Show of hands: who here can define internet meme? It's increasingly important you know this ugly bit of jargon.
So before we go any further, check out what a meme is. The American Heritage Dictionary lists it as:
| |
A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted
verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.
|
TechPresident had an interesting post about memes in the Democratic primaries. Liza Sabater, who wrote the post, said the Hillary 1984 video was the defining meme of the primaries. Sabater said the video captured all of the reasons that people were ready to take someone other than Clinton Redux, as well as a certain mood about politics in general. Having said that, she picked "I Am Voting Republican" as possibly the first truly viral video of the presidential campaign:
Sabater goes on:
So why is "I Am Voting Republican", the defining meme of the 2008 general elections?
1. It clearly defines the candidate to beat
2. It clearly states the reasons to vote against the candidate.
3. It uses the cognitive power of satire to deliver the "bad news" in a positive way.
4. It has burned through the "first-adopter-sphere" like wild fire.
Also of interest, it counters arguments from some in the Clinton camp who said they will vote Republican rather than vote for the party that rejected their potential leader. (Someone should remind the sourgrapes brigade that there will be future runs for president to consider - Reagan lost in 1976, and came back in 1980.)
It's the conventional wisdom that the Dems are the party to beat this go-round. But for me, I just can't escape the idea that the Democrats are really good at losing elections. It seemed like they should have been able to win the last time out, and heck, they might actually have won in 2000. And this springs to mind when I consider point 3 in Sabater's argument: delivers bad news in a positive way.
I could not agree less. I think one of the areas where the Democrats are consistently alienating potential voters is through their constant negativity and a certain implication that voting for the Republicans shows some form of mental weakness. Maybe you're not stupid, but probably a little ignorant.
The positive message in that video is a bunch of mean, deluded, dumb, or self-serving people listing things that are wrong with America. If this is theme the election is going to run with, I think it's an advantage to McCain. His campaign is about being willing to face the tough situations and deal with them. Obama's brand is wholesale change. I think the electorate is going to respond more positively to someone who says the USA is still okay, and we can deal with our problems than someone who is laying blame on others, and will do better because he knows better. If that's the theme, I see Obama viewed as an elitist and McCain in the White House.
BONUS CONTENT!
Here's my favorite video from McCain's last run for the Republican nomination, when he lost to the Governor of Texas whose name I forget:
