Derrick Ashong, Barack Obama Supporter, Makes Waves on YouTube

Derrick Ashong, 32 year-old musician and West African immigrant, is receiving an outpour of attention for a clip that is gaining steam on YouTube. The title of the video, an almost nondescript throwaway title, may comes as a surprise to those expecting the familiar YouTube sensationalism: "Obama vs Clinton Hollywood Democratic Debate 3."

In the clip, an interviewer we only know as "Mark" approaches Mr. Ashong with an inquiry regarding Ashong's support for Presidential candidate Barack Obama. The questions, which Ashong characterizes as "penetrating," appear to be politically-motivated; the interviewer challenges Ashong's knowledge, hoping to trip up the Obama supporter and, perhaps, marginalize the candidate in the process.

Instead, what we see is an articulate, sensible and substantive response, with Ashong responding adeptly to questions ranging from his general support of Barack Obama to whether to the proper balance of public and private sectors in a universal healthcare system.

As the hits have piled up, the media has taken notice. The Economist has called the clip "one of the most interesting political videos on YouTube," and on March 17th, the New York Times published a full-size article on Derrick Ashong entitled "Sound Bite That Has Some Teeth." More media coverage of Mr. Ashong and his support of candidate Barack Obama will surely follow.

In the world of politics, such substantive discussion rarely circulates the way this video has. Sadly, the clip appears to have caught on precisely because it exposes the substantive side of the Presidential race, one that the 24/7 cable news culture often overlooks. Derrick Ashong's candidate, Barack Obama, has been criticized in the mainstream media for being "light on policy," while the media does little in response to educate the electorate. This perception is challenged in the video.

Yet when perception, not reality, defines the political debate, we are left fill in the cracks with citizens like Derrick Ashong, who both know where their candidate stands and why they stand with them. While Mr. Ashong deserves commendation for his intellectual approach to the 2008 Election, the amount of attention his approach has received tells us something very scary about the way we consider Presidential politics in this country.