following Anna Nicole Smith's mantra as described by Smith's mother -- any press, good or bad, helps me make money.

In this case the publicity has not helped John Edwards campaign, and he's called off the partnership just as it was gaining some momentum. As vicious, off-color humor becomes more common on the web, the line of acceptability is shifting (Marcotte holds she has been "censored" for being a woman, pro-choice, anti-religious, etc.), but it still hasn't become a free-for-all.

Some x-treme blogging or a feisty video interview could be good for Hillary in a youtube strike against Barack Obama. But John, we hardly knew ye.