By Dave Romanski
It's October, and if we're being perfectly honest, despite the economy collapsing, despite the mortgage crisis and the war and all the issues facing the country right now, we have to admit this is the most fun election ever. And one source is responsible for a lot of that fun: YouTube.
Remember when a candidate used to say something stupid on the campaign trail? We used to be satisfied with a healthy run on the 24-hour cable news cycle, where a few pundits would dissect said statement and either shake their heads in righteous outrage or nervously try to appease whatever constituency was offended.
Even with cable news, you started to get the impression that politicians only said stupid, self-destructive things occasionally. And then YouTube happened.
As the first presidential election with Internet 2.0 infrastructure in place, the possibilities for satire and mockery have been enormous. In the primaries, we all saw how YouTube filled the vacuum that complacent journalism had left over the Bush years, taking any and every chance to expose and embarrass a presidential candidate. Remember Joe Biden's offhand remarks about Indians and 7-11? Maybe not now, but YouTube made sure Biden's presidential campaign never forgot it. And how about when Hillary Clinton referenced the assassination of Bobby Kennedy as a reason for staying in the race? Or John McCain's befuddled response to a question about birth control? It's like a volleyball game where the media sets the ball of embarrassment and YouTube spikes it hard into the ground, often taking a candidate's poll numbers along with it.
Of course, YouTube has helped politicians at times, if they make an effort to tame the beast. Here's a Barack Obama moment that may be a discreet nod to the support he's gotten from the hip-hop community.
And that brings us to tonight's vice presidential debate, a potential Super Bowl of raw material for YouTube moments. If you're wondering whether or not the Mainstream Media shares this view, just take a look at USA Today's preview of the showdown; look at any other news source and you'll see the same thing. Including ours ...
A lot of people won't even watch the debate tonight — but you know they'll be all over YouTube if a classic gaffe happens.
In this age of absurd politics, one of the last comforts we have left is our ability to laugh at those who run for national office, because we know the majority of them are not to be trusted. We haven't really figured out how to make politicians accountable to the people in this country, but we've finally learned how to deflate the hell out of their egos with the help of our friend, the Internet. So America, get comfortable in front of the TV tonight and savor the brutal humiliation of these national politicians, because it's the best thing we got going for us right now.
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