I always have my eye on the Viral Video Chart. And this election it’s been a really interesting thing. It’s also been an alternately depressing and elating thing. It doesn’t matter whom your candidate of choice is, watching these political videos bubble up the charts can either make your day or ruin it. Biden’s gaffes, McCain’s Letterman-letdown, Obama’s pastor, and Palin’s witch doctor all made prime fodder for viral videos. Then there were the many, many mini-documentaries and exposés from campaigns and amateur videographers. There were videos of campaign supporters on both sides (here and here), guaranteed to confirm our greatest fears about the other side. And Obama Girl, we can’t forget Obama Girl.

I left my computer screen to go vote this morning. And thousands of viral videos flashed before my eyes. They didn’t change my vote, of course. But they did make me feel just a little bit more conflicted, a little bit dirtier than normal. Ariana Huffington wrote that the internet is the death of Karl Rove politics. I’m not sure that’s right. I think maybe it just democratized it.

-Kent, Yahoo! Video Team