They're Catching On...

From DC Examiner

On his way home from work recently, Republican Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon of California stopped at Best Buy and got a tiny Flip video camera for approximately $129.

The next day, one of his staffers filmed and quickly posted a video showing the affable McKeon taking viewers on a completely unscripted, impromptu tour of his Washington office, during which he introduced members of his staff -- the woman who sets up Capitol tours for constituents, the staffers who are responsible for different policy issues, for example.

McKeon’s video was an instant hit, generating positive local media coverage in his California district, as well as positive blog reviews nationwide. In the process, McKeon was able to use these cheap, easy-to-produce videos to humanize himself and his staff, so the next time some political opponent inevitably tries to portray him as the Prince of Darkness, many of his constituents will likely give him the benefit of the doubt.

“The response has been phenomenal,” McKeon told me in an interview this week. “It was an interesting kind of thing. I thought the people (in my district) knew me... yet it was like they’d never heard of me before. It was a whole new Me, but nothing changed - it’s just the way we let people see what we’re doing... All of a sudden we’re human!”

Obama's success has shown the Right the light, as far as online political engagement is concerned. They're starting to figure out that the internets is the place to be for politics.

State & Local Dems take notice.

Throw a simple video of a speech on YouTube... post pictures from your events on flickr... share your thoughts & opinions with a blog... let constituents follow your day on Twitter... or get to know you better through Facebook...

Don't get beat to the punch in your district by Republican framing online. Next month, when IOU's start going out and the voters in California start waking up to the true scope of our states problems...they're going to be looking for somebody to blame.

Don't let it be the Dems.