Musical McCain Becomes YouTube Hit

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(NEWSER) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner, gaining three seats, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington each adding one. More»

Web offers chance to poke fun, change a few minds

(NEWSER) - Viral election videos offer campy calls for change, seamless special effects, and more than a few celebrity cameos. Laughs aside, “over the past decade they’ve also impacted politics—sometimes changing the course of elections and frequently providing a few laughs in an otherwise wonky world,” Jeffrey Ressner writes in picking Politico's top 10 of '08.

1. Yes We Can: Will.i.am’s minimalist all-star Obama tribute "may be the most creative video of any type to emerge this year.”
2. Dear Mr. Obama: An injured Iraq veteran explains why war is a good thing.

Rapper says McCain's choice 'completely irresponsible'

(NEWSER) - P Diddy—“government name" Sean Combs—has a heart-to-heart with John McCain on a dizzying YouTube video complaining that the Arizona senator's choice of running mate is “not respectful to our diverse lives.” Sporting tinted shades, a white tee and serious bling, Diddy, “aka Ciroc Obama,” spins in circles delivering a profanity-ridden solo. His beef? That Alaska probably has no black people. More»

Independent web ads for favored candidates are making an impact

(NEWSER) - A glut of political amateurs who produce popular videos on the cheap for YouTube and similar sites is redefining campaign politics. The New York Times takes a look at the phenomenon, in which partisans with nothing but passion and a computer produce often scathing videos about McCain and Obama. The campaigns, meanwhile, are struggling to ajdust to "politics at the speed of the Internet," as one Obama adviser puts it. More»

Candidates embrace chance to flex high-tech cred, even as technology influences campaign

(NEWSER) - Where Detroit once beckoned to any candidate who would be president, the 2008 field is making increasing pilgrimages to the Googleplex to showcase their tech savvy, reports the New York Times. And YouTube, which didn't even exist in the last presidential election, has launched YouChoose ’08, a modern version of Sunday morning news shows politicians use to explain their platform. More»