but wait, there's more...

Just when it seemed that the "Hillary 1984" hoopla had died down, there's more about why Apple Computer didn't sue the creator of the Youtube video.  A previously unknown party owns the rights to "1984."  Read more here.   Yes, folks, truth can be stranger than fiction.

no rules

The revelation of ParkRidge47's identity shows that the old rules of political campaigning don't seem to apply anymore.

An individual took independent action in a way that reflects on his employer's business relationship with one of the candidates. The candidate did not ask that the Youtube video be taken down. Apple Computer, whose ad was altered to create the video, did not ask that the video be taken down. No lawsuits were filed.

More DIY actions seem likely in the future. I'm curious to see exactly what forms they may take.

and the buzz goes on

There are some interesting theories out there about the identity and motivation of the mysterious ParkRidge47. If he/she is ever revealed, wouldn't it be a scream if it turned out to be Steve Jobs? What's your $0.02?

a brave new world for political campaigning

The emergence of the Hillary 1984 Youtube spot raises a lot of interesting questions. How and where do we get information on political candidates? Who is responsible for the material? How does it compare to official campaign "spin?" Is the source an independent grassroots voice, or is it actually disinformation from the campaign that is designed to appear as independent?

In case you're not up to speed on this, a digitally re-edited version of Apple's 1984 Think Different ad has appeared on Youtube, posted by someone using the pseudonym ParkRidge47 (referring to Hillary's hometown and year of birth). It ends with a link to BarackObama.com, but Obama's campaign says they had no part in creating this ad.

The explosive growth of blogs and Youtube is rapidly changing the political campaign process, creating many grassroots opportunities to affect campaigns from the outside. It is much easier to expose questionable campaign donors and other information that usually would not see the light of day in the pre-digital age.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer ran news article on the phenomenon.

It feels like the winds of change are blowing in a big way. I'm seeing the effects on local campaigns, such as the 49th ward aldermanic run-off. I'd imagine that political campaigns may be very different 10 years from now, as grassroots efforts increase in prominence and influence. Power to the people!