Top Video Moments of the Campaign

By James Poniewozik | @poniewozik | November 3, 2008 | +

I came up with a top 10 list for Time.com. I wanted to spread the wealth around and include a sweep from the primaries through the general election, so there’s a vast amount I left on the cutting-room floor. (For instance, the Obamercial, whose impact is hard to assess so soon. Also, honorable mentions should go to Hillary’s 3 a.m. ad and Dear Mr. Obama. Likewise Obama Girl, Vote Different and Tina Fey, which I left out in part because I and everyone else have mentioned them so often already.)

But I’m most curious to know your favorites, especially the ones—and I expect there are dozens—that I left out. Cast your votes on your touchscreen machines!

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Chaddogg

Wow — there are literally so many I would add:
.
Keith Olbermann’s “Special Comments”. Obama’s “Reagan was a more tranformational president than Clinton” clip (which baited Bill into a fight with Obama that backfired horribly). McCain’s “green backdrop” speech. The SNL “can I get you a pillow Senator Obama?” skit (changed the tone of the media). The View. West Wing re-runs (lots of parallels, as the New York Times noted, between Obama-McCain and Santos-Alan Alda’s character). The Daily Show’s savage breakdown of Republican hypocrisy on Palin (comparing O’Reilly, Rove, etc.’s reaction to Palin vs. their own words on parents of pregnant teens or Governor Tim Kaine’s qualifications as a possible VP for Obama). The ascendancy of Morning Joe on MSNBC (I seriously love that show — nothing else goes on my television in the morning before work). John King’s iPhone Electoral map. CNN’s “Pundit Points” during debates.
.
And, of course, SNL. Always SNL.
Paul O’Regan

I’d never seen that Mike Gravel video before. That’s… fantastic.
plukasiak

I think you should have a Top Ten Media Memory Hole list…

i.e. all the stuff that the candidates said that the media downplayed because it suited their purposes….

Of course, they’d all be about Obama, but since the media is all about Obama anyway, it would be fitting….
Murdoc829

Gee, plukasiak, how very irrelevant of you.

I too had never seen the Mike Gravel video. It was mesmerizing. I feel like, 10 years from now, everyone who saw that video will be simultaneously triggered to do . . . something.
shara says

@plukasiak: pout much?

Much of my favorite election material comes from the Daily Show. I liked where he showed the hypocrisy of the Republicans with the back-to-back clips, that was awesome (I think the same one that Chaddog mentioned). Jon Stewart’s interview with Bill Kristol (sp?), the McCain “airquotes” & Sam B accompanying commentary were a couple of my other favorites.

The first SNL Sarah Fey-lin/Hilary Clinton skit was my favorite of that series. The clip where McCain was talking about how much Barak Obama looks down on people from (Pennsylvania? can’t remember), and followed with “and I couldn’t agree with him more…” and then verbally stumbled around and made no sense. Awesome.

The Mario Lopez video diary of the lead-up to his “exclusive” interview with Obama. That was just a beautiful thing.

Keith O’s special commentary on Hilary Clinton. Loved every second of it.

Chris Matthews’ interview of Michelle Bachman where she announced that she wanted an investigation into the anti-American affairs of our elected representatives. And the following three straight days of Chris’s unadulterated glee and delight in blowing her out of the water.

Sarah Silverman’s The Great Schlep was pretty funny as well.