Did YouTube Win the US Senate for the Democrats?

[MrFoxispropaganda]

Republican polices always fail. Democrats had control of the congress for only 2 years and the economy would be much worse if they hadn't won.

Unfortunately 40 years of Reaganomics has left the middle class poor, dumb, and quickly shrinking.

Elections matter, now that Republicans have control of the house be assured of more tax cuts for billionaire, wall street, and corporations. Small business and middle class be damned.

[spock431]

Rick Mercer Report = Canadian colbert report

[TheHomelessCripple]

Youtube will make sure no more idiots get elected. Maybe if the world had Youtube before 2001, then maybe Bush wouldn't have been "elected".

[davisfleetwood]

what to do about the SCOTUS decision, on my page now

[libertarianjury]

In this case, Webb is much more libertarian than the Republican.  Props to Jim Webb for having the guts to speak out against the DEA and ONDCP!!! This was the best result from a mainstream race this year.

[lstrex]

It's exactly why Colbert is used the poster is fully aware its satire but he is using it to show the perceived opinion of the political right

[tokikaze7]

I belive evidences wins all political campanes. it can be a document or a picture and or a video.

[mystishae17]

Republican stupidity won the election for the democrats, you tube allows more people to see what's going on.

[JamJells]

Just have to chime in on this one. No doubt it was.

[mjwatts1983]

You do realize The Colbert Report is a satire of any political show, right?

Yeah, I saw the George Allen clip. I was living in VA at the time. Embarrassing.

[jalks1]

FUCK YEAH IT DID, GO YOUTUBE.

[Mrpocket05]

GET

A

LIFE

[anzajoshie]

I would think you would love Colbert! He's a parody of Conservatives. He's mocking Fox News and more directly, Bill O'Reilly. He's a satirist...always in character. Using Colbert's clip is meaningless.

[gpromeo54]

Gaffe?! That isn't a gaffe it's a derogatory racial slur. I guess Virginia showed Allen!

[crazytvfan815]

to your first question, if it did, PRAISE YOUTUBE!

[DannyInfin8]

DORK!

[buffaloZbrown]

Most probably and VOTE, period

[SirBladewind]

Liberal, Conservative, Republican, Democrat.

They are all just as bad really.

It seems like we are getting boned no matter what path we take. Every political canidate a snake, every senator a weasal. Sure there are some who aren't as bad as others, but each have their own bad sides which hurt america. Its all about picking the lesser of two evil these days. Thats just messed up. I think we need more people in this system of ours, and less parties.

[lumasherath]

I agree with you blade. Gone are the days of "I'm better then the other guy." and here are the days of "The other guy is worse than me!"... definately not how it should go. and you realize of course that its 49-49-2 right? Demos dont have a majority.

[FriedDaisy]

It's so weird that nobody seems to know this.

[Ayeere]

NOT TURE!

Democrats put a condom on b 4 they bone us.

Republicans tell us to us abstinence while they ravage us.

[salvo711]

totally. go vote libertarian instead! rofl, but yes i agree... however, eliminating parties will be VERY difficult, because people with similar views will always group together.

[getchi]

i like your vids liberalviewer, but could you please get another voice over guy or perhaps take the high end out of your voice?

[CharBroiled04]

I don't think YouTube will have much of an effect on the coming election. I think Democrats will win the upcoming Presidential election, as well as maintain their house and senate seats this year and next mostly because of the alienation of the GOP and Bush's absolute bastardization of the presidency. People still wont trust the Republicans, not until the Democrats have a chance to run things for a while.

[mark1242]

Democrats...Republicans...

Same S H I T diffrent piles

Vote country not party Ron Paul 2008

[callelacima]

damn what an asshole allen is,.. "welcome to america..." damnd prejudist prick. having youtube is a great tool, now politicians have to be more careful about the ignorant statements they quite often make. youtube will bring some degree of fareness to all elections in the future. unless of course the gov censors this thing like it has our other liberties.

[DaveMartinCanuck]

yeah but he used that racial slur because Bill Clinton blah blah blah, and the Liberals blah blah blah. Its the left's fault.

[Mrpocket05]

FAIRness

[zornlove]

Ricky, the irony of your statement suggests that you're racist, and a liar, hypocritically so.

[rickyrickyricky123]

the former senator of virginia is an asshole. He had to be racist because he was little jewesh from his mother side, which is in jews nature.

[Aaberg123]

retard!

[michelle297136]

Absolutely! I have see that the majority of the people dont like Bush dont want this War and want the Bushies out of Government! Things I didnt know before watching the comments on youtube! So yes I think people are seeing that they arent alone and the true unpatriotic people are the ones who dont want to uphold the Constitution!

[bringontherain]

good going liberalviewer.. I love your work. Keep it up

[7h3Wh0]

That sounds right, considering most Republicans are old Right Wing Christians or Hillbillies, they don't know how to post videos on this anyways!

[Mrpocket05]

So true.... Don't forget the rich aging white men in cowboy hats.

[belias360]

George Allen is so GAY! I hate that fuckin racist bastard ass bitch!

[Moviebro]

One party ruling the Senate,House and Executive branch kind of destroys the objective of having 3 branchs of government.GOOD RIDDANCE!

[jon162399]

I just started lookin at youtube and i LOVE it I just hope it doesn't lead to any brain washing for the extreme of any agenda.

[Tellinhowitis121]

IF america starts restricting freedom on the internet i will just make my own internet. They have gone to far with that "patriot act" anyway. You might as well could have called it the "let me search through your shit without me having to have a warrant act".

[yahoo606]

dude, you do know that colbert is an act right??? in reality he's a freedom fighter mocking politics and the media. HE IS NOT ON THE RIGHT. he just makes fun of them.

[lowded]

yahoo606: I was wondering that myself (if they knew it was sarcasm).

[ronnysoeberg]

Of cource youtube played a role. The internet is the ONLY free and open media you americans have. Why do you think they want to regulate it? It poses a threat to the neocons. This isnt some flaky conspiracy crap either. Controlling information is the number one priority for fascist governments. And for the neocon government to actually get a foothold, the internet has to go.

[joebonk]

dont worry, the freedom on the internet wont last if the USA has anything to do with it

[jimple]

retard

[Jabulon88]

nothing will change. the dems are just as corrupt. what about hr6166? and the military comissions act? the patriot act?

[areichow]

Well, duh Jabulon88- nothing. America will still be bent over and taking it from the Dems just like they did from the GOP. The difference? At least we'll be able to abort the fetus that resulted. Maybe we'll leave Iraq a week early than Bush would've. Everything else? Pretty much the same.

[EM0M0F0]

LOL this guy thinks stephen colbert is republican?...it is called satirism, look it up instead of posting vids that you are not 100% sure about -.-

[c00kiebuttmunch]

uh... DUH? He obviously knows that Colbert is playing a character.

And I think you meant satire.

[LiberalViewer]

c00kiebuttmunch,

Now, maybe EM0M0F0 meant "satirism." Isn't that the male form of nymphomania?

As you suspected, I'm actually a big fan of Colbert and Ive watched every episode of The Colbert Report. Thx 4 realizing I'm a fan and sticking up for me :-)

[Boomhower2121]

wow buddy get a life

[evilnotbadpotato]

I don't think airing clips from Fox News about the so-called "YouTube effect" is a convincing way to present your case. Of course Fox would present YouTube as "winning the elections for the Democrats." The alternative is that the *Democrats* won the elections for the Democrats.

Honestly, most of what YouTube does is provide short, re-viewable clips of things that tend to be glossed over on mainstream news. It's not changing the news, it's just changing the form of access.

[DSailorSaturn]

politicians can't control what someone puts on youtube, which means that they can't do damage control on the 'media.' It makes it so that we, the people, can see what these people really are saying out there.

[FreeWingz]

YouTube is a video media forum for people with different perspectives and opinions to present and absorb all types of views and agendas that may POSSIBLY effect future political directions in some way or fashion throughout the world. Is YouTube still banned in China? I comment, you decide!:)

~FWz~

[bedsidetrash]

I used to love colbert and stewart, but they get old kinda fast, especially with the zealous audience. Too often they simply cheer on democrats and deride repulicans (especially colbert) and then the audience goes wild.

[macs3rd]

It is encouraging to see that You Tube and the internet in general has had such a positive affect on the disemination of information in this new century. With You Tube, especially, being a video witness to what our public figures are doing and saying,m I believe this can only lead to more and better information for the public. It gives me faith that while technology is being used to illegaly spy on us: what won out was the publics use of technology such as You Tube.

[daytripper87]

Interesting commentary!

[thucy2]

I don't understand why people think they have to explain to Liberalviewer that Colbert is satire. What in this post suggests otherwise?

I'm also kind of surprised that so many people object to Liberalviewer's voice. Talk about package over substance! I know folks who use a voice synthesizer (like Hawkins)-so LV hardly seems that odd to me. It just seems sad that people seem to have such a limited idea of what an "acceptable" voice is or isn't.

[b1n4ry]

amandacalifornia is right. Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are both comedians, and Stephen Colbert is very satirical when it comes to comedy. If you've watched the Colbert Report you would know that. Do you really believe that Stephen Thinks of Bill-O as "Papa Bear"?

[gbroagfran]

Man, I wish my self esteem was as out of whack as yours, lol.

[nesterhaus]

dmfaw

[samol]

Well considering Daily show and Colbert report clips are removed, the sway of youtube will be very small now >_<

[dcx666]

very interesting...

[dizzyguy123]

loser

[amandacalifornia]

You have a VERY irritating voice. Every time you talked I just wanted to cover my ears. I am a Democrat and I'm happy they won, but saying that "liberty wins" is just retarded. And the Colbert Report is a SATIRE. WOW. Your probably the only person in America who didn't know that one.

[cowmandude]

He knew that, and his name is liberal veiwer....so you cant expect him to be fair and balanced in anyway shape or form lol. I agree though the liberty wins thing is very left leaning and is on the verge of propoganda

[yusbarrett]

the same thing happenned on the presidential elections here in mexico. the video posted were a fundamental (well, anyway the close-minded-conservative-extr­eme-right-religious guys won cheating) but still youtube played a fundamental role.

[thucy2]

IMHO U2B had a terrific influence. For one, it allowed stories to perculate into the MSM that otherwise wouldn't have been nearly as big: "Maccaca" "Rush vs. MJF" not to mention Reynolds using kids as "human shields" at a press conference. It also allowed folks to comment on the MSM spin, and on political ads, not to mention SilentPatriot's great vid. on "It's never been stay the course." As for the future, I'm worried. I'm afraid any forum this free won't last long.

[tsunamiwolf]

true! well, as soon as it gets under specific influence and/or becomes highly commercial, people will just move somewhere else. i think.

[MagicBaboon]

Let's give a welcome to Macaca here!  Welcome to America!

[Galvatron7]

lol ,I'm not american so what does macaca mean?? Can somebody explain ?

[thucy2]

I'd never heard the term before this election, but as I understand it, it is a slur against people of Indian (subcontinent) descent. It's like calling someone a monkey because they have dark skin.

[stuckinmedschool]

This is dumb - it's essentially asking if a specific form of media outlet influences the public. Duh! Of course, and the next hot thing in entertainment to come will do the same.

[DMWI]

you have interesting ideas, some of which may not be the strongest, but i'm sorry you have one of the worst voices for video.

[aeglorre]

You sound like a dork.

[Mika20]

Steve was just kidding. That was a joke to play on for the fun of it, he wasn't being serious. As for the Allen clip, Allen shouldn't have said that which was very discriminating. I would be offended if he said that to me. From this, I would say YouTube played a role in showing the true side of what someone can be by the words they say that hurts others.

[spoda]

love your vids...but clear your mouth of saliva before you talk dude. i can hear your mouth smacking and clicking whenever you talk...

[LiberalViewer]

spoda,

Actually it's not my mouth. I've had the after effects of a cold that have been lingering for awhile that create that sound in the back of my throat sometimes. I think its going away and Altoids seem to help too.

Sorry :-(

Thx for the otherwise complimentary feedback :-)

[Zeroxysm]

Wow, you're a complete idiot.

1) Steven Colbert is a satire political show, he was joking.

2) FOX News =/= YouTube, just because someone took segments from them and put it on YouTube, that doesn't automatically make it that only YouTube has it.

So, if anything FOX News one the US Senate for the Democrats.

[LiberalViewer]

Zeroxysm,

Your two points do not support your premise.

1) As I mentioned in previous comments, I am a big Colbert fan. Ive watched every episode. If you thought I was "a complete idiot" when you wrongly assumed I did not get Colbert, what are you for not getting me?

2) Where did I say only YouTube had the vid or that matters? The Macaca vid got a million+ views on YouTube which got it even more views in the old media. That proves my point, not yours.

Thx 4 comment :-)

[mjtanner]

Zeroiq, As of 11/7, we're not the idiots anymore -- YOU are. Ha haha haha ha..ha! Much hard feelings though. Nice try with the straw men.

[soulweaponry]

60 comments in one day?! I know there are some out there that get hundreds in a day, but considering your content i'm a little surprised. But hey, more power to ya. If i want more viewers, do i have to turn liberal too?

[LiberalViewer]

soulweaponry,

LOL! I'm not sure if youre complimenting me or not. Of course, some of the comments are from me and a significant number are people wanting to tell me how stupid I am and/or that they dont like my voice.

On the other hand, my vid IS in the form of a question and I tried to pick a question people want to discuss and I try to give them some basis for discussion

Why do u think?

Thx 4 feedback :-)

[soulweaponry]

lol liberal: i meant it as a compliment, really. All i was indicating is that viewers are mostly glued to brainless jackass-type videos rather then videos with substance. Like yours. I created my vid in the form of a question too but since i don't come on here alot and have next to no subscribers, that question will never get answered. Want to come over and throw in your 2 cents for my police brutality video?

[thesecretsociety]

man...u need a vocal cord surgery

[rtwingnutjob]

just more proof that if people make their decion to vote based up anything less than seeking out the questions about viable candidates this country will eventually fall apart. Its pathetic that anyone would make these decisions based upon media

[p00lman]

Is that a slam against Youtube or a defense? Because, you know, Youtube IS part of the media.

[tuboidal]

YouTube should run for President. If the President were a web cam, think of how much money taxpayers could save on White House security cameras! Plus, we could all watch really secret meetings and hear key political discussions like: "Donald - get me another ear 'o corn, and check it for Weapons of Mouth Destruction. Heh heh. I have to stay here - Blair is faxing me a Thatcher bikini shot for my Sexiest Ex-World Leaders Calendar Project. She's Miss November. Woo hoo!"

[brandonmitchellorg]

you're stupid

[LiberalViewer]

avery547, elsonero82, Ravyne,

I am a big Colbert fan and I have watched every single episode. I even made a vid for viewers who cannot tell when I'm joking called "Did James Carville Out Colbert Stephen Colbert?" That vid is part of my fight with Viacom for fair use and I hope it will be back up in a week or so

Thx 4 comments :-)

[dgood3001]

Yeah, I think that Youtube did play a role, but not as big as it could. Remember YouTube is only like a year old. In the 2008 election it will have more influence, and gain more and more as the years go on. I think soon, candidates will all be making videos for YouTube, because a lot more people actually watch videos on YouTube than campaign videos that really don't tell us anything.

[consciousdreamy]

i voted for Nancy Pelosi here on youtube!

[elsonero82]

you idiot...colbert is making fun of republicans...what a stupid video

[Ravyne]

I think the creator of this was well aware that Colbert was making fun of the Republicans.. he did list this under COMEDY afterall.

[LiberalViewer]

reply below (and thx for getting it ;-)

[LiberalViewer]

reply below

[karlmarxlenin]

btw, colbert rules, skullaria is right!

[dentalomental]

you KNEW Allen would "QUIT"

He's 'conceit'ed.

bush is putting Rumfeld on a farm? haha

Hmmm, I guess cheney will be driving him there, gun rack full..

[burntonion]

I don't think YouTube influenced anything. I think a Dem is a Dem and a Repub is a Repub. Now the guys in the middle are pretty much the free thinkers who aren't swayed so easily as you think. I think the main issue was Iraq and this message did not need the help of YouTube to make the mainstream media.

[skullaria]

Stephen Colbert rocks!

[jackbauerpowerhour]

No, youtube didn't decide the election. The voters did. Did Youtube INFLUENCE the election? Absolutely. Youtube has become a source of mainstream media.

[gt95stang]

I didn't know it was even a quesiton, OBVIOUSLY YT influenced the political races.

I'm not sure that's a good thing though. It puts a lot of power in the hands of the YouTube owners (now Google). The Macaca video was presented and highlighted as most viewed & etc. But what about the Anti-Democratic Zucker video that was banished by YT? Not on any front pages despite having the views to warrant it?

[gt95stang]

YouTube worked this time because its new and people are still coming to it for the first time. But if they continue to shun videos from one side, while highlighting videos from the other, their impact will be lost.

They'll just become another CBS or FoxNews; where the audience is only made up of those that already agree with the message. If you're preaching to the choir, you won't have an impact (except, maybe, with regard to voter turnout).

[ursomunal]

you don't pay 1.6 billion to let you tubers decide anything. i smell change a comming.

[ajk70112]

As far as Allen's loss: definately. The video clip speaks louder than print. That, and the recent LA Police brutality exposed through YouTube, it is no wonder tha Time Magazine would make this site as "Invention of the Year"

[wiggletwo]

The whole world owes you tube a big thankyou, now to rid the world of george bush.

[ChristopherMarlowe]

Good Qs. Penniless seems pretty on point. I don't think it is an overstatement to say that the Net is the greatest medium for free expression in history; And I believe YouTube is the most prodigious example of focusing that expression. I saw a lot of info get passed and I saw a lot of hacking (How many phony Kerry videos from the GOP PR firms?).

[katatonic]

Youtube = Freedom

[pennilesscripple]

Yes, YouTube had & will continue to have an effect on elections. At its best, it restores the context the mass media deletes and allows voters to see political leaders "unplugged." In the Allen clip, he revealed an aspect of his character that many people don't want in their leaders. (I don't see belittling someone as a "gaffe," by the way.) At its worst, YouTube will be manipulated through hacking and the dissemination of propaganda.

[mikeabundo]

Thank God YouTube is huge in the Philippines.

[lilrebel212]

thanks for the upload.

[stratocasterz]

Yet another reason to love youtube!

[dankman38]

Yes to both questions, how much of a difference is debatable. To those of you who are happy about the Democrats winning the election you should post a comment of thanks to those who spent their time by posting those crucial videos like LiberalViewer and SilentPatriot.

Thanks guys.

[dena81]

I think it will play a huge role. News is now able to travel at light speed to everyone virtually everywhere and the more available that news is, the bigger the impact it will make. People are now able to find footage of politicians that perhaps 20-30 years ago would have been easy to hide but now it's easy to find out almost anything.

[dejahthoris]

Awesome. Would have never thought of it but it's true.

[aliasmax23]

Well, I wouldn't discount Jon Stewart and Youtube combined as having had an effect on the midterm result, YT has been very political, with great political diversity being displayed. But look at what has happened recently: TDS clips pulled in huge numbers ... why? Because "The Man" uses "The Law" to his own advantage. They'll have it sowed up by next election. Jail sentences for copyright infringement anyone?

[alicatali]

go youtube!

[DaCoach68]

I think YouTube DID play a part. I also think Rush Limbaugh's vicious attack on Michael J Fox, Bush's one-day-late-firing-Rummy, and various & sundry other things played a part. on thing is clear, IMHO, the democrats did NOT do this alone. I think it's a cry for the GOP to return to its roots: fiscal conservative, SMALL government..neither of which the BushGOP offered America. Maybe a cue to Dems, as well; move to the middle.

[olllj]

dont make the misttake to take Foxnews serious, your spurces suck there, they are propaganda.

And Yes, not only the total screwup of republican hypocricy but also the reporting about it via new media, mostly youtube, set this election.

[Mintie]

YouTube is great because it gives (more or less) news and images that are un-propagandized (is that a word?). I think it definitely has had an effect on the election, though I can see that it will have a greater impact in the future do to the amount of younger viewers on YouTube.

[sakisimple]

Bound to have had some influence. Some of the really bad blunders by candidadtes can be watched over and over again the same way network news and radio keep filling up the airwaves with similar stuff day in and day out.

[nyguy]

I'm a democrat but the only way to know for real how much youtube played a role on the elections is by checking the view count on the videos posted above. I don't think it has any major influence.

[dankman38]

Over a million for the Allen-macacau video.

[sony281]

Don't get too excited. Nothings going to happen in Washington for the next two years. If the next budget isn't approved there could be another government shut down. That's the last thing America needs.

[Lateralist]

1. To some degree (and quite possibly enough to puch Webb over the line against Allen)

2. More. I think we'll se a lot more politicians using Youtube as a means of campaigning, for one thing. Especially in the 2008 presidential election.

[linkthestampede]

Judging by the amount of videos CBS has now (like 1/4 of the Director Videos are from CBS) and the news videos that insight sharp political debated reached the top of the most discussed list, I'd say that we're going to be getting a lot of political stuff if not now, than when the bulk of the users turn 18. On a related note, aren't a lot of the people here 16? In two years this might very well be a political hot spot.

[Urgelt]

YouTube played a small role. *Lots* of factors played roles in this outcome. Any one of them, if reversed, could have left the Senate in neocon hands. It was that close.

No time to become complacent, I'm sure you agree.

[cowmandude]

Please stop using neo-con in place of republican:P it discourages moderate republicans from caring what you ahve to say.

[Urgelt]

My political purpose is not to defeat Republicans. It's to defeat the neocon (neofascist) movement.

Since when did moderate Republicans want to tear up Habeas Corpus? Abandon the Geneva Convention? Run up irresponsible deficits? Wasn't it Eisenhower who warned of too much corporate power in Government?

You can define anyone you want as your enemy. I've defined mine.

[p00lman]

But because of how close it was that so many little factors could have reversed the situation, youtube could just as well have been a significant contributor.

[Urgelt]

My point is that every single one of them was significant; and that any single one of them could have resulted in the Senate going the other way.

If you fill a barrel with peanuts, you don't pick one out and give it credit for the full barrel. They all are needed.

[p00lman]

That's true, but since we're here on youtube, and LV is a youtube contributor, specifically with politically-charged videos, it makes sense to celebrate youtube's potential contribution to the process.

[Urgelt]

Agreed! Let's celebrate, because it *was* a factor, and hopefully will be even more so in coming elections.

[takezo3001]

"My political purpose is not to defeat Republicans. It's to defeat the neocon (neofascist) movement."

-QUOTE from Urgelt.

Thanks for clearing that up, as I count many a republican, and TRUE conservative as an indispensable asset to our country!

[redbeast2]

Welcome to America, Macaca, lol I'm so glad that ass lost.

[sakisimple]

He could have been in the Borat movie.

[markeyboy123]

Hooray for the democritization of information!

[avery547]

You do know Colbert is just playing a character right? As this isnt the only time you have inferred by his reaction that he was a real right-winger....

[LiberalViewer]

reply below

[yigit2681]

by next election, utube will become a mass media tool by both sides, the reps didn't realize its value this election.

utube will also be censored, like some users are being now...

[Lachausis]

of course they new. They simply lost.

[mediadrone01]

Wow, man. Great question. I hadn't thought of this. Of course, there's no real way to be certain if it swayed it. We can be certain that YouTube at least affected it. Great points to ponder. I love the fact that politicians can no longer safely slip up ANYWHERE, because someone'll have it posted within an hour.

[chuckutubechicago]

HHHmmmmm interesting i see the kernels of truth.

make that buckets.

[TheRussells]

I think youtube, and the internet in general, will play a huge role in politics, just as televisions and newspapers did before it. It's the new "hot" media.