If it isn’t on video, then perhaps it didn’t happen.  And if it happened … which of course it didn’t because it wasn’t videotaped … and you can’t replay it … then it surely couldn’t be important.

Put another way … if it is not on YouTube then forgetaboutit.

That could be one of many lessons from this political season.

Yes, there was traditional media.  And thanks to the generosity of millions of Americans who, despite the economy tanking, their houses being foreclosed, and their retirement funds evaporating … these same Americans seemed to have aninsatiable desire,  to sign up and happily send their hard earned money (unless, of course, they worked on Wall Street) to the Obama campaign — there was plenty of advertising.

According to David Carr at the New York Times:

By some estimates, Senator Obama will have spent $250 million on local, cable and network television in just five months, a rate of advertising that outstrips Burger King, Apple and Gap on an annualized basis. And it dwarfs the $188 million that President Bush spent in 2004.

But Ellen McGirt of Fast Company goes on to say that while the Obama ad spend dwarfed brands and Bush I, the Obama YouTube production dwarfed their dwarfing of … whatever … you get the idea.

So I went on YouTube.  The Barak Obama channel has 1,678 videos and 107,595 subscribers.  McGirt estimages that all total the campaign’s videos have had nearly 90 million views.

90 million views.  At likely a fraction of the $250 million in advertising.  And — thanks to YouTube — will stay up and available far longer than the 30-second lead-in spot to CSI.

So get out your flip video cameras, ladies and gentlemen.  Start taping.  Start uploading.  Go crazy.

And just in case … if you have a quarter of a billion lying around … buy some advertising too.

Just in case.