Macaca Day 2009: From George Allen to Claire McCaskill, Video Trackers to Town Haters

Yesterday marked the third anniversary of George Allen calling S.R. Siddarth "Macaca" while Siddarth's camera rolled.

Macaca Day, for those of us who make our living from video on the Internet and elsewhere, is a holy day -- the day that marks the birth of YouTube politics, and reminds us that citizens with cellphone cameras and a YouTube account -- or at least an election.

But August 2009 isn't merely the third anniversary of Macaca Day. It is also proving to be perhaps the most important month yet in the short history of YouTube and digital video politics.

America is, at this very moment, caught up in a new great Uncivil War being fought in our school gyms (though they probably should be held in Ultimate Fighting Championship cages). Town Halls -- perhaps they should be renamed "Town Hates" -- have become the front lines of an anti-government revolt by various groups, including health care reform opponents; white middle class (and the Town Haters on TV have been mostly white) resentful of corporate bailouts, and frightened by demographic changes; know-nothing teabaggers who shout down Members of Congress, even when they are announcing good economic news; and radical libertarians and militia types who, like cicadas, seem to pop up every 17 years or so when a new Democratic administration is elected. Fate has brought these groups together as a sort of "Coalition of the Witless," a ragtag political army -- the mob feared by Madison and other framers of the Constitution.

These Town Haters are the direct descendants of the hateful radical libertarians who were galvanized by the election of Bill Clinton in 1992, and organized themselves into groups such as the Michigan Militia, in that dark chapter of our nation's history.

So what does this have to do with Macaca Day?

Everything.

In the early 1990s the Internet was a nascent, niche medium -- Netscape Navigator was introduced in October 1994. Only in the middle and late 90s, with the rise of AOL and Internet Explorer, did the Net truly take off as a mass medium. Likewise, Web Video's roots go back to the introduction of Quicktime in 1991 and the DV standard in 1995, but I would argue it only became a mass medium with the launch of YouTube in May 2005 and the widespread availability of video cellphones.

The 1990s Haters movement thus developed in the shadows -- or at least without online scrutiny. While some Haters were early adopters of the Internet, their activity there was hidden from the view of most Americans (and the media) who hadn't yet tuned into the new medium.

The 2000s Haters movement by contrast is metastasizing in plain sight of the entire world, thanks to cellphone cameras, DV cameras, YouTube and other web video sites. The Haters who believe Free Speech equals the right to shout down and intimidate are being caught in the act on video, with all the world to judge their uncivil, defeaning thuggery. Likewise, Birthers' insane paranoia is making for must see Web Video -- causing even the GOP to distance themselves (but: see Mike Stark's great video interviews with GOP Members on the topic). Paranoid libertarian militia training, propaganda, and recruiting videos are popping up on YouTube with the scary frequency once reserved for al Qaeda web videos.

All of this may be downright scary. But it's also downright public -- indeed, viewable in living color on YouTube and elsewhere. And as Justice Louis Brandeis famously said, sunlight is the best disinfectant. Or, to update his maxim: YouTube offers the best means for the crazies and the haters to incriminate themselves.

The first Macaca Day was the the first famous instance of YouTube and digital video as a crucial tool for democracy. Three years later, it is thriving to expose the political arguments and actions of everyone from Town Haters to those, to be fair, who are legitimately (if usually mistakenly) concerned. And of course, internationally, Web Video democracy continues to play a huge part in the ongoing Iranian crisis, despite the greater attention to Twitter's much overplayed role.

Perhaps the best illustration came, fittingly, yesterday, served up exactly three years after the original Macaca Day, by another U.S. Senator, in this case, Missouri's Claire McCaskill.

McCaskill of course held several town halls this week, most notably yesterday in Hillsboro, Missouri, where the Town Haters were out in force. But thanks to YouTube, the Haters were exposed in all their ignorant, bullying glory. As important, the Show-Me-State's junior Senator was shown at her best, playing in turn the dutiful public servant, the responsible adult, and the deft debunker of her crowd's ignorance:

"This really can't be about who is the loudest," McCaskill told the crowd, continuing on moments later to lead the crowd into a trap forever captured on video.

"How many of you have Medicare?" she asked the crowd. When several hundred raised their hands, McCaskill pounced: "How many of you want to give up that government-sponsored health care plan?"

All hands went down.

A priceless Macaca moment -- in this case, with the joke on the Haters, not the Senator -- forever captured on Web Video.

Happy Macaca Day.

Comments

[shel3364]

I really like Sen. McCaskill.

She was the first (that I heard of) to call out the attempt to buy extra jets. She was a fabulous spokesperson for Obama during his campaign.

She as a knack for saying things plainly yet not mincing words.

[idisVA]

Why are we such an ignorant nation?

[TheSpecter]

I see a Future President.

[Arleen1]

I like what Claire Mc Caskill did in her townhall meeting, asking those questions that will live on on video. Some of the questions are legitimate others are way out there. I think the time limit on health care was an arbitrary date. But if there was not a deadline or a benchmark set nothing would have been done. The truth for me is that their are too many ignorant people in America that don't even know the basic principles on which this country was founded nor what specifically is written in the constitution to protect our rights and freedoms. Because of this, they are willing to throw it all away because of their ignorance.

[rxvette]

To all the critics of health care reform...

First of all, if any citizen doesn't like or agree with what's going on in America they are free to leave. Nobody is holding a gun to their head to move to another country like Darfur who's government does nothing for the people.

Second, Medicare is in financial troubles now because it has picked up all the rejected elderly people that the private insurance industry has discarded aside due to them actually needing care which is what the government program Medicare is giving them.

Third, if you have legitimate reasons for opposing universal health care than others will certainly listen to you and take you seriously if you don't act like a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum.

Fourth, what are your plans as an opponent to the current proposed legislation for health care reform? I've yet to hear the right wingers and socialist haters provide any details on what they would do to improve the current system.

Fifth, the private markets that you are so fiercely defending are making decisions right now to deny and even kill people by refusing to cover their needed medical care - see following http://cbs2.com/local/nataline.sarkisyan.CIGNA.2.615167.html and http://rxvette.blogspot.com/2009/05/healthcare-reform-touches-home.html

Sixth, you are ignoring one of the core values of right wing conservatism which is take responsibility for you own actions and health. Read more here - http://bit.ly/9QLV8

[-0013]

Tort Reform and Letting people buy health insurance across state lines.

Both will drop costs across the board.

[Ameriki]

This lie about reducing insurance costs by being able to buy it across state lines needs to be stopped. This is a move by the large insurance companies to drive small companies out of business, then the large companies will be a cartel like the oil companies and the banks. Also, interstate insurance companies will be regulated (you betcha) by the federal government not the state governments. The power companies did this several years ago and look what happened to your electric bill.

[BAM47]

I believe the solution to the haters is to begin studying who they are individually and putting their names, communities, and occupations on tv. I mean, if you were an employer of one of these people would you want your business associated with their behavior? How about a website featuring photos of them, where they work, etc? I think we would learn a lot about them this way and the extent to which they have been manipulated.

[zanzig]

This seems fair if Fox and Malkin can name a 11 year old girl and put her address out there. These haters who are all adults can definitely be named and shamed.

[up2uamerica]

This hater stuff is making me sick to my stomach,
I can barely stand to watch anymore.
Like cicada I hope they all crawl back in there hole soon!

[Squeglen]

I give kodo's to Senator McCaskill for asking the question of all these people who were there saying that they do not want social government health care. I think it is funny that they had no idea that their medicare is a government run health insurance. Maybe now, they will stop with all the bull and listen to what the representatives are trying to explain about health care reform and not scream.

[-0013]

What is a "kodo"?

[jingles32]

Yeah, I thought the same about McCaskill too, that is until today when, on Morning Joe, she took a bow for her townhall and its participants, calling it "democracy at its finest." Really? All of that whooping and hollering that compelled her to chastise the hay ter s for their outbursts, a fine display? Maybe she missed the assault on the AA woman and the shredding of her Rosa Parks poster. She outdid herself when later in the day, upon reflection and after having reviewed video of the event, she apologized via Twitter for being perhaps, too condescending to the good folks.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Yeah, that's democracy at it's finest. No one said it was pretty.

[Dosadi]

Get rid of the middle man and health care costs will drop to what the rest of the civilized world pays.

[d49]

agree

[violettefemme]

Doesn't the rest of the civilized world have NHS/Single Payer/something along those lines?

It's us who are behind, there is a thick, definite line of division, and the US is firmly entrenched on the wrong side of it.

[luciusmalfoy]

But they are going to slash medicare to pay for a public healthcare plan. Thats why these seniors are so upset. Calling them names will not mollify them rather it is likely to make them even angrier. I'm surprised the president allowed himself to get boxed in like this i thought he was smarter.

[gfs5541]

Come on. There's no beef with the Elderly. There never was. There's no such thing as a "Death Panel". Why should the Elderly worry about expansion of medicare benefits to all? Why we must wait until we're 65? As I said earlier, Americans are already paying for what the Republicans had deemed to be "socialized health care" via Medicare, but we can't get it until we are 65 or over. Not only that, if we had jobs, we are paying extra for a private health care insurance plan that doesn't guarantee we will get it if we are sick or hurt. That's nonsense, that's stupid, that dishonest and that's why I advocate single payer.

[McLacy]

I agree - no one is talking about slashing Medicare - they only use it as an example of a successful program in how it is provided - it's management costs are much lower than regular insurance programs. Health insurance is going to keep going up until most small business won't be able to offer it and (as most Republicans tell you when they are talking about other issues) small businesses are the backbone of the country - well, they are being crippled by high insurance premiums - we will be paying 50% of our paychecks for insurance in the coming years - during the years of 2000 to 2007 insurance profits quadrupled on the backs of small business and people who have a hard time affording premiums and the sick who can't fight with them when they deny claims - I used to have United Healthcare (profits have quadrupled) and was told by one of my medical providers in discussing a charge being disallowed by UHC that UHC denies claims until the patient just finally gives up fighting and pays - we are already paying the high cost of medical care for those people who wait until they are so sick they go into the emergency room. It's time for a way to get people healthy so they can stop worrying about the financial implications of being ill and can focus on making a living, building a business etc.

[-0013]

They are going to take $400 billion from Medicare. Fact.

[IWantTofu]

No, they are not going to slash medicare to pay for a public health care plan. The seniors are so upset because people are spreading that falsehood. It was the Democrats that gave Seniors Medicare over the objections of Republicans that made many of the same arguments back then that they are making now. Its the Republicans that don't want any government run healthcare program like Medicare. One trick that Republicans are using now is to blatently lie and distort the truth just so that their side can kill any health care reform. They have no interest in helping the American people. They simply don't want any legislation to pass because if any does, President Obama and the Democrats will be viewed as accomplishing something. The notes that the union guy took from the Republican conference call on tactics for fighting the Democratic program confirmed what should be apparent to anyone watching what is happening.

[McLacy]

Dick Army has flat out stated that if "any healthcare reform passes, they will have failed."

[Dosadi]

No they are not. They are going to stop the billions of money being given to the insurance company as subsidies that do not go toward health care. This means the seniors still get the same benefits, the insurance companies make less shear profit. We are trying to get rid of the middle man. You know, the guy that gets paid for doing nothing to improve care or improve our health. This middle man is taking 33% off the top for unearned profits. This has to stop because in ten years we will not be able to afford even the worst insurance policy. Sometimes you have to punish your child for his own good. Now is the time for the insurance company middle men to suffer the loss of ill gotten profits.

[up2uamerica]

They are not slashing it they are cutting out the waste and fraud. What is wrong you prople.

[BAM47]

No, their going to raise taxes on those earning more than $250,000. That is what Obama said he was going to do and unless you have proof otherwise, you should not peddle the trash that medicare is going to be cut.

[LMPE]

I predict that within a few years, the Internet will make traditional media entirely obsolete. Newspaper will almost entirely cease to exist, while radio will exist only to hear music and TV will exist only to watch Gilligan bungle every rescue (among other things).

Speaking of the part about shouting:
"A patriot is the person who shouts the loudest without knowing what he is shouting about." - Mark Twain