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Ron Paul Girl is an unofficial title referring to Liv, a 24 year-old vegetarian and self-proclaimed independent 'wannabee actress and aspiring filmmaker'[1] from Los Angeles who has posted a series of films on the internet in support of Dr. Ron Paul, a 2008 Republican presidential candidate from Texas[2]. The title "Ron Paul Girl" came following the self-proclaimed Obama Girl, Giuliani Girl, and Hott 4 Hill. The first two being semi-serious and the third an admitted parody[15], all were singers and/or actresses who developed minor celebrity status on the internet by making and posting videos in which they stripped their clothes, sang and danced while explaining why they support their particular candidate for president in 2008[3].
Ron Paul Girl is technically an exception to this developing rule for three reasons. The first is that she never proclaimed herself Ron Paul Girl; rather it was a title given her following the surge in internet and eventually mainstream media attention, particularly following coverage by Fox News[4], CNN[5], ABC News[5]and USA Today[3]. The second is that while frequently filming herself in revealing outfits, and once "stripping" to a pink Ron Paul 2008 tshirt and underwear[6], she has restrained herself from nudity, whereas her self-proclaimed predecessors evidenced little reluctance resorting to nudity. The third is that Liv, while clearly emphasizing the sincerity of her pride in being dubbed Ron Paul Girl and her hope that she might be a positive contribution to Dr. Paul's campaign, also clearly emphasized an ongoing desire to remain Liv and to pursue, first and foremost, her career in independent filmmaking[1].
Since debuting with Metacafe in July of 2007[7], Liv's films (both supporting Dr. Paul and non-political, primarily comedies and satires) have drawn a considerable degree of attention on the internet video-exchange sites Metacafe and Youtube, although Liv herself prioritizes her affiliation with Metacafe. She has to-date released four videos in support of Dr. Paul, one of which (titled "Worker Bee") has been officially recognized and included on the campaign blog for the Ron Paul 2008 campaign[8]. To-date, her Metacafe channel contains approximately 20 independent films, and has boasted approximately 200,000 channel views[7]. Her efforts on Metacafe have earned her multiple honors as the site's Top Earner, both for Weekly and Monthly tiers[7].
In terms of her impact on the Ron Paul 2008 campaign, any exact influence would by nature be impossible to calculate. However the number of people who have viewed her Ron Paul Girl series of films can be fairly said to have expanded the visibility of his candidacy, and she has been officially recognized by the campaign[8] and mainstream media[3,4,5,6] for doing so.
Below is a listing and synopsis of her specifically Ron Paul Girl videos, all available on Liv's Metacafe Channel.
Ron Paul Girl Videos
Premiering in August of 2007, the original Ron Paul Girl video is 58 seconds long and features Liv's espousal of her "first attempts at political activism"[1] by advocating not only her marketing intelligence through stripping to boost viewers but also by linking her intellectual level with her support for Dr. Paul. The video earned her the title Ron Paul Girl, was featured on Fox News[4], and CNN, noted by mainstream newspapers[3], and has been seen by over a quarter-million viewers[7]. The video itself can be seen here: Original Ron Paul Girl Video.
Her second Ron Paul Girl video, titled "Worker Bee" and lasting 104 seconds solidified Liv not only as the Ron Paul Girl but also as an apparent mistress of dry humor and understatement in conjunction with video comedy. Featuring herself dressed in a bee costume and comparing Hillary Clinton supporters to worker bees controlled and leeched off of by a Queen Bee, she summarized her consternation with Clinton as a presidential candidate supporting an expanded welfare program, and with Clinton's supporters, as being "[explitive] stupid"[10]. Following the video's release, she elaborated on her blog about her own personal experiences growing up on welfare in a family in which "there was no sense of shame, no sense of ever needing to rise above, no sense of anything other than entitlement"[1], and therefore generating her opposition to the continuance or expansion of such welfare programs. The video can be seen here: Ron Paul Girl Worker Bee Video.
The third Ron Paul Girl video, titled "Register Now" and running 2:44, was specifically an appeal for non-Republican supporters of Dr. Paul to change their party registration to Republican, thereby allowing them to vote for Dr. Paul in their state primaries[11]. The video is noteworthy in an increasingly partisan political climate for its distinct lack of an endorsement of the Republican Party and past or present Republican Party policies. Indeed, at several points the video was deliberately scathing (albeit in a satirical fashion) of mainstream Republican Party ideas and policies. The focus, instead, was to stress the critical issue of voters' exclusive re-registration and participation in the Republican state primaries to ensure the eventual nomination of Dr. Paul instead of tying themselves to any long-standing party affiliation. The video can be seen here: Ron Paul Girl Register Now Video.
The fourth Ron Paul Girl video, titled "Great Moments in U.S. History" and running 224 seconds, dealt with a fairly specific campaign issue. It was an attempt to boost awareness of, and participation in, Dr. Paul's November 5, 2007 campaign fundraising drive targeted towards internet fundraising. The film featured comedic recreations of the Boston Tea Party and the ride of Paul Revere within the context of a pseudo-historical lecture given by Liv[12]. It then launched into a detailed appeal for donations to Dr. Paul's campaign, along with an impassioned but comical justification for doing so, to allow the nomination of "a candidate who doesn't completely suck"[12]in Dr. Paul. While it cannot be calculated as to how many, if any, donations received by Dr. Paul's campaign resulted from the Ron Paul Girl's videographic appeal, it is not insignificant that the video was viewed by approximately 50,000 people online[12] and in only 24 hours Dr. Paul's campaign succeeded in raising $4.38 million- a staggering and record-setting sum dubbed a "money bomb"[6].
List of Non-Ron Paul Girl Parodies, Comedies and Films by Liv Films (Please See The Liv Films Metacafe Channel for Complete Collection)
Continuing Filmmaking Career
While repeatedly maintaining her pride in being the Ron Paul Girl[1] of the 2008 presidential campaign cycle and promising to issue future Ron Paul Girl videos[1,8,9], Liv has never strayed far from her primary career goal of producing (and acting in) her own films[1,8]. With a proven ability to gain hundreds of thousands of viewers[8] and a growing recognition online through her Liv Films site[1], Metacafe[8], Youtube[13], and Myspace[14] there can be little doubt that regardless of the fortunes of Dr. Paul's presidential bid the Ron Paul Girl will remain Liv the online independent filmmaker and internet celebrity.
Footnotes and References:
1. Liv Films Website
2. Ron Paul 2008 Campaign Website
3. USA Today Coverage of Ron Paul Girl
4. Fox News Coverage of Ron Paul Girl
5. ABC News Coverage of Ron Paul Internet Supporters and Ron Paul Girl
6. CNN Coverage of Ron Paul's Money Bomb and Internet Supporters
7. Original Ron Paul Girl Video
8. Liv Films Metacafe Channel
9. Ron Paul Nation Blog Recognition of Ron Paul Girl's Worker Bee Video
10. Ron Paul Girl Worker Bee Video
11. Ron Paul Girl Register Now Video
12. Ron Paul Girl Great Moments in U.S. History Video
13. Liv Films Youtube Channel
14. Liv "Ron Paul Girl" Myspace Page
15. Hott 4 Hill Blog
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