*First, I'm glad to see it and look forward to this being a "new media" tool for Gov. Kaine to communicate directly with voters. Hopefully, we'll see him on the blogs more as well (and not just on Bush Administration Transportation Secretary Mary Peters' blog either).
*Second, I notice the message, "Adding comments has been disabled for this video." I wonder why this is the case, particularly since Barack Obama's YouTube channel does NOT disable comments. Nor does Hillary Clinton's. Nor does John McCain's. In other words, the default among politicians seems to be to allow comments, so hopefully Gov. Kaine will add that feature.
*Third, I found the choice of energy as the topic for Gov. Kaine's first video to be appropriate given $120 per barrel oil, not to mention Dominion Power's request for an 18% rate hike, as well as the controversy over Dominion's proposed coal-fired power plant in Wise County.
The problem is, although there's nothing wrong per se with what Gov. Kaine has to say on this video (buy compact fluorescent light bulbs and Energy Star appliances -- good ideas!), it's not even close to being adequate given the scope of the challenges we face in terms of energy security, global warming and the economic impact of $120 per barrel oil. Asking consumers to do more is fine, but what about the government?
For instance, what about asking Dominion Power to do more -- or anything, for that matter -- to slash energy consumption and CO2 emissions? How about putting in place a strong, mandatory, renewable portfolio standard here in Virginia? How about decoupling Dominion Power, so that its profits are no longer linked directly to producing more power (megawatts), but to saving energy (negawatts)? How about implementing smart grids and net metering? How about the government, instead of just urging people to buy Energy Star appliances, mandates higher fuel economy standards and provides people with tax credits to retrofit their homes for greater energy efficiency? How about really linking land use to transportation in a way that discourages sprawl and encourages "smart growth" (yes, that includes a Metro tunnel in Tysons). How about moving aggressively in Virginia to slash the state's greenhouse gas emissions? Now THAT would be worth making a YouTube video about! :)