Up to now, the hardworking staff has limited The Rumpus to paid advertising in print or on television (still waiting on our first radio spot). But as this piece from techPresident notes, online video advertising is a growth industry in political campaigns, largely due to declining TV viewership:

According to a bipartisan study released this week, 31 percent of all likely voters don’t watch live TV; rather, they watch programs on DVR during which they may skip through commercial breaks, or they watch online or in mobile environments.

The study found the exodus from television especially high among likely voters aged 18-44,  just 44% of whom say TV is their primary mode of video consumption. So candidates fish where the fishes are and pepper YouTube with videos they hope go viral.

Given the growing number of them, and given that they cost money to produce, even if they often run for free, The Rumpus will be examining some of the more unusual online videos as Campaign 2012 progresses.

Which brings us to this cinematic extravaganza from Rick Perry (via Politico). The 1:45 video careers from Walker Evans-style images of empty streets, abandoned factories and boarded-up houses to breakneck visuals of economic conditions (zero jobs, zero growth, zero hope) to GauzeCam shots of Perry and a serious Beloved Leader montage of clips and graphics.

1,101 views at post time. We’ll check back over the next few days to see if this one catches on.