Well, I couldn't finish it.

I'm hoping once the primary's over Obama puts out a DVD compilation of all his best speeches.

"I'm still torn about whether this helps Obama or hurts him" -- Huh??

I'm sure the Clinton campaign wishes they had a candidate whose speech can affect people like this.

It's funny how you're torn about it, but Hugh Hewitt and Redstate were both blown away. Considering that the kind of people with whom this would NOT resonate are unlikely to see it in the first place, I think it helps Obama.

Neither could I.  I'm sure a bunch of idealistic twenty-somethings will really "dig" "hip" "celebs" singing along to a speech (IDIOTS!), but frankly, it makes me wince.

This also officially ends my crush on Scarlett Johansson.  Between this, The Nanny Diaries and her album of Tom Waits covers, I no longer find her attractive.

I think I'm going to throw up.

I don't really see how it could hurt him. But I don't really think it is going to do much of anything to help him either.

From the West Wing:

Sam:  Josh, what are you doing?

Josh:  I don't know.  What are you doing?

Sam:  Protecting oil companies from litigation.  They're a client.  They don't lose legal protection because they make a lot of money.

Josh:  I can't believe no one ever wrote a folk song about that.  If I see the real thing in Nashua, should I tell you about it?

Sam:  You won't have to.

Josh:  Why?

Sam:  Because you've got a pretty bad poker face.

A country in which this could hurt a candidate is a country that would break my heart.  

I hope for the best.

Wow, who let the sourpusses out today? Why don't you guys go read some position papers or something? Let the rest of us enjoy the creativity.

Obama needs young people to show up in droves on Tuesday.  This video doesn't aim to convince The Ignorant Populist or bcbaird of his candidacy; it's aimed to inspire young people to bother to vote on Tuesday.  I'm a young person.  Like it or not, this works.  Great video.

The youth may well put Mr. Obama over the top. There isn't a thing wrong with these sentiments. Corny? Yep. Hopeful? Yep. Desirable? You tell me.

It's my job as a grizzled cynical old fart to inform such sentiment. Not break it.

Effective but too long.

doesn't hurt him....something positive like this can't hurt him...

I think it's lame, for the record.

"This also officially ends my crush on Scarlett Johansson"

Woah. You're totally not straight.

I wonder what happens to the young people (like myself) if the dreary establishment candidate Clinton takes out Obama.  It could sour that cohort on the process for a very long time.

I honestly don't understand the negative reaction of Iggy and bcbaird. I understand that it's a bit cheeseball, but is that nauseating? I was moved by it -- although, I have to admit, I cry at everything (I even cried the other day at an episode of House). I didn't recognize half the people in the video, but I think it's really clever how much of the speech they kept in their and made it music. I don't see how this could actually affect the election. I think it's an interesting effect more than a cause -- a sign of just how much Obama's words inspire people. I'd be hardpressed to see anyone make a song to a Hillary speech ("And here we have the Earnest Perennially Unhip Bureaucratic Wonks with their hit number, 'I've Found My Voice'")

Well, I'm not THAT old, and this did very little for me.  It's all very nice for the pretty people to support their candidate in the best way that they know how, and we can all concede that Obama is the best candidate when it comes to the lyricism of his rhetoric.  But I'm not interested in which candidate is supported by the same people that bring us the Grammys every year.  I want to know which candidate will make the best president.  This video may get out some of the youth vote, which may help his candidacy a bit.  But it's a very poor gamble to stake one's hopes on the voice of the youth.  When you're deciding where to place your bets, go with the candidate the old people support.  We all know who actually votes when the chips are down.

Some of you need a drink.

It's a song. It's fun. And people like it. Some are even moved by it. If something like this turns voters away, those voters were awfully fickle in the first place.

their=there. SIgh.

Hey, I am officially still in my twenties.  And last time I checked, straight.  Anyone who says otherwise is a Republican operative.

yeah this is pretty embarrassing

This video has teenage boys "stumping" for Obama in locked bedrooms across the country...

www.youtube.com/watch

My daughter is 28, about the age of many of the people in this video. I don't know for whom she's planning to vote. We haven't discussed it; it's her business.

I do know, however, that at age 57 I wish I had done a better job caring for our country and our planet, for her sake and those of her peers. I have been wrong more often than I have been right, it seems. I have been lazy and selfish when I should have been industrious and giving. I think it's obvious to anyone making a rational assessment that humanity in general and enough folks like me in particular have failed in a thousand little ways that have led inexorably to failure in several big, big ways. Babies still starve to death. Gorgeous creatures that once roamed free are now pushed to extinction. Men still take up arms against one another, and now, more often than not, women do, too.

I don't know for sure if Barack Obama is the candidate to lead us out of this mess; I don't know for sure if he can even lead us to a solution to any of our tempests du jour like health care or immigration. But I do know that I would find it completely understandable if the young people asked to participate in the video had simply shrugged their shoulders and said, "Fuck it. I'm looking out for Number One, and that's it."

That they did not, that they chose instead to try to motivate others to feel a little mist of hope in a desert of cynicism, brought tears to my eyes as I watched them, whoever they are.

If that doesn't get out the youth vote, maybe this will:

youtube.com/watch

(Yeah, yeah, I know...he was 13 in '74. Still funny though.)

As for the black-and-white video I think it was the combination of cheese and celebrity overload that turned me off, the "We Are the World" vibe. That said, I heard some people talking about it today and they seemed impressed. If it works, go for it. Cheesy, but sincere. Anyway, it's not as bad as that post-9/11 pop song, where they intercut the verse & chorus with people screaming as the towers came down. Anyone remember that? How that got that on the air when "Imagine" was on the banned list is beyond me. But I remember people finding that moving too.

This is not a video meant to convert the bitter and reactionary. Obviously, those people who view Obama's supporters scornfully are going to respond badly to it. But to those people who are encouraged by his message, it's hard to see how this would be anything but positive.

That said, I think they should have just had John Legend sing the whole thing.

CFK: I got the exact same "We Are The World" feeling watching it too.  Nice sentiment, good intentions... but the lasting impact will probably be next to zero.

Mr. Yard,

Nice post. Thanks.

Yard -- Beautiful ...

In response to Noam Scheiber's update: FYI, those figures are inevitably going to understate how many times it's really been viewed. There have been at least 20 or so posts of the same video on YouTube, and it's also been embedded at other websites (www.dipdive.com, althouse.blogspot.com).

For example, there's another post of this video to YouTube that's been viewed 50,000 times. If you add up all the views of all the posts, it's probably at least 300,000:

www.youtube.com/results

And on a more anecdotal note, I've seen it posted to Facebook by several friends of mine (who don't all know each other).

Maybe these hundreds of thousands people have, on the whole, been turned off from Obama. But I'm thinking it's probably more the opposite.

Bill - In 1962 I was inspired by JFK and flew to Washington to volunteer for the Peace Corps.  As Caroline Kennedy said, the inspiration that Obama is creating hasn't happened since her father, but it is happening now.  Even though, at age 70, the video was not exactly my cup of tea, I take your point that it is evidence that Obama is creating "a mist of hope in a desert of cynicism", a lovely phrase and yet another reason to look upon his candidacy with favor.

This didn't really do anything for me. But interestingly, the link was originally sent to my by a 60-ish friend who's an Obama diehard.

Wmyard:

"But I do know that I would find it completely understandable if the young people asked to participate in the video had simply shrugged their shoulders and said, "Fuck it. I'm looking out for Number One, and that's it.""

Dude, none of the people in that video would have passed over free publicity.

Young, but still old and crotchety,

Bcbaird

This is the kind of quasi-fascistic crap that makes me want to run out and vote for Clinton.

It is pretty hard not to be moved by this, but if you're cynical enough, you can not only remain unmoved, but also find reasons to deepen your cynicism. Hooray then, for the cynics. Keep hope dormant! Ordinarily, this is an easy task, but the fact that it's been so easy to be a cynic  these last few years (or decades) may mean that the cynics' defenses have been weakened, and that some may even may be susceptible to hope if it sneaks up on them. To them I say, step away from the monitor, take a deep breath, and recite "No, we can't." The optimism will pass in no time. (Speaking of optimism, I'm pleased to see that there's one less person standing between me and Scarlett J - all I need to do is peel off another 50 million or so and we'll be cuddling by the fire.)

What's with the "free publicity" bcbaird?  I'm 51 and I don't know who 80% of the people in the video are, but I thought they teased out the poetic undercurrents in Obama's speeches to great effect.  It's also unclear to me why a piece of election publicity that doesn't claim that the opponent has sex with underage illegal immigrants while regularly burning the flag should trigger such hostility.

If you're into inspiration and uplift from your candidate (as opposed to nuts-and-bolts policy discussions and legislative aptitude) then you're going to love it, but then you were probably for Obama anyway. I can see it swaying a few folks in Cali who were on the fence but not sure if BHO can deliver the goods. For someone who likes Obama's rhetoric but isn't sure if that's enough to pull the trigger, this might make it a lot easier to do so.

BTW, I saw someone earlier say that they had lost their crush on Scarlett Johansen as a result of this. I'll take closeted males for 100, Alex! Not that there's anything wrong with that...

For those who missed it over the weekend, here's another look at what is likely to be one of the

Alright, so I get blasted for being "cynical" for suggesting that the celebrities appearing in the video could have done so for selfish reasons, and for generally disliking the video because it is, well, cheesy.  God, look at me!  I'm so cynical!!!

Ffffft.

I still find Obama inspiring.  The man has talent.  He remains the best candidate.  I'm not suggesting this video will sink his campaign.  I know this sort of mediocre fodder goes over pretty well with a lot of people.  I'm not raining on anyone's parade or insinuating Obama is a poor candidate by suggesting that video is less than stellar.

bcbaird, it is ok you lost your crush on Scarlett.  That moves me one step closer to her...

ALso: "This is the kind of quasi-fascistic crap..."   So, did we all agree that words have no meaning?  I am confused.

I liked it.  Did it cover policy?  Of course not.  But so what?  Part of Obama's message is that this can be a country we can be proud of, that what makes America great isn't it's borders but its potential- its driving, pulsating potential.  Flowery?  Sure.  But he is not running for majority leader; he is running for President.  His campaign offers something we haven't had in a long time.  

Noam, what did you mean when you said it is a "sight to behold"?  It's hard for me to see how reactions to this video will be anything other than repetitions of what viewers felt about his candidacy before watching it.  I do see that some people are affected by it ("moved"), and I'm interested to know what, specifically, your reaction to it was--outside of your professional interests ("will it hurt him or help him").

Don't mean to sound pedantic, just curious.

Hey boneill, don't you recall the cheerful diverse easygoing hopeful mulitcultural anti-racist Nazi Party that ran Germany a while back?

I think we can overthink this, but I do wish they had used a few less "celebrities". Celebrities are fine for raising money privately in their circle, but I think they do more harm than good as vote getters. I mean, Kareem is one thing, but Kate Wolf (oh, I forgot ,she's a doctor!)? Speaking of which, who in the Democratic party approved of CNN doing the last debate in Hollywood, and then doing close ups of every airhead celeb in the audience? Talk about reinforcing the stereotype that Dems are out of touch with real people. Karl Rove must have been laughing his head off...

Ironyroad, I am going to take the first part of your handle literally and assume you are joking.   Because if not, that might be the most breathtakingly ridiculous thing I have read in a long time, and I read a lot of ridiculous things.  

I am probably over-reacting.  You're probably kidding.  Sorry.  

jcalder,

That's the great thing about being as out of it as I am: I only recognized two of the celebs in the video (Kareem and Johanssen). I assumed the others are, like, famous or what not, but fortunately my abject cultural ignorance allowed me to enjoy the video mostly at face value--i.e., faceless. (I recognize that, sadly, the water is muddier (mo' meta) for most of my fellow citizens.)

I have been concerned, however, that I'm slowly being sucked back into the general scheme of things, so when I move to my new digs in a couple weeks (with the Sonoma Hooker!--long story), I'm cancelling my cable subscription. Take that, windmills!

If Karl Rove can figure out how to tug at the butt-hairs of folks like me, he should win the Nobel Prize for Economics.

Ah yes - anyone who doesnt like this video must just be "bitter and reactionary". Way to go to make people associate "Obama supporter" with "young, arrogant and foolish," forrestnash. (Dude.. c'mon.)

It can be a little bit cheesy, but politics is more rhetoric than literature, so I don't think we can simply judge it on aesthetic grounds.  It reminded me of the move "Magnolia" for some reason.  Or even more a speech by John Edwards (who really knows how to stimulate the tear ducts), rather than Obama (who is more complicated).  While I feel mildly manipulated, I still liked it, and I agree with the general sentiment.  It's not supposed to be a great piece of art, so we can't  diss it the way we would most Academny Award nominated pictures.  

There were also a couple points in the song where the music shifted and didn't go exactly where I expected it too.  I think this was the main reason I listened to it four times.  

I *did* actually like the video, btw.. really liked it, even. And gf (who actually is American) said it was "powerful". So there you go..

(Yay I'm not bitter and reactionary! :)

As an update, the view count is now well over a million if you add up the different places it's been posted:

www.youtube.com/results

boneill, I was kidding and supporting your point (by way of comic exaggeration) . . . ok?  That's what I do sometimes.