The debate is over and here come the video responses. Larry Flynt and SNL aren't alone in their election opportunism, many an enterprising YouTuber has uploaded distractions aplenty before the debate to clutter your results.
Check out this one.
Sadly, one would think GooTube would allow you to sort by ratings, views and date simultaneously. But that must cut down on advertising impressions, so let us not digress.
First, the debate chunks arrive. From the unedited uploads of the debate footage. To repackaged snippets highlighting moments during the debate. Say it ain't so, but there's a new joe: "Joe the Plumber".
Then comes the focus on manners and mannerisms. Team Maverick just gets no respect. When it's hard enough for the McCain-Palin ticket to discuss the economy, at least can't they form a cohesive campaign strategy on what to do with their eyes and smirks during the debate? True, there was no folksy winking from team McNasty tonight. They thought this one through and the Maverick has some credit due. He has come so far in his video relationship with Obama: Debate 1: he couldn't look Obama in the eye; Debate 2: he couldn't shake "that one's" hand; Debate 3: he looks Obama in the eye is not afraid to shake his hand and spastically say "Good Job" over and over.
Unfortunately, team McCain became a victim of the Love Connection split screen. The only time McCain stopped his manic blinking was to smirk, grimace or let his eyebrows do some talking.
Then there are those who amassed supplemental footage for tonight's debate performance. This eerie, Batman clip with post-debate audio commentary provides a comical and historical context for this media discussion.
In line with a larger trend towards online, political expression are the pieces that assembled news clips to inter-cut with the best debate bite that supported their message.
More polished pieces will emerge as creators yield the immediacy of their response to get additional production time. It's these latter pieces that are less hindered by the topicality of their response, where you see more thoughtful voter-generated messages. While some offer comical commentary.
Others hope to reach the prized, undecided voters by illuminating moral hypocrisy of candidates.
What is obvious is that there is now a new media clash between campaigns and this emerging creative class to battle for control of the message. McCain's feeble attempt in this debate to spin a convoluted, talking-points web of conspiracy between Barack, Acorn and Ayers, points to the tragic media game we now occupy where Republican's are trying to redirect the outrage at their own party's past electoral malfeasance and voter suppression into a rallying call to activate their base's fear. As I listened to McCain, I took heart in knowing that even the previously apolitical are becoming reluctant media advocates. Just a few days ago a distant, old coworker sent me an email titled "My first political spot."
While his motivation stemmed from a conversation with his father challenging him to do something about his outrage at the mainstream media's propagation of falsities and its anemic journalism on the issue, we all don't have to become media producers this election cycle. You can seek out those videos with the messages you support, rate them, share them, social bookmark them, and bring them into the media conversation. Do your part in this new media democlickracy.