by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
Ryan Lizza in the NYT lets a few Beltway insiders gripe about how YouTube has changed the Rules of Politics (which is strange, because I thought there were no rules in a knife fight). This level of hype is ridiculous; a review of the evidence counts Conrad Burns, Tramm Hudson, and George Allen as the only "casualties" of YouTube, despite the fact that none of these candidates have lost an election due to YouTube. Plus, Burns's re-election prospects were in dire straits before he got caught napping through a farm bill hearing. Meanwhile Patty Murray survived her "gaffe" where she pointed out why, exactly, Osama bin Laden had become a popular figure in poor Muslim countries, and what the US could do to change the situation. So let's not freak out about the power of recorded video just yet.
The article also features overwrought concerns that the YouTube era will inhibit candidate's ability to "road-test some ideas". At the national level this is just silly; politics has been a poll-tested venture since at least 1984, if not substantially earlier. As for fears that "politicans have to be perfect from Day 1", I'd like to think Americans are a pretty forgiving bunch, so until there's a pattern of total lack of judgement, getting caught with a slip-up or two probably isn't the end of a candidate's career. Unless it's racist/communist/pro-terrorist.
That said, here's a quick list of things no politician should do in public:
