When Ben Relles created Barely Political and hired Amber Lee Ettinger to play the role of Obama Girl, it was little more than a fun little one-off that no one thought would rise to the level of popularity it did. Month after month, Obama Girl videos appeared and month after month, Obama, himself, kept winning primaries moving closer and closer to a potential seat in the White House as out next President.
No, it’s not a done deal yet. There’s VPs to choose, platforms to stump a not so insignificant election in November to get through before this road has been traveled. Could Ben Relles’ Obama Girl have anything at all to do with the rise of Barack Obama?
I spoke to Relles who told me, “Dick Morris, who used to advise Bill Clinton, said our video (which cost $2K had no media budget) had more influence than any of Senator Obama’s own TV ads. I’ve read that a couple other places too.”
In an Air America interview with Amber and Ben, it was said the videos may have positively effected the closeness of the Obama/Clinton race.
While it may never be completely clear the influence Obama Girl had on the outcome of the primaries or the influence she may have on the November elections, Relles does ponder the possibilities, saying, “If that’s even partially true its a pretty graphic example of how individuals can affect this election in ways we couldn’t in 2004. And ironically this YouTube video that was created in 3 days, in a lot of ways may be the most influential project I’ve worked on.”
So while added research may be needed to confirm whether or not Obama Girl, indeed, had any influence at all, it is somewhat amazing that what started out as a hot girl figuratively lusting after a presidential candidate (an underdog at that point, no less) turned into a national phenomenon that may continue right up until the inauguration in January.
Will there be a Cabinet position for our friend Amber Lee?
