White House to Drudge: We Can Make YouTube Videos, Too
Matt Lewis
Columnist
Posted:
08/4/09
Yesterday, the Drudge Report posted this video of Barack Obama, demonstrating that -- despite what Democrats say -- the "public option" is a Trojan horse for a "single-payer universal health care plan." It was quickly embedded on almost every conservative blog out there:
The video is heavily edited, and some of the most damaging comments come from speakers other than Obama. Still, when the president says, "Nobody is talking about some government takeover of health care," he is clearly wrong, based on the video.
Deciding to fight fire with fire, the White House released its own video to dispel the "scare" attacks:
No offense to communications director Linda Douglass, but what she has done is essentially include her own hand-picked "edited" quotes. The White House deserves credit for quickly launching its own video, but let's be honest: This sort of guerilla campaigning works well for revolutionaries, but not the establishment. It's like when parents try to use Facebook to seem "cool" -- it just doesn't work.
The White House video is well-crafted but Douglass' side now lacks the energy needed to make something go viral. My guess is it will go up on a few liberal blogs, but won't reach even half the number of people who viewed the original.
The video is heavily edited, and some of the most damaging comments come from speakers other than Obama. Still, when the president says, "Nobody is talking about some government takeover of health care," he is clearly wrong, based on the video.
Deciding to fight fire with fire, the White House released its own video to dispel the "scare" attacks:
No offense to communications director Linda Douglass, but what she has done is essentially include her own hand-picked "edited" quotes. The White House deserves credit for quickly launching its own video, but let's be honest: This sort of guerilla campaigning works well for revolutionaries, but not the establishment. It's like when parents try to use Facebook to seem "cool" -- it just doesn't work.
The White House video is well-crafted but Douglass' side now lacks the energy needed to make something go viral. My guess is it will go up on a few liberal blogs, but won't reach even half the number of people who viewed the original.