Trying to step aside from the most basic reactions of whether or not people support Bush, I think there are a several interesting things to look at.
Politicians who are in office have an advantage of using the office to produce media to get their message out. Often it is in terms of those direct mail pieces reviewing ones accomplishments that always seem to come out shortly before election season. There is a valid concern about any and all politicians using the power of their offices to get their messages out. It is part of what keeps incumbents in office. This is one of the common arguements for public financing of campaigns. We are already publicly financing part of campaigns. While the aethetic of the Barney video is not appealing to me, I suspect it is very appealing to many. It is useful to be aware of those audiences that have different aesthetic sensibilities and thinking about how (and if) one wishes to reach them. Yes, I hope that we see the use of online videos to present a more authentic and less 'mediated' experience of our political leaders. As such, I have a strong dislike of the video, not because of the subject, but because of it promoting an idea of highly produced, highly mediated videos My two cents. Aldon
