Dreams in Digital: The Year's Most Intriguing Web Videos

It’s hard to believe, but 2011 is only a few short days away from ending. And the natural human inclination is to engage in retrospection.

As is the case near the end of December, it’s hard to pick a particular issue or event that defined an entire year. In particular, 2011 featured fierce , a devastating , delicate and a large dose of . And even though 2011 was a non-election for most folks, there were still some notable contests that caught some interest.

While the written word is a tremendous way to capture these moments, the Internet produced alternatives to informing the populace. Since 2007, I’ve been using the magical medium of video to capture some serious and not-so-serious moments in the world of Missouri politics.

Even though I biasedly believe in the power of the written word, multimedia provides a tremendous method for the public to consume information. If an audio or video clip is constructed responsibly and dynamically, it can provide credibility to reporting. It can also give the public with another avenue of being informed - always a good thing.

If you click on the picture box on the right side of this story, you’ll find a few videos I shot this year that I felt deserved some special designations. Some showcase politicians facing sharp questions about their policy decisions and outlook. Others are strange moments that lighten up otherwise dour situations. And then there are ones that simply taken on a life of their own. Enjoy!

SCHOELLER IN THE STL

House Speaker Shane Schoeller – a Willard Republican running for secretary of state – will be holding a fundraising event next Thursday in Town and Country.

The event at the Cedar Springs Clubhouse will be hosted by Rep. Sue Allen, R-Town and Country. In addition to a slew of Republican state representatives, the event will also feature House Majority Leader Tim Jones, R-Eureka, and Sen. Jim Lembke, R-St. Louis County.

Jones is expected to become the next House Speaker if Republicans retain control on that chamber next year.

Schoeller is in a crowded race to replace Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. Sen. Bill Stouffer, R-Napton, and Sen. Scott Rupp, R-Wentzville, are running for the GOP nomination, while state Rep. Jason Kander, D-Kansas City, and Rolla resident Ryan Dillon are running for the Democratic nod.

SOMMER’S VICTORY UPHELD

, Kalen Ponche reports that Republican Chrissy Sommer’s razor-thin victory over Democrat Paul Woody was upheld in a recount.

Ponche reported that Sommer’s 38-vote victory actually expanded slightly to 40 votes. Since her victory was upheld, she will take the seat that was vacated when Republican Sally Faith was elected mayor of St. Charles.

MISSOURI REDISTRICTING FIGHT ANALYZED

There were a couple of intriguing takes this week on the congressional redistricting process that put U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-St. Louis City,

The Wall Street Journal, for instance, noted how Democrats across the country “are fighting with leaders of one of their most dependable constituencies—African-American voters—as each tries to gain advantage from the redrawing of House district lines.”

Reporter Naftali Bendavid used Missouri as an example of this. As mentioned before, Carnahan now lives in the same congressional district as U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-St. Louis City. That leaves Carnahan with the choice of running where he lives and engaging in a Democratic primary or running in the more Republican 2nd Congressional District.

And former state Sen. Jeff Smith, D-St. Louis, penned a lengthy article in the Hotline about why Carnahan should primary Clay. Smith, of course, ran against Carnahan in 2004 for Congress and went to jail for lying under oath about a FEC investigation.

Carnahan has noted numerous times that he is waiting for the conclusion of a lawsuit challenging the maps before making a decision.

Click here to read the Wall Street Journal article and click here to read Smith’s Hotline piece.