EXCLUSIVE: Obama's Web presence loses its luster (Washington Times)

Washington Times ^ | DEc. 9, 2008 | Stephen Dinan

[FocusNexus]

Viewership for President-elect Barack Obama's weekly YouTube "fireside chats" has tanked, dropping more than 50 percent since his initial video three weeks ago.

"I've heard a lot of puffed-up rhetoric about how this is going to change the face of politics and how it's going to be FDR's fireside chats. The data doesn't back it up," said David Burch, marketing manager for TubeMogul, which tracks YouTube video views.

The first video address, released four weekends ago, drew 789,868 viewers over its first three days and is nearing 1 million total, according to TubeMogul's figures. But the second video was viewed 451,077 times in three days, Thanksgiving weekend's video garnered 152,222 views, and this weekend's fourth installment had about 370,000 views as of Monday evening.

FADING: President-elect Barack Obama uses his YouTube videos as a tool to reach out to the American public.

Interest in Mr. Obama's postelection YouTube channel, ChangeDotGov, is down substantially overall compared with the heady days of his campaign, when BarackObama.com regularly cracked the top 10 channels and some of his videos drew more than 5 million views.

His transition Web site on Monday posted a video of interest groups meeting with the transition's energy and environmental policy team. It had gained more than 200 viewers by Monday evening - putting it far ahead of the president-elect's Veterans Day video, which after three weeks had garnered only seven views on his YouTube channel.

[a real Sheila]

Whoever thought those fireside chats were going to be popular (and remain popular) have quickly forgotten that we have an “American Idol” culture who wants constant new, exciting, entertaining, different, etc.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

“Viewership for President-elect Barack Obama’s weekly YouTube “fireside chats” has tanked,”.....

Bonfire of the vanities......

[Jeff Chandler]

Fireside chats are so 2008! We're off chasing the next new fad:

[Zeddicus]

Whoever thought those fireside chats were going to be popular (and remain popular) have quickly forgotten that we have an “American Idol” culture who wants constant new, exciting, entertaining, different, etc.

Exactly. I've been saying since 11/5 that we didn't have an election, we had a national American Idol competition.

Most of the vapid fools who voted for HopeChangeYesWeCan have already lost interest.

[deannadurbin]

I’ve never watched a single one. It would be like staring into a toilet bowl for 10 minutes.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

His popularity with the far Left is tanking also. However, they need not fear. He is saying things now to improve his position with the American public but in office and behind the scenes he will be the Leftist we all know he is.

[Aquinasfan]

After he starts out with, "Uh, two things..." all I hear is Mrs. Othmar.

"He's talking a lot, but he's not saying anything!" --Psycho Killer

[Tarpon]

Hopenchange shelf life is really short, when everyone now knows you lie.

[Blue Turtle]

Obama is like the American Idol winner...hot during the election, cold after the season finale. Blacks have been to the mountaintop....there is no whining allowed from now on.

[redstateconfidential]

See my tagline.

[Yo-Yo]

On the other hand, I highly recommend Fred Thomson's YouTube talks.

[Helen]

It’s hard to believe the super-duper intellectuals that surround That One really think the bloc of voters that put him in office have an attention span that extends beyond filling their gas tanks and paying their mortgages. Very few of the video clips of his adoring voters indicate they are the type to sit down and absorb a political “fireside chat”, even by That One.

[AppyPappy]

One of my liberal friends opined “We voted for a Democrat and elected a Republican”. They went to bed with Barack Obama and woke up with Bill Clinton.

[adorno]

Obama's Web presence loses its luster

Why are so many people rejoicing at the prospects of the Obama YouTube fireside chats tanking?

I doubt that Obama and the democrats care. They don't need YouTube and they don't need the fireside chats. They only wanted the publicity about how Obama was somewhat similar to FDR and his fireside chats and the FDR policies and FDR programs. They got that and people are still talking about the similarities. Now they're ready to move on with more significant steps.

But, Obama and the democrats don't care about YouTube or any specific online presence. They'll take the overall publicity that they get from the totality of all the media.

They got the best publicity anyone could ever get when Obama got elected president. He now has the biggest and best-known pulpit that anyone could ever hope for. Obama, and the democrats, now have the highest podiums that any politician could ever hope to attain. It is Obama and it is the democrats who are seen on a daily basis and many times during the day. YouTube is a very minor player compared to all the airtime that Obama and the democrats are now getting.

YouTube might matter again in about 3 or 4 years, when it is time again to make use of all available media to try to reach people with their campaigns. It is no longer campaign mode.

What we need to worry about is how to knock them off their high horses and to take away their high-visibility.

[FrankR]

Let's face it...obama just isn't "presidential".

Like bill clinton, he's too caught up in the "fame" of the moment to think or even care about anything else. He is currently "playing" president and trying to emulate everyone from FDR to Reagan...but the "gravitas" is just not there.

He comes across as just what he is, a hustler trying to fit a role that he is not equipped to fill. Insofar as his "fireside chats"...I heard enough of his b.s. on the campaign trail to last me until 2012. Like did with the clintons, when obama's face pops up on TV, I switch the station. Photo opps and sound bytes does not a President make.

His real name could be Barry "Showtime" Obama...because that is what he is all about.

[Mind-numbed Robot]

They went to bed with Barack Obama and woke up with Bill Clinton.

Twiddle Dee, Twiddle Dum!