What a whirlwind this election was, with plenty of drama to go around. Where would we be if not for:
-Joe Biden’s botox
-Michelle Obama’s “pride of country” speech
-Sarah Palin’s wardrobe budget
-John McCain’s temper tantrums
-Cindy McCain’s sprained wrist
-Barack Obama’s bowling score
…and many more moments that were reported in real time using digital videos, photos, audio recordings, text messages, MMS, Twitter, blogs, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, iTunes, iPhones, G1s, BlackBerrys, cellphones, etc.
But as dramatic as it seemed, these kinds of events –or worse– happen in every campaign. And the difference this time wasn’t necessarily that there were more reporters covering the campaigns; the “Boys on the Bus” kept the pack moving along with each presidential candidate, and some would even argue that there were more official reporters back then than now.
This time, there were more everyday people reporting about events, not just reporters. But it makes more of an impression on me that this time around, we had more ways of receiving this news. More people are using broadband connections than ever, and can access YouTube with ease. Mobile devices are less expensive thanks to Moore’s Law, and data plans cover more geography–thanks to that bespectacled Verizon guy testing every ounce of God’s good earth (kidding).
If I had to narrow the multitude of dramatic campaign moments down to just one moment, I would have to select John McCain’s idea (or his advisors’ idea) to pause his campaign as the most dramatic. I first heard about it as it happened from a CNBC cameraman who works down the hall from me. This cameraman is a proud liberal, and I truly thought he was joking. But McCain’s choice was real, and our entire country saw him as a flip-flopping, weak, indecisive candidate. His inability to stand strong on the economy and to work through the downturn made plenty of undecided voters doubt him altogether. For the Obama camp, this seemed like a incredible stroke of fortune, and the democratic candidate smartly stated that he would be at the debate that McCain tried to avoid.
A moment like this didn’t need any added drama. It added to the reasons why McCain wasnt elected, and it gave Obama a giant boost in the right direction. No matter how you found out about it –at your computer, on your mobile device, or by word of mouth– this moment defined the campaign.
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