St. John’s Student Goes
Viral
Today’s 24-hour news cycle makes political candidates increasingly
vigilant about what they say publicly. Their words are archived
indefinitely on sites like YouTube, and beamed around the world in
seconds through social media sites such as Twitter.
Recognizing the incredible power of the medium, History major
Andrew Kaczynski ‘12C has discovered a way that potential voters
can see candidates in a new light. Recently, Andrew began posting
several clips online featuring political candidates, often
showcasing them in unscripted situations or making statements
contrary to their current political views. Several of those clips
went viral.
Andrew recently appeared on The Last Word
with Lawrence O’Donnell on MSNBC and was interviewed by phone
on C-SPAN, discussing his postings.
A Different View
“It all started when I posted a video of David Weprin dancing
really terribly at the Soul Summit Music Festival in Brooklyn in
2009,” Andrew said. Weprin was the one-time Democratic nominee to
replace Anthony Weiner in New York’s Ninth Congressional District’s
special election. Within a few days the video received 20,000 hits
and was picked up by national news organizations, political blogs
and was featured on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
“I realized there’s this space to fill for people who want to see
politically related videos, whether archival or recent,” Andrew
observed, noting that with hours of material available, it was
often easy to catch politicians saying things that don’t agree with
their current positions.
“They’re so polished and put forth an image they want people to
accept, but these videos really show how they’ve evolved until
their current political self appears,” Andrew stressed, adding that
he wants to give people a perspective on candidates that isn’t
readily available to them. “You get to see where they’ve been as
opposed to where they are now. It lets people look at candidates
outside the box.”
Andrew noted that the non-stop news coverage is challenging for
politicians. “It changes campaigns so much. Twitter has changed the
way people get their news. Instead of clicking ‘refresh’ on CNN or
Fox you can see it as it happens. It’s to the minute and it changes
the way people run campaigns.”
Recently, Andrew posted a 2004 Mitt Romney ad that accused
then-Presidential candidate John Kerry of being a “flip-flopper.”
Within two hours, the Democratic National Committee edited the clip
into one of their ads. “It’s all about speed,” Andrew observed,
noting that the pace also is challenging for reporters, who are now
more prone to allow errors to creep into their stories. “It also
can be corrected just as fast.”
No Agendas
Andrew stressed that his own political views do not influence what
he chooses to post. “It’s more of a service that shows people all
of the candidates. There’s no agenda.” He added that he does choose
to focus on the front runners. “Those are who people want to see,”
he said.
Since he began this work, Andrew has become proficient at finding
what he needs quickly and efficiently. He noted that C-SPAN has an
archive on every modern politician. For example, Newt Gingrich’s
archive stretches back to the late 1970s, when he entered Congress.
Andrew noted that for politicians with a smaller archive, such as
Mitt Romney, it’s much easier to find material quickly.
Currently, Andrew is a part-time contributor to Buzzfeed.com and anticipates
working there full-time upon graduation. “I interned in Washington,
DC. for the Republican National Committee and for a congressman
from California, but I realized that I don’t want to work in
government. I’m not a partisan person, and I don’t like the idea of
cheerleading for one side. I find the real entertainment factor is
in covering (politics).”
Andrew knows he will be extremely busy this coming election year
between finishing his coursework and covering a myriad of political
stories such as the seemingly endless stream of debates.
Several of Andrew’s family members attended St. John’s and his
father graduated from The School of Law. He
transferred to St. John’s after attending Ohio University. “There’s
so much diversity here — socio-economically, racially and
ethnically. There’s a different work ethic here. People are so much
more motivated. They want to succeed. It’s a great environment in
which to learn.”
We invite you to look at Andrew’s YouTube channel
and his Twitter feed.