Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Representative Tom Tancredo (R-CO).
FACT FILE: TOM TANCREDO
ACCOUNT NAME: TeamTancredo
NUMBER OF VIDEOS: 133
NUMBER OF SUBSCRIBERS: 795
TOTAL CHANNEL VIEWS: 437,140
TOTAL VIDEO VIEWS: 514,771
All kidding aside, Tancredo's people are far more involved than Hunter's when it comes to maintaining their candidate's YouTube presence. Part of this comes from simple participation; staffers are still logging in daily, interacting with supporters and posting new videos (the last update, as of today, came yesterday afternoon). However, the Tancredo campaign's strategy goes deeper, and is best reflected in the content of the videos themselves.
Now, make no mistake: Tancredo still spends plenty of time making sure everyone knows where he stands on hot-button conservative issues like immigration, federal debt, and the war in Iraq. However, unlike Duncan Hunter, Tancredo doesn't stop there. Among the videos, there are traditional television spots, staged interviews, and calls to action against opponents both Democrat and Republican. However, the majority of his videos fall into two categories: highlights of debates and interview appearances, and informal, candid discussions about his stances and beliefs. Given his status as a fringe candidate, this approach makes sense. Without the face time or coverage of the other candidates, Tancredo has to get his name into the open somehow. If the media isn't going to give him the time he needs, YouTube is a natural alternative.
However, this approach is still hampered by the candidate's relative lack of recognition. Tancredo, much like Hunter, has to spend the majority of his time getting people to remember his policy, a tactic which leaves little room for spotlights on personal character or non-issue related interests. We get little to nothing about Tancredo's past or personality from these videos. In the end, we may know Tancredo the politician, but we still don't know Tancredo the person. For a candidate with limited exposure, this is a prime example of an opportunity wasted.
Personally, I certainly know more about Tom Tancredo now than I did before, at least as far as his political leanings and media coverage go. I still think he's basically crazy, but I do appreciate his humorous response to the whole "John Edwards and his $400 haircut" debacle from a few months back. If we can't laugh at ourselves, who can we laugh at?
Though Tom Tancredo has little hope for a successful nomination bid, his strategy when it comes to YouTube promotion seems to follow the standards set by some of his more popular counterparts. Though he doesn't go far enough in terms of content variety, the videos are a step in the right direction. In that hands of a more high profile candidate, I think we'll see a very different mixture. Only the analysis can tell for sure.
Tomorrow, head back here to see how the candidate with the silliest name since Dale Bumpers approaches the YouTube challenge. That's right: it's Mike Huckabee.
8 comments:
He looks more like an elementary school principal, and we all know what kind of sickos they are...
But hey, that's no reason not to like him.
To be fair...at least give me one thing about Tancredo that you consider "crazy".
To be fair to the rest of us in California...you need to see the kinds of youtube videos going around that are the real source of Tancredo's support.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeTD3cNBnBU
It is like you are missing a big piece of the puzzle.
for once, i have to agree with the state department.
from http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/03/america/NA-POL-US-Politics-Diplomacy.php
"Deputy spokesman Tom Casey, a career foreign service officer, had unusually harsh words for Tancredo, a Republican from Colorado, who said this week that if elected he would threaten to bomb the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest sites, to deter attacks on the United States.
'It is absolutely outrageous and reprehensible for anyone to suggest attacks on holy sites, whether they are Muslim, Christian, Jewish or those of any other religion,' a clearly agitated Casey told reporters, shaking his head in disgust.
'To somehow suggest that an appropriate response to terrorism would be to attack sites that are holy and sacred to more than a billion people throughout the world is just absolutely crazy," he said, denouncing "any suggestion that the defense of the American homeland or the defense of American interests would ever justify attacking holy sites.'"
To be fair, the foreign policy gaffes at his point in the campaign are numerous, and on both sides of the ticket, but this one really stands out.
Tyler believes that American cities are NOT as "holy" as Mecca and Medina.
If Islamic Jihadists nuke an American city then that is OK with him. Mecca and Medina are off limits because they are "HOLY"!
All Tancredo said was that our cities are also "HOLY", and if you nuke us, then your "HOLY" places are NOT off limits to him.
We said the same thing to the Soviet Union. And we had the "MAD" policy for decades.
"mutual assured destruction"
And it WORKED!
But Tancredo did say " if anyone had a better idea"
OK, Tyler...what is the best way to stop jihadists from nuking us?
Look, say whatever you want. I'm not in the business of helping Tom Tancredo write his foreign policy platform. I am, however, in the business of giving my opinion of his media appearances (including interviews) and the effect that his statements in said appearances will have on his chances of getting elected. Obviously, based sheerly on poll numbers (like the ones found here:
http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=28702), people aren't exactly lining up to vote for this guy. I guess you could look at his answer to the question in one of two ways:
a) He said it even though he didn't mean it, but knowing it would cause shock and uproar, as a way to get his name out there. Publicity is publicity.
b) He said it because he really believes it, resulting in the same shock and uproar and publicity.
Either way, it hasn't translated into positive results. The vast majority of the nation isn't buying what he's selling.
Also, thanks for picking this fight. While I normally detest the whole notion of the "my e-peen is bigger than your e-peen" arguement inherent in an online fight, you've given our 15 or so actual readers something to tune in for. For the ratings boost, I salute you.
Thanks!
But did you at least check out the video in my post. This is where Tancredo will get his support and most of us are never polled.
We are living in a very politically correct world,my friend,and this will distort the poll results.
I do not believe the Hillary on top polls. Look at the hits on Obama's youtube page. He is in front of 20,000 people, most times! He get less money, but from a lot more contributors. But the polls say Hillary is the frontrunner?
I do not believe it!
we can certainly agree re: hillary. there's just something about the whole cutthroat, career politician bit that makes me uneasy. i'd rather hedge on obama, inexperience be damned.
hey, look! common ground. bitchin'.
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