"I Got a Crush on Obama" featuring Obama Girl was posted in June 2007 by the comedy network Barely Political, and immediately became one of the most buzzed about online videos of all time. In 2010 Newsweek named the video the #3 biggest meme of the decade.
The video was created by Ben Relles who came up with the idea while watching Obama announce his candidacy. The song was performed by Leah Kauffman, and Obama Girl was played by Amber Lee Ettinger. The first video was an immediate phenomenon and featured the day after it was posted on CNN, Fox News, The View, ABC and MSNBC.
More Obama Girl videos followed including Obama Girl vs Giuliani Girl, Super Obama Girl and Ralph Nader and Obama Girl. In total Obama Girl videos have been seen over 100 million times. Amber Lee Ettinger appeared on Saturday Night Live, was named the Hottest Girl on the Internet in 2008 and has become one of the most memorable characters of the 2008 election.
Currently Barely Political continues to produce video with Amber, and their videos have been featured on network television, in museums, in college textbooks and countless news programs.
Writing about the original Crush on Obama video, the New York Times wrote ""That video probably had more to do with shaping Obama's complicated public image — young and exciting but maybe a bit shallow — than any Internet appeal devised by the candidate's own aides."
