Political Video
Watch This: California Forward’s “Force for Change”
Video shown at the LWVC Biennial Convention in Long Beach May 2009 with keynote dinner speaker Bob Hertzberg.
Governor Schwarzenegger’s Hit Christmas Family Movie (but not Jingle All the Way)
The good folks at Courage Campaign Issues Committee (disclosure: I’ve done a bit of work for them) are making spirits bright…at the Governor’s expense.
Robert in Monterey talks about the piece at Calitics:
The Courage Campaign, in partnership with Donkey on the Edge and with the support of Cheri and Naren Shankar, put together this video of Arnold’s “California Carol” – Arnold is visited by the ghosts of California past, present and future, showing him the error of his ways.
Unfortunately, California’s Ebenezer Scrooge isn’t going to have a Christmas morning change of heart and suddenly decide to provide funding for schools and health care. Not unless we the people demand that he stop cutting and start saving California by signing the Democratic budget deal. (Calitics – Arnold’s Nightmare: A California Carol)
Lest ye forget, this is not the Governor’s first foray into holiday entertainment. As bad as the situation is in Sacramento, do we really want him going back to this…
Watch This: GOOD Magazine Breaks Down Fundraising for the First Billion Dollar Race for the White House
Fundraising flunkies and compliance junkies:
Check out this great motion piece breaking down the who’s got the bucks and where the cash comes from in the first $1,000,000,000 campaign.
Brought to you by the great folks at GOOD Magazine.
Talking Shop: My Appearance on Wilshire & Washington’s BlogTalkRadio Show
Shameless self-promotion alert!!!
Tonight I bellied up to the pundit bar and appeared as a guest on the BlogTalkRadio edition of the excellent blog Wilshire & Washington.
Maegan Carberry, who I met on the Obama campaign invited suckered me into a rough Q&A by herself and Variety Editor-At-Large Ted Johnson.
I don’t know who keeps telling people that I know what I’m talking about (It’s me.), but I can’t say I dislike the attention.
For a refresher course on my past punditry, take a look at the clips below from my appearances on KNBC Los Angeles’ NewsConference…
Back With A Vengeance
I took a little while away to go work day-to-day on the Obama campaign in California.
Now I’m back.
The video above is the last piece I released, capturing the excitement from Barack’s supporters outside his debate with Senator Clinton at the Kodak theater on January 31st.
A Stirring Coda – Will.I.am’s Yes We Can video
Though the contest will continue on all the way to Denver, we are just days from 22 states casting their votes and going to caucus.
This contest has been elevated by great candidates, two of whom remain.
However you vote, wherever you stand, watch the video above.
Take a moment to think between now and Tuesday – or whenever your state votes – to think on the direction you wish for this country and this world.
Then please go vote.
The hopes of the little girl who goes to a crumbling school in Dillon are the same as the dreams of the boy who learns on the streets of LA; we will remember that there is something happening in America; that we are not as divided as our politics suggests; that we are one people; we are one nation; and together, we will begin the next great chapter in America’s story with three words that will ring from coast to coast; from sea to shining sea – Yes. We. Can.
McCain’s Daughter is Making Movies on the Road
John McCain’s daughter, Meghan McCain, has been blogging his race for a while. Not content with the mere written word, she now is making movies on the campaign trail. The first two clips are above and below.
Shannon Bae, who is credited with producing the pieces, has two really nice works here – even if she should back off on the canted angles!
More than most of the videos I have seen this cycle, these two pieces from McCain have a give a nice feel for what it’s like on the trail. I loved the shots in the second clip of the seats with the name tags on them. Totally inconsequential, but also so familiar. How many stools have I striped tape across with names the same way?
These pieces are behind the walls in ways that other campaigns have not achieved. I guess the moral of the story for all you campaign videographers is this:
Be the candidate’s daughter, and you’ll actually get to see what’s going on!
Despite my affection for these videos, I’m still no McCain fan. Hearing the stories of the country clubber and the Wall Street young turk who left their cushy lives behind to get John McCain elected, I am reminded why I am a Democrat – where the “what did you leave behind” stories are a lot more salt of the earth.
Joe Trippi is Out of Ideas. Supporters to Make John Edwards Next Ad!
Enter your :30 second spot between December 28th and January 16th – just in time for the Nevada Caucuses!
More details are available at JohnEdwards.com.
No word if the winner gets the customary cut of the media buy.
Edwards Sending Resources to New Hampshire. What does it all mean?
With theories abounding that former North Carolina Senator John Edwards is quietly winning Iowa, his campaign released this video yesterday telling people to get their asses to New Hampshire.
Even the candidate himself hit the streets in the Granite State:
Just a week from the Caucus and the Edwards team is turning attention to state number two…are they confident of a win, or worried about a defeat?
Kid and Play were NOT in attendance, but Barack was on the phone.
Ah. The house party. Staple of organizing.
What once was a time for community to draw together in discussion, is now a chance for neighbors to sit and listen to a conference call together.
Because nothing forges neighborly bonds like deciding who gets to say their name before pressing pound.
Press one if you are fired up. Press two if you’re ready to go.
Here’s my thank you card, Senator Clinton…
At least it’s not another damn sweater!
Another Good Supporter Action Video from Edwards
The Edwards team dropped another nice video showing supporters in action today.
Big Opening Week: Edwards Works for Box Office Gold in Iowa Caucus
Don’t expect to see this before Sweeney Todd when you go catch it this weekend!
John Edwards campaign put out a “Trailer” today for the Iowa Caucus. It’s meant to draw attention to the Edwards Campaign Caucus Command Center.
I like the piece a lot – especially because it draws on the talents of one of their supporters who does voice work for “real” movie trailers.
The one thing I’m torn on is whether or not Edwards should be the “star.” If I were to go a slightly different direction with the story it’d be about the people rising up against powerful corporate interests, with Edwards leading the way. The American People would be the star.
Nonetheless, it’s another nice creative piece from the Edwards camp.
Presidential Debates and the Special Olympics…
…What are places where everyone is the winner, Alex?
Wait! Before you think Edwards ran away with the debate, here’s a clip saying how great Obama was:
And since everyone was the winner yesterday, here’s a clip that the Clinton campaign has put out:
So, in three clips from three campaigns – all culled from the same news segment – we have three winners. Rashomon, anyone?
BONUS!!! Here’s a clip from Fox News where Edwards is the winner!
Since he has clips from two networks, does that make Edwards the real winner here?
John Edwards’ Campaign (and Parents) Reaching Out And Touching Republicans
Today, John Edwards released a trio of videos featuring voter contact work in New Hampshire.
The second video sticks to the same formula. A phonebanker tells their story of talking with a Republican. It’s a positive reaction, resulting in good feelings for the volunteer.
Both of the clips are pulling triple duty. They hit some policy points: Iraq and Good Government. They hit some messaging: that Edwards is more electable in the general (as evidenced by these New Hampshire Republicans who are open to him). They create an opportunity for action, and one which will leave you feeling so good you’ll want to tell your own story of how well it went.
In fact, it’s such a good experience that even Edwards’ folks get in on the action…
Not content to trade her recipes for campaign contributions, Edwards mom brings along dad (the one whose job at the mill we’ve heard so much about) for a day of campaign work. I wonder if Hillary Clinton had her mom working the phones in the videos I posted earlier…
Even Rudy Giuliani’s “YouTube-Style” Video Is About Tall Buildings Being Terrorized
Still clearing out a number of videos I have wanted to post about. This one is Rudy Giuliani’s “YouTube-style” clip from the GOP’s CNN/YouTube Debate.
It’s got a nice mix of humor, information and attacks on Hillary Clinton. If I were a Republican, I’m guessing that’d be a web video trifecta.
But did anyone else notice that even his “YouTube-style” clip managed to include skyscrapers in peril? Joe Biden was right.
Old People Talk to Themselves, Just Watch Mike Gravel.
Another very creative video from the Gravel camp. What is it about Gravel’s supporters that gives them such a creative edge in the online video battle?
Is it that the suspension of disbelief needed to go full-throttle for a candidate who will never win sets free supporter’s creative juices?
Great Online Organizing. Poor choice of words. Ron Paul certainly has “seen it all.”
Maybe I’m being a bit puerile here…
…but…
…after dropping their tremendous “money bombs” on the political process, the Ron Paul campaign puts out an ad with the unfortunate coincidence of having their narrator use the script…
“He’s been doctor. He’s seen it all.”
…while showing him giving a female patient an – ahem – exam and ultrasound.
For all of their money, couldn’t they have come up with a less embarrassing shot, or changed the script?