I've been thinking a lot about virality and what is making the videos in this election cycle so important in terms of cultural and social significance. To me they are working as "zeit geist machines". These videos are not only capturing the spirit and mind of our particular moment in time. They act as portals into the way we are creating spirit and memory right here and right now.

It's why Hillary 1984 started the Democratic Party's nomination race. It clearly defined the front-runner to beat. It clearly made the case for voting against her. Yet look closely at that video and you will see that the choice of voice-over quotes, along with the whole branding metonymy, was giving us the reasons why Democrats were ready to have Hillary loose the nomination. In making the case for "Change" it was showing us the inner workings of that meme.

In other words, "Hillary 1984" became the defining meme of the primaries.

Now we have "I Am Voting Republican" and I have to say that this was emailed and twittered so many times this morning I immediately smelled a trend.

Once I watched it, I could see why it is the defining meme of the 2008 general elections :

1. It clearly defines the candidate to beat
2. It clearly states the reasons to vote against the candidate.
3. It uses the cognitive power of satire to deliver the "bad news" in a positive way.
4. It has burned through the "first-adopter-sphere" like wild fire.

And just as I was about to hit "publish" it occurred to me that the meme is perfect because it's what alleged Clinton supporters have been saying all along : that they'll vote republican (or for McCain) if Obama wins.

This video is brilliant because it captured a meme, it replicated and it turned it upside down not only as a response to the meme itlsef, but as a magnifying glass augmenting the logic behind the disgruntled voters' logic.

This is post is adapted from "Is this the first viral video of the 2008 Presidential elections?", techPresiden.com

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