Posts Tagged ‘OCR’
How Much Will Newsom ‘Buck the System’ On Twitter?
Sole (announced) Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom is taking his Twitter followers out for a spin.
Much has been written on the success Newsom’s found on the microblogging site; amassing a huge number of followers, announcing his campaign via Tweet and doing much of the thumbwork himself.
In the next week, I’ll have a piece that’ll make you look at follower numbers a little differently (and not just Gavin’s). But in the meantime, let’s watch as Newsom test drives these folks and sees what he can get out of them.
Because this is where the rubber meets the road.
Newsom is asking for a small contribution from his 425,563 Followers, sending them to a fundraising page with a goal of 500 donors at five bucks a pop.
In the two post-Tweet hours, 84 cointrubtors have given a total of $1,048.
I’ll update periodically with new totals, and welcome speculation in the comments about how much this ask turns into…
Twitter Updates for 2009-05-18
- Anyone else feel that? #
- RT @bdoten: Cedillo campaign shaking it up – working through the ‘quake. #
- IRISCard just crashed while importing OCR’d cards into Address Book, and took entire address book with it. TOTAL GARBAGE. #
- is wondering… Will anyone smack me if I use the phrase “twempest in a tweapot?” Weigh in… without violence, please. #
Twitter Updates for 2009-04-29
- @GavinNewsom campaign blog now has RSS, which I bitched about on their announcement day. You really CAN make a difference in the world. #
- RT @adamconner: Chris Kelly announces CA AG exploratory committee! http://kelly2010.com. #
- is clearing comment spam from the http://www.Reelpolitik.org moderation queue. Spam bots are the only ones going to the site, I guess. #
- Getting a little snack before heading out to Santa Monica Dem Club. wxcited about new projects I am about to start. #
- RT @JerryBrown2010: Even though I am California’s “top cop,” 2 of my tires were stolen. No matter. I got 2 new ones and I’m rolling again! #
- At Santa Monica Democratic Club to discuss Props 1A-1F. Great presentation by an area teacher. #
2007 California Democratic Convention – Volunteers
Volunteers prepare as conventioneers gather for the 2007 California Democratic Party State Convention.
25 Random Things About Jerry Brown
Controversial official portrait of once (and future?) Governor Jerry Brown
California Attorney General (and gubernatorial candidate) Jerry Brown is the latest person to succumb to the 25 Random Things craze that’s sweeping across Facebook.
How did I know this? I saw a Tweet on the JerryBrown2010 Twitter profile.
6. My official portrait as Governor was quite controversial and the legislature refused to hang it. My Father said if I didn’t get a new one, I could never run again. It is now hanging and I am still running. (Facebook: Jerry Brown’s 25 Random Things)
Embracing the latest meme sensation and promoting it through the hot new social medium (at least among hack and flack elites) is a defiant response to those critics who wonder “does California need the same governor in 2011 that it had in 1975?” as my old boss Garry South recently put it.
Does tapping new channels to communicate with voters indicate that Brown would not be the same governor he was in the days before many of Facebook’s most fervent users were born?
Does use of young technology demonstrate a young spirit? Does use of a fresh political medium show a mind open to fresh policy ideas?
Now, after two years as state attorney general, this Democrat who first ran for office in the era of Janis Joplin and the Beatles is remaking himself yet again. This time, Brown’s quest is to recapture the job he won 35 years ago: governor of California.
But Brown is already facing a quandary that could bedevil him in this, his 12th campaign: How does a man so closely identified with California’s past show that he is best fit to lead the troubled state into the future? (LA Times)
If the answer to the haters isn’t in the use of such technology, maybe an answer lies within the 25 Random Things. I’ve pulled a few out below:
I’ve seen lists of “25 Random Things About Me†that people are sending around Facebook. I thought I would share my own list with you.
3. In 1958, I took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Later, Pope John XXIII dispensed me from these obligations.
12. I worked with Mother Theresa in India at the Home for the Dying.
14. I sued Richard Nixon’s lawyer for helping the President cheat on his income tax.
18. I knocked my opponent to the canvas in a 3 round boxing match at Senior Fight Night.
Those few items show a leader of restraint and compassion; who respects the rule of law; and who will put on gloves and throw blows. But perhaps the most salient of the 25 Things is number 24:
24. The first time I became Governor, I followed an Actor (Ronald Reagan).
The whole list is absolutely worth checking out. Brown leads a life unlike any officeholder. So head over to Jerry Brown’s Notes on Facebook, and see what he has to say.
Ed. Note – Jerry’s not the only one Twittering. If you want to follow Reelpolitik’s tweets, find them at http://www.Twitter.com/Reelpolitik. Also, I will NOT be doing 25 Random Things.
Jeremy D. Thompson, Founder
A filmmaker by education and operative by vocation, Jeremy D. Thompson is a fifteen year political veteran, having volunteered for and staffed Democratic and progressive campaigns since well before he could vote.
My Candidate Statement for California Democratic State Central Committee
In 2010, California Democrats face two statewide contests that could require an unprecedented marshaling of resources:
- It is likely that the Republican gubernatorial nominee will be extremely wealthy and capable of self-funding their campaign.
- Rumors persist that Governor Schwarzenegger will mount a challenge Senator Boxer for her seat.
On their own, either of these races would present a challenging fight. In 2010 we may be called upon to respond to both.
Answering these challenges will demand a recommitment to local organizing in all 58 counties and enhancement of CDP’s use of technology for direct voter contact and messaging.
As an Assembly District Delegate to the State Central Committee, I will advocate for CDP’s better engagement in the grassroots and netroots to successfully defend Senator Boxer’s seat and take back the Capitol.
Drawing on more than a decade’s worth of campaign experience – beginning as a field organizer, and most recently as Senior New Media Advisor to the Obama campaign in California – I will bring a combination of tested techniques and willingness to experiment with evolving tools to carry out the mission of the California Democratic Party – to win elections.
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…
What the Frak is Going on in the 2008 Democratic Primary?
Somebody at Slate must be a Battlestar Galactica fan…
This has all happened before, and it will all happen again.
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.
Writers’ Workshop – Members of the WGA put on an advocacy vlogging clinic as part of their strike
Let us get the following out in the open: I am extremely partial to the Writers Guild of America in their strike against the AMPTP. After all, at one point I fancied myself a future member.
Now, members of the Guild are inspiring me once again, as they provide a superb example of how to vlog in support of your agenda. I saw the video below posted at United Hollywood, which is the go-to site for strike information. This video speaks with a number of WGA strike captains, who explain what the strike is about and make clear what they’re fighting for. This isn’t some abstract contract dispute between the Union and the Producers.
This is a struggle for working writers to make a living during those long stretches of time when they aren’t actively employed on a show or movie. It not only shows what is at stake for the casual viewer or outsider, it makes a strong activation case for Members to become Captains themselves.
The video above packs a ton of factual material into 3:50, laying out the case for the strike quickly and clearly. It goes through decades of Hollywood Labor history, they formulas behind residuals as they are, and the better structure the Guild is working toward.
It’s not exactly a surprise that the WGA members are putting out material of this quality. They are professional storytellers, after all. What surprises me is that these folks aren’t being pulled in to create content for the 2008 contenders. I’m guessing a lot of them are politically minded and progressive. Why aren’t they in the camps of the Democratic candidates?
Actually, I know exactly why (hint: it’s the pay). And for me, it’s for the best. I don’t want to compete with the guys behind The Office.
Edwards Hammers Away at Clinton (and in New Orleans)
Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards launched his campaign from the 9th Ward of New Orleans. From time to time over the course of the campaign he has returned there to work in the community with supporters from One Corps – the citizen activism off-shoot of his campaign. While the Clinton campaign was offering debate watching parties with Bill, and the Obama team had “Dinner With Barack,” Edwards gave away the chance to join him in working up a sweat rebuilding homes in New Orleans.
Edwards has shown that he knows his way around a hammer. Perhaps that is why he received the endorsement of the Carpenters union, eh?
But, in the days and weeks that have now passed since the Democratic Debate in Philadelphia, Edwards has been doing other hammering as well – with rival Hillary Clinton held with tongs against the anvil.
Entitled “The Politics of Parsing,” the video above is one of the most effective web videos of the campaign to date. While I evangelize day in, day out about using video to let voters get to know your candidate; there is also necessity the use it to help them get to know your opponent. Edwards campaign put this video out on the heels of the well-covered brouhaha near the end of the Philly debate. It makes their case with sound and titles and visually reinforces the point.
Feeling that they’d scored a hit, the campaign followed up with a flashback to the YearlyKos event a while back. On the 2008 candidate panel, Clinton raised a few electronic eyebrows among the Kossacs by stating – in no uncertain terms – that she would continue to take contributions from lobbyists, because they “represent real people.” That was a line perfectly teed up for both the populist Edwards and the reformer Obama.
After their initial hit on Clinton’s “positions” on the issue of drivers licenses for illegal immigrants, and the follow up with her clear defense of Washington lobbyists, Edwards campaign closed the circle with a video news clipping of Edwards concisely answering the question Clinton danced around.
This series of clips – which were woven into a fundraising push – demonstrate the power of narrative continuity across multiple pieces. While each stood up well as episodic clips, the story they told as a thought-out series was even stronger. And notice none of them included the candidate giving the stump speech for the umpteenth time!
Five Candidate Pile-Up: Hillary Clinton’s “Politics of Pile On” Video
Following up on last nights Democratic debate in Philadelphia, Senator Hillary Clinton’s campaign released this video where a bunch of mean male Senators gang up on her. Not included in the video: the portion of the debate where the near-perfectly disciplined Clinton got banged around a little on the issue of drivers licenses for undocumented workers.
UPDATE: Hillary didn’t have her drivers license answer in that clip, but – staying mean – the Edwards campaign put it out there:
Their Change and Mine: Getting OffTheBus with Obama Canvassers
As part of their groundbreaking crowdsourced-coverage program, OffTheBus, the good folks at Huffington Post put out a call for coverage of the Obama campaign’s Canvass for Change over the past weekend. Here’s my contribution to their effort.
I’ve loved shooting the grassroots in this election cycle; at Edwards and Clinton events, at the California Democratic Convention, and at Obama’s Camp Obama in Burbank and national canvassing activities. While I’m used to turning my lens on the candidates who are the “head” of the movement, their is something tremendously inspiring about getting out there with the “body” of activists, after too many years at a desk in HQ.
I’ll stay “OffTheBus” (though the bus I was on was usually the candidate’s bus, rather than the press bus HuffPo refers to!), to cover what’s happening in the energized Democratic grassroots. Check back here for the latest releases.
Dems Captive to Bloggers? Richardson Says: So What?
Thinking back, Ned Lamont – in his primary challenge to Joe Lieberman – ran an add in which Markos of DailyKos made an appearance.
Today, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson releases a long-form ad focused on his Iraq plan – a plan centered on leaving no forces (combat or otherwise) in country. The ad features bloggers from OpenLeft and firedoglake.
Coming on the heels of a Sense of the Senate resolution stemming from MoveOn.org’s “Betray Us” ad, at a time when the President says that Democrats are held captive by the left-most members of the blogosphere, Richardson answers a resounding, “So what?”
Will a Netroots fracturing between Edwards, Obama and Richardson pave the way for a Clinton romp?
Zennie was a Friend of Mine: Obama supporter covers the California HillStars program
Okay. I lied. Zennie is not a friend of mine.
I haven’t even met the guy.
I’m guessing after this video, he’ll be no friend of the Clinton campaign (including my old pal Mike Trujillo, their California Field Director).
With all of this, it still pales in comparison to the hundreds of online groups and members of BarackObama.com who are in California. What HillStars is has been in place for a long time, but only recently honed by an effort called “Camp Obama” which is already in motion nationwide. With little effort, the Obama forces could clobber Hillary Clinton in California.
Oh and that Field Poll of “Democratic Voters most likely to vote” that reports Clinton’s “lead” — don’t bet on any poll that has a sample size of just 419 people and talks to a small set folks who voted in the 2004 election. There are several problems with this step, amoung them, YouTube didn’t exist in 2004. So all of these polls of “most likely to vote” Democrats — including the rigged USA Today /Gallup Poll of June 17th — totally miss the new netroots. If a person just turned 18 that year, and didn’t vote, they’re now 22 years old, ready to vote, and consume the majority of their information online.
Senator Clinton, beware! ( Zennie’s Zeitgeist: HillStars – The Detailed Playbook On Senator Clinton’s California Campaign)
Now the tracker/muck-raker/opposition researcher in me wonders where he got the documents? Did he surreptitiously infiltrate one of the many HillStars trainings held so far in California? Trainings like the one in the Clinton blog post below:
Hillary Clinton’s California campaign today drew over 150 new volunteers for a day-long training to become the elite HillStars. These volunteers have committed to work continuously from July to February 5, to identify and to get out to vote 2 million Hillary Clinton supporters in California. HillStars are responsible for holding a house party to recruit, train and manage California Hillary Corps members, who will be talking to millions of California voters. In San Francisco, HillStar volunteers came from as far away as Fresno, Milpitas and Stockton. In Los Angeles, volunteers came from as far away as Santa Barbara and Orange County. (HillaryClinton.com: California Launches Aggressive Field Program)
However he got his hands on them, I’m guessing the next HillStars training will include at least a quick pat-down – if not a body cavity search – to see if any potential moles are doing their best Sandy Berger imitation.
Max Blumenthal Strikes Again, Reveals New Generation of Hypocrisy
Last time we checked in on the documentary filmmaking of Max Blumenthal, he was cruising Take Back America, looking for Obama Girl.
Instead of lovely young ladies in “booty shorts,” Blumenthal is chatting up College Republicans at their conference in DC:
In conversations with at least twenty College Republicans about the war in Iraq, I listened as they lip-synched discredited cant about “fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here.†Many of the young GOP cadres I met described the so-called “war on terror†as nothing less than the cause of their time.
Yet when I asked these College Repulicans why they were not participating in this historical cause, they immediately went into contortions. Asthma. Bad knees from playing catcher in high school. “Medical reasons.†“It’s not for me.†These were some of the excuses College Republicans offered for why they could not fight them “over there.†Like the current Republican leaders who skipped out on Vietnam, the GOP’s next generation would rather cheerlead from the sidelines for the war in Iraq while other, less privileged young men and women fight and die. (MaxBlumenthal.com and HuffPo)
Note to conference, convention, and event planners…
Watch out for this Blumenthal character. He walks in with a camera and walks out with the truth.
While Michael Moore Breaks the Cuba Ebargo, Patrick Ruffini Breaks The Clinton YouTube Embargo (UPDATED)
UPDATE: OKAY, OKAY, OKAY!!! I TAKE IT ALL BACK…AT LEAST THE PART ABOUT HOARDING HILLCAM TO THEIR SITE. THE CLINTON CAMPAIGN POSTED THE HILLCAM STOPS ON THEIR YOUTUBE ACCOUNT. YOU CAN FIND THEM HERE, HERE, AND HERE.
Following up on this morning’s piece on the HillCam, I thought I’d drop in this post from Patrick Ruffini:
When I first posted the Clinton Sopranos parody video to YouTube, I could hardly imagine it would become the second most viewed video that day, with over 250,000 views. Other versions trailed narrowly behind, fetching at least 700,000 extra viewers. All told, over a million watched the video on YouTube.
That’s not what the Clinton campaign intended. They wanted to have this moment all to themselves, so they didn’t post it to their YouTube channel, instead roadblocking people to HillaryClinton.com where there would be no conversation, no comments, and no pesky video replies. While on the site, they also wanted people to sign up and donate.
You’d think only a Clinton supporter would post such a funny and flattering video of the two, but I saw this as an opportunity to divert traffic from the Clinton web site and perhaps reduce their online take from the video. It was successful, to the tune of a quarter million people who watched it on YouTube instead of HillaryClinton.com.
Now, they’ve done it again with their “HillCam†video of Hillary and Bill trekking through Iowa. And again, they’ve offered a high-res Quicktime download. And again, I’ve posted it to YouTube for them, so Democrats won’t have to go to Hillary’s site to get it. (Patrick Ruffini: Stop the Clinton YouTube Embargo)
I can understand why the Clinton campaign would try and drive traffic to their site using the excellent Sopranos video. They had something completely golden on their hands, and knew it. They leveraged it into something. It was a gimmick, not unlike the Edwards gimmick-video where Trippi and Prince baked a pie. This wasn’t about getting to know Hillary…it was novelty for novelty’s sake…or for the sake of getting email sign-ups.
Somehow, I feel the HillCam should be treated differently. If they really wanted to let people get to know Hillary, why hoard it all to their site? Wouldn’t they want as many people as possible to get to know her…on YouTube, Revver, Blip.tv, Brightcove and anywhere else?
It’s not about sharing the Clintons with you, it’s about what you will give them for it.
Spike Jonze + YouTube = Al Gore is President? (or How the Wooden VP Became a Real Boy)
Going through unlabeled tracks in my iTunes library, I came across “What’s Up Fatlip?” by Fatlip (formerly of The Pharcyde). It got me thinking of the song’s excellent video – directed by Spike Jonze (see below).
Around the same time he was making videos and documentaries with Fatip, Jonze created a piece for the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. It’s in the Brightcove player you see above. If I remember correctly, the video aired in the afternoon during one of the sessions early in the convention week. As such, it was relegated to that portion of the convention that only those of us in the hall and C-Span viewers witnessed. Count yourself among the few to have seen it.
Had there been a distribution channel like YouTube in 2000, this is the kind of video that could have been tremendously effective. Apart from being too long (remember it was for a the most partisan captive audience imaginable), this piece had the right stuff to spread far and chop down Gore’s wooden image – not so much by defying that image, but reveling in it.
Forget the fact that you see Al Gore shirtless and body surfing. Any candidate can take off their shirt. Gore strips off the trappings of a life in politics.
The scene of Gore Family Movie Night is great. You see all of the things people tended to not like about Gore, that he is cerebral and a bit nitpicky…but it’s about which movies to pop in the VCR – and even how they get watched! As his kids gang up on him – even mocking his voice and demeanor – you see those qualities that were off-putting in the first debate in an “everyday people” light. All of those male voters who “wanted to have a beer” with Bush could watch that scene and instantly identify with the dad getting ribbed by his wife and kids.
I know I can relate.
Watch the scenes with Tipper and think about all the contrived videos you’ve ever seen of candidates and their wives (I’m looking at you, Mitt Romney). Watch his confidence and comfort in talking about global warming (famously verboten from the campaign at large). It’s no surprise that people started to like Gore more after An Inconvenient Truth. Jonze got that same performance years earlier.
For all of Hillary Clinton’s meticulously crafted attempts at humor, her trilogy of Song Contest films pale next to the humanizing power of Jonze’s loose, disarming Gore film. Hillary’s videos are clever and well produced, but how many of the views are like gawkers at a car crash…
“Oh my God…is she dancing?” or “Is that Bill? I can’t believe it.”
It’s a shock to see the Clinton’s in that light. It’s effective, but clearly canned. Jonze escapes that with Gore. From the last scene, it is clear that Jonze has just been rolling tape after tape after tape. It’s really just Gore talking…being Gore – to fall into the cliche.
Long disappeared, this video found re-release in the inaugural issue of Wolphin, a DVD magazine of unreleased short films. This first issue also contains the great Soldier’s Pay, by David O. Russell – director of I Heart Huckabee’s, Three Kings, and indie classic Spanking the Monkey. You can subscribe to Wolphin, or buy back-issues on their website.
The page on the Gore film features an interview with Jonze:
Q: So you just spent one day with them? You started in Carthage, Tennessee?
SJ: Yeah, I went down there to Tennessee and it was supposed to be just an afternoon. I guess he had liked my movie Being John Malkovich and so from that had I don’t know why he gave me this sort of access. It was very intimate and personal in terms of letting a cameraman into your home, but I guess that after the afternoon, they felt comfortable with me, so they invited me to go on their vacation. They were leaving that day to go to North Carolina, so in the middle of the afternoon the helicopters came and landed in the Tennessee farmhouse and we went to the army base and got on Air Force Two and flew to North Carolina. (Wolphin @ McSweeney’s)
For your viewing pleasure, here is the Spike Jonze-directed video for What’s Up Fatlip: