Barely Political

It was not much more than a year ago that a little video called I Got a Crush … on Obama proved that politics could be as viral as anything else on the Internet. Featuring a sexy vixen — born Amber Lee Ettinger, hereafter known as “Obama Girl” — mooning over the charismatic upstart presidential candidate, the vid exploded, scoring more than 9 million views on YouTube and getting tapped as one of 2007’s top 10 videos by People, Newsweek and the AP. And thus, Barely Political was born. Crush creator Ben Relles and his partners in crime expanded the Obama Girl franchise, pitting OG against rivals like Giuliani Girl, McCain Hulk and Joy Behar. By October 2007, aspiring media giant Next New Networks — home/partner of hits like Meth Minute, Nite Fite, and Zaproot — acquired Barely Political, cementing its reputation as source of original content to be reckoned with. Still, everybody from ReelPop to NTV’s own Karina was asking: Other than a hot girl, what exactly is Barely Political contributing to either politics or comedy?

The answer comes from Barely Political’s non-OG material. Sure, the Obama Girl vs McCain Girl Olympic series is timely, and McCain girl’s recent foray into the Enchanted Republican Forest is kind of a hoot. But the real gems on the site are found elsewhere. The Ward Room’s political survey at Comicon was just fun. And Barely Political Uncovers has the John Edwards Sex Scandal Phone Call, in which a panicked, pinned-down-by-the-Enquirer Edwards calls Bill Clinton for help. (Bill calls The Cheat Team, politicos experienced with getting caught in flagrante delecto.)

From two white guys rapping about buying a battleship just to go fishing in Stimulus Package, to Leah Kauffman’s pleading with Ann Coulter to perfect her, to Hillary angling for Obama’s VP slot with a well-timed Tom and Jerry reference, there’s a little something for everyone. It’s not all jabs at Repubs and Obama-stroking, either; with a tip to McCain’s balls and even some sympathetic Ron Paul coverage, there’s plenty of love to go around.

Barely Political isn’t really asking hard-hitting political questions. The non-OG vids tend to have a drier, more sophisticated humor — more Daily Show than JibJab — but there’s not enormous substance for the discriminating voter to chew on. But with a joyous irreverance and a canny ability to tie political content to zeitgeisty goodness like the Olympics and Comicon, the site succeeds at making political humor accessible and trendy. And in a political landscape constantly battling for the attention of the young voters, who usually avoid the polls, anything that catches new eyes has the potential to sway actual, real-life elections. So silly little videos are nothing to laugh at.