Hillary Clinton is the latest presidential candidate to announce her campaign in a web video. She’s sitting on a couch in a room that feels like the Oval Office, casual yet forceful. Among the buttons she pushes: “how to bring the right end to the war in Iraq,” the deficit (a good Clinton association), health care for all. I’ve been a fan of hers, so I’m glad she’s in.
And they’re doing something new and neat next week: live video chat. I have no idea exactly how that will work but the smart candidates are trying to capture the online video campaign trail; I’ll blog soon about how the rest are doing it.
Foolishly, though, the Clinton campaign doesn’t make her video available as an embeddable player, nor can I find it on YouTube. Somebody better give her advice about how to play in the open video world. They did make it available for download, so it will surely show up on YouTube shortly.
Note how it’s oddly shot: The camera slowly pans while she just sits and talks; they Ken-Burnsed her video. Makes me a little seasick; looks like slo-mo flip-flopping.
: At the same time, from stage far-right, Sen. Sam Brownback, enemy of the First Amendment, announces his campaign in a video on his site. He pushes every God-fearing button he can push in three minutes, many of them repeated on his homepage (my italics):
I have decided, after much prayerful consideration, to consider a bid for the Republican nomination for the presidency.
I am running to spread hope and ideas. We are a blessed nation at an important crossroads. War, corruption, disintegrating families, and for some, hopelessness, tear at the American Dream. We need hope and ideas.
I am running for America…to be of service in a crucial time of trial.
Ours is an exceptional nation. A nation between two oceans made up of people from every nation on earth. A great nation united by our ideals. But we are a great nation because of our goodness. If we ever lose our goodness, we will surely lose our greatness.
We believe in a culture of life–that every human life is a beautiful, sacred, unique child of a loving God.
We believe in justice for all–at all times.
We believe in liberty.
But the central institutions that best transmit these values–the family and the culture–are under withering attack.
We must renew our families and rebuild our culture!
We need to revitalize marriage, support the formation of families, and encourage a culture of commitment.
We need a culture that encourages what is right and discourages what is wrong–and has the wisdom to understand the difference. . . .
I ask mostly for your prayers. Pray for America, that our division as a people might end and that our land be healed.
Thank you for your interest and support. Thank you for your prayers. Please join our campaign of national renewal and hope for the future!
God Bless you, and God Bless this nation we love so dearly….
