YouTube Making Politicians Sweat

(CBS)  "YouTube" has emerged as a player in the November election.

Foot-in-mouth disease is no rarity among politicians but, reports CBS News senior White House correspondent Bill Plante, more of their embarrassing missteps are making their way onto popular video Web sites such as YouTube, and it's having an impact.

Plante points out this is a new take on an old dynamic.

President Franklin Roosevelt used radio, then a new technology, to form a personal relationship with Americans.

John Kennedy's debate with Richard Nixon made clear the awesome power of television, when radio listeners gave Nixon the edge, but Kennedy won over TV viewers.

Internet blogs and fundraising helped Howard Dean go from an unknown governor into a political powerhouse and then, once his now-infamous scream made the rounds, he was brought down with blinding speed.

Now, says Plante, the newest political phenomenon on the Web is YouTube, the video sharing site known for phony diaries and stupid animal antics.

YouTube is one of the Net's most popular draws, with more than 20 million visitors a month.

A posting there of a picture of Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut kissing President Bush helped fuel Lieberman's loss to anti-war candidate Ned Lamont in the recent primary in the Nutmeg State.

And Sen. George Allen, R-Va., who's running for reelection, has seen his once large lead in the polls slip to just a few points. A big reason: a video on YouTube of his using the term "macaca" to refer to a campaign opponent. "Macaca" is seen by many as a racial slur.

"With the Internet and YouTube, there is no discussion. It's automatically posted," notes long-time Bush strategist Matthew Dowd.

He says he worries about a loss of spontaneity in politics: "When a time that the public wants authenticity, I think the Internet and YouTube is causing people and politicians to actually be less authentic, because they worry about what's going to get caught on the Internet."

Because, Plante observes, politicians do get caught being, well, let's say less than perfect.

Such as when Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., was taped saying, "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking!"

Biden said that with a smile on his face.

But some political pros welcome the newest tool in techno-politics.

"You can influence it, but you can't control it anymore, so you have to let go a little bit," says Democratic strategist Joe Trippi, who ran the Internet-fueled Dean presidential campaign in 2004.

And he says he sees YouTube as a tool for weeding out overly-manufactured candidates: "I think, if you think you have to be perfect all the time, you're finished now. The best way to think about it is, 'No, I have to be who I am all the time, and I have to hope and believe that the American people will like who I am."

But, concludes Plante, just being themselves will suit some politicians better than others.

[roach9703]

RE: You-Tube and Political Gaffes

One suggestion I make to politicians about statements that MAY offend a particular ethnic group is to invite a sample of them in for a frank focus group discussion. Examine just what is insulting, and how to correct it ( period ). The politician just might be able to recruit a few of these to do volunteer work for them as well such as working the phones calling voters, particularly of that ethnic group!

[agnim]

CBS is shamefully promoting political propaganda.

Readers just need to go to the YouTube recording to realize that BIDEN DID NOT MAKE ANY GAFFE!

CBS is just despicable in its reporting.

Below are the links and context of Biden's talk while he was talking to INDIANS who had no reason to feel insulted.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIy9_oOSndM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGO4qx6aCnA&mode=related&search=

Again, CBS is dispicable! Shameful propaganda here!

[long_rider]

Youtube, and others like it, are Americas only source of non-controled news. Keep it up Youtube.

I wonder why American TV news never reported the protests against bush? Thhey had protests in Holland, Germany, and a big protest in London. New York even had a protest against bush. Was any of tese protests on TV?

America news media, thank you for fair and uncensored news. ROFLMAO.

[actsmarter]

I think You Tube might be able to make NASA sweat as well.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ovHrNnEutk

[mjv2944]

Main stream media is led by the nose by big business, who do you think they get their revenues from, Santa Claus? If we truly had a free press we would not have the type of politicians and leaders that we have today. They are the ones who want you to believe these media freaks that they call politicians are the answer. Vote out all incumbents, Dems and Republicans alike.

[siddin-2009]

Live by this and you won't have a problem at all in life.

Our Word speaks only Truth.
Our Hearts know only Virtue.
Our Might upholds the Weak.
Our Wrath undoes the Wicked.

[kamakahote]

"What the American public doesn't know is what makes them the American public."

- Dan Akroyd as "Ray Zalinsky" in "Tommy Boy"

Mainstream media in the U.S. has such a total stranglehold on the "information" disseminated to the American public that it is nothing more than propaganda, be it the government's, big tobacco, big oil, etc. They may set up a few straw men here and there to knock down, but by an large, these outlets are being run by people with the same interests. Presume for the time being that just about anything you see on the "news" or in the "papers" is a lie, or at least a horribly twisted version of the truth.

YouTube and its brethren, while still in their nascent stages, may be our only chance of getting undiluted...I hesitate to say it..."journalism."

[annabanana-1]

The American people are never poorly served when they have MORE information. This tool is wonderful to weed out phoneys and blowhards.

On a personal level, we don't expect people to be perfect. The notion that we DO expect that from politicians is the result of our distance FROM them, and all the handlers that the current media format has placed between us.

With YouTube, it is becoming possible to get to know candidates on a much more personal level. This is a win-win for America.