Yes Everyone Can

Back in early February, when the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am posted a music video onto YouTube, little did he know he'd not only be joining the Obama movement—he'd be starting a movement of his own. His "Yes We Can" music video, inspired by Obama's concession speech in New Hampshire, has been viewed over five million times on his illwilly YouTube channel alone, and has itself inspired a slew of knockoffs, parodies, and tributes.

The first of these to gain attention was a video parody from Election08 entitled john.he.is. Aimed at John McCain, and using a similar soundtrack and style as the will.i.am video, it edits together snippets from several of McCain's stump speeches—but for a decidedly different effect.

Meanwhile, this video entitled yes.we.will from johnnyhardwick pokes fun at Hillary Clinton, who shortly after New Hampshire (and the viral success of will.i.am's video) tried out a new campaign slogan at one of her rallies.

Some of the knock-offs take a less partisan, more absurdist approach, such as this one from G4TV, a political music video "inspired" by Attack of the Show's Cobra Commander. Meanwhile, this video from welovegamerz pays tribute to "the man who dares against all odds to spend the tax rebate George W. is giving him on a HDTV and an X-Box 360. Yes...He…Can."



But parodies and send-ups aside, it's clear will.i.am's video has resonated with millions of people around the world—as demonstrated in the above video from Obamediadotcom appropriately entitled "Yes We Can International." And if one needed further proof of its impact, this performance by a college a cappella singing group indicates that we'll be hearing this song—and seeing more knockoffs and tributes—for a long time to come.

Got a Question for Ralph Nader?

As we mentioned yesterday, Ralph Nader has been using YouTube to draw attention to his independent presidential campaign. Next Monday, we have the opportunity to interview him - what should we ask him?

Check out Nader's YouTube channel -- youtube.com/votenader08 -- and send us your questions, either by video response or as a text comment to the video below.



And make sure to look out for the interview next week...

Can We Ask? Yes We Can.

With Senator Obama's candidacy as the Democratic nominee looking more and more likely, the GOP's general election strategy ratcheted up this week online. The GOP's new media team, led by ex-Yahoo Internet guru Cyrus Krohn, has begun compiling media clips that criticize the Senator - and asking party supporters to submit tough questions for Obama via YouTube.

They've even turned the Obama campaign's own catch phrase, "Yes We Can," against him in this call-out video for their "Can We Ask?" initiative.



The GOP has already seen the value in using YouTube to rally their supporters in the past; back in July, the Republicans actively reached out to party members on YouTube, soliciting questions for the Democratic CNN-YouTube debate. Even RNC Chairman Mike Duncan used this forum to pose questions to Hillary Clinton and Senator Obama.

Check out the GOP website to view a list of all of the video questions submitted thus far.


Thanks to David All at TechRepublican.com for the tip!

No one paying attention this time? Get on YouTube

While Clinton, Obama, and McCain might be getting most of the attention, there's another familiar name in this year's presidential race—Ralph Nader. The long-time activist and consumer advocate is making another bid for the White House—eight years after capturing 2.7 percent of the vote in the 2000 presidential election. And while the mainstream media is paying much less attention this time around, Nader has turned to YouTube to reach voters.

Nader recently launched a YouTube channel to promote his campaign. Unlike other presidential candidates on YouTube, he isn't exclusively relying on his campaign staff to create videos for his channel—he's soliciting volunteers and supporter to contribute videos as well. From public speeches featuring him and running mate Matt Gonzales, to tongue-and-cheek commercials, to enthusiastic testimonials from supporters, the channel reflects Nader's anti-establishment, grassroots sensibility.



Although sometimes blamed for costing Al Gore the presidency in 2000, Nader refuses to let that argument deter him, and in a recent public appearance (see the video above) he's argued that third-party candidates deserve to be treated better than "second-class-citizens."

Operation Chaos—Did it Work?

After Hillary Clinton’s two-percent margin of victory in yesterday’s Indiana primary, many are speculating whether conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos” had an impact on the outcome. For the last several weeks, Limbaugh has been encouraging his mostly Republican listeners to cross partisan lines during the primaries and vote for Clinton, which he hopes will prolong the nomination battle and further divide the Democrats. Mainstream pundits have been reticent to point fingers--but YouTuber JoeFelice is not. YouTube gives such commentators as JoeFelice the chance to be his OWN talking head, and no matter which candidate you support, his analysis of last night’s election results is worth considering.

The Long and Winding Delegate Road

Two more primaries down—and the race for the democratic nomination carries on. After claiming a decisive victory in North Carolina yesterday, Barack Obama maintains his lead in pledge delegates, and is less than 200 delegates short of reaching the 2,025 he needs to secure the nomination. But Hillary Clinton made it clear in her Indiana victory speech last night that she’s not out of the race yet. "Tonight, we've come from behind," she told supporters. "We've broken the tide, and thanks to you it's full speed onto the White House."

The fight over these two states—one a Southern state with a significant number of black voters, the other a mid-Western state with a significant number of white rural voters—dramatized the demographic polarities of the Democratic party, and indeed took several dramatic turns on YouTube.

The first was a TV ad released by the North Carolina GOP, which used a clip from one of Jeremiah Wright’s sermons to portray Obama as an extremist. Many Republicans, including John McCain, condemned the ad and requested it be taken off the air.

Next, Jeremiah Wright returned to the scene, making a series of public appearance and statements that prompted Obama to issue the strongest condemnation of his former pastor yet.

Most recently, the political debate turned to gas prices. In the week leading up to the primaries, Clinton, following McCain, came out in support of a “gas tax holiday,” arguing that it would offer temporary relief to ordinary Americans. Obama, following many leading economists, opposed the gas tax holiday, arguing that it would cost Americans more than it would save.

In the end, Obama’s message resonated with North Carolinians, while Clinton’s narrowly resonated with Indiana voters. So whose message will most resonate with super delegates? That question still remains to be seen.

"We Votin', and Throwin' It Up"

Taz Arnold (aka TI$A), a member of the hip-hop trio SA-RA, made his debut as a solo artist yesterday with the release of "Vote Obama". The latest musician to use his celebrity to mobilize voters to the polls (after the smashing success of will.i.am's "YES WE CAN" and "We Are the Ones" videos), TI$A rounded up a bunch of his hip-hop colleagues -- including heavyweights Kanye West, Jay-Z, Chris Brown, and Apple of the Black Eyed Peas, among others -- to appear in this lyrical endorsement.

With a nice sample from Ice Cube's classic "Today Was a Good Day," and a very repetitive refrain ("We hood, we votin', and throwin' it up"), this track is likely to get stuck in your head -- which may well be the point.