Could it be that a Republican candidate is first to tap into the iPhone?

I was horsing around with my new addiction and discovered an iphone widget site. And much to my surprise - and giddyness, i found the Ron Paul iPhone Headquarters.

blogs... videos... social networking that links to Meetup, YouTube, Eventful, MySpace, Facebook, digg, Flickr...

Ron Paul. TechRepublican.

Last night the Politico published a piece by John G. Geer in which he argues negative campaign advertising has a positive impact on elections because…

“negative ads are 50 percent more likely to focus on policy than positive ads. Negative ads are also five times more likely to document their claims than positive ads. Finally, negative ads are two times more likely to be specific when mentioning issues than positive ads.”

He’s right, and here’s one that Jim Dyke and I produced for the RNC that serves as a good example.

These web videos go through a tremendous amount of internal scrutiny before launch to make sure facts are not misrepresented. It’s a process that YouTubers and JumpCutters don’t have to go through, which makes ’08 even more interesting.

We’re swirling in the calm before the storm, anticipating a flood of user-generated negative ads that will go unchecked by lawyers and the FEC. YouTube, JumpCut and the like will become a virtual rumor mill where 20-somethings will launch digital missiles at the candidates, forcing campaigns or their political parties to make a choice: “Do we respond?”

No.

Why? Well, for example… ParkRidge47’s anti-Hillary 1984 ad was mentioned in a Fox News interview just an hour ago, and was described as “devastating." But to whom?

Did Hillary Clinton really suffer from such an attack? Not really. The earned media frenzy high-beams focused instead on user-generated political advertising. Because that’s new(s).

Though user-generated ads will not be new in 08, responding to them will only perpetuate the story and give credence to their effort. Though its novice producers seek to help their cause, their work actually dilutes message and forces a candidate to go on defense.

Candidates keep above the fray by distancing themselves from their party's negative advertising (we like to say “contrast ads”), so why wouldn’t the parties do the same with UGC?

Stumbled upon Jyte (Just You Tell 'Em) and am a little intrigued.

Especially after doing a search for "republican." Check it.

Obviously video will play an unprecedented role in '08 as it is no longer an option for campaigns or third parties to avoid posting video content to push message.

But here's the trick.

To post content that is worthy of voters' time.

Flooding the netwaves with clips from every campaign stop serves better your opponents, giving them something to use against you. Trust me, that's the kind of content I've been working with for years.

Besides, with raw footage people only pay attention to that which will tear you down, not build you up. And with user-generated content so greatly affecting the upcoming elections, be rest assured it's not the 50-minute speech you posted that will break through the online clutter.