John Davison gave a speech for his candidacy for Stark County Treasurer in Ohio in front of just 100 people, but now more than three quarters of a million people have watched it online.
In a speech that appears to have likely been direct fodder for Youtube, Davison screams like a maniac for nearly six minutes, shouting such impassioned remarks as, “I have been a Republican in times good, and I have been a Republican in times bad” and, “Politics is winner take all. It always has been. And it always will be.”
Even though there were 100 people right in front of him, there is no audible reaction from the audience at all. They were probably all in shock.
Some might call it similar to the Howard Dean scream fiasco of 2004. However, the veracity and sheer obnoxious-ness of this speech appear more to be some sort of attempt to gain attention than a serious passionate speech that got a little out of hand.
And if that was the intent, it worked. While he didn’t get the nomination for the county treasurer spot (surprise, surprise), he has been interviewed by the Associated Press, Fox News, Politico, and others. The number of views of his Youtube video is about twice that of the entire population of Stark County.
It is true that Youtube can be highly pivotal in any election these days. Any sort of off-handed comment or charged soundbyte can ruin a campaign. Orchestrated speeches like this, however, really do nothing to truly influence the political landscape.
Check out the full rant below:
