Wow. I’ve seen YouTube videos that are ridiculous, provocative, nonsensical, funny and utterly meaningless, but Mitt Romney’s latest entry definitely earns the least-interesting award.
His snooze-fest video is part of YouTube’s “You Choose ’08” initiative that lets candidates showcase their campaigns through videos.
Actually, it’s nice to get a glimpse of a 2008 presidential candidate speaking candidly, alone, without annoying banners, campaign posters, megaphones or loud crowds, so props to YouTube’s News and Politics site.
If YouTube videos are too literal for you, try investigating virtual communities like Second Life, where Barack Obama has set up shop and posted a national webcast of his “living room conversation” with supporters.
The argument here is that campaigning with web tools like MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and Second Life open up the door for a new sense of “intimacy” with candidates, but I’m not so sure I’m buying it. Romney’s video put me to sleep. Obama’s virtual self doesn’t even look anything like him. At this point I’m not really feeling more connected to candidates through web campaigns, I’m feeling bored.
–Gary Moskowitz
