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Our Favorite Videos Are Back!

BY Joshua Levy | Friday, January 11 2008

It’s the return of our favorite political videos of the week! We look at a few clips from Iowa and New Hampshire that have become genuine cultural moments and that may have helped tip the polls, and a couple of voter-generated videos that fall flat.

5. Obama Girl Returns for Iowa!

We’re including this because it’s been viewed more than 1,200,000 times on YouTube, but we have to say, it’s pretty ridiculous. Like Rocky before her, Obama Girl returns from retirement to save democracy, and Obama’s chances in Iowa. That is, if democracy nothing more than booty and “YouTunes”!

4. Max Romney

This video, produced by YouTuber “keithib,” does a fine job of making it’s point — that Mitt Romney is an automaton saying whatever he wants people to hear — but it doesn’t have much originality going for it. In fact, it reminds us of a certain other video showing a Democratic candidate as a robotic-sounding authoritarian figure… About 1,200 views on YouTube.

3. Obama’s Victory Speech

This video of Barack Obama’s Iowa victory speech captures a moment when suddenly the media establishment decided — on the strength of one caucus win in one state — that Obama was the frontrunner. His supporters are pumped, Obama is proud, and the speech is one of the best of the season. More than 750,000 views on YouTube.

2. Hillary Clinton’s Heated Response

When Hillary first got into a heated response to John Edwards about change (that word!) in last Saturday’s debate in New Hampshire, many of us though she came across as too defensive. In retrospect, the powerful response may have convinced voters to vote for her. And judging from its more than 815,000 views on YouTube, the rest of the country was watching too.

1. Hillary Clinton Tears Up During Campaign Stop

How could we not include a video of Hillary’s “tears”? This particular version of the near-tears that changed the Democratic race has been viewed more than 860,000 times, but there are dozens of alternate versions, mashups, and remakes out. Hillary’s moment has become a cultural phenomenon.

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