For the first time since Senator Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) set the Internet aflame with B-roll footage in 2014, his campaign has dropped new footage to supporters—this time filled exclusively with the longtime Republican leader shaking hands and hobnobbing with supporters in a large field of hemp.
McConnell's 2014 B-roll instantly went viral, thanks to countless "#McConnelling" videos, which featured the Kentucky senator smiling at the camera set to different songs. The trend started on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, and his campaign took all the videos made by his detractors and posted them on his campaign site. "An Internet Meme Finally Makes Mitch McConnell a Star" was the headline at the Atlantic. At the New York Times it was "Viral Video Turns Senator Into a Silent Comedy Star."
Now, with McConnell again up for reelection, emerges the B-roll sequel, posted quietly by the campaign to YouTube Friday.
The roughly three-minute video begins with about a minute of McConnell shaking hands. The final two minutes take place in a giant field of hemp, a cannabis crop that, with McConnell's support, is emerging as a major part of Kentucky's economy.
Thomas Jefferson, a Founding Father of the United States, grew hemp on his Virginia plantations.
The majority of the McConnell GIFs deployed on social media by McConnell's supporters all came from the same 2014 B-roll, which inexplicably has more than 250,000 views on YouTube. B-roll is commonly released by political campaigns so it can be used in ads by outside groups, but it rarely garners any attention.
It's a safe bet that the new B-roll from McConnell will garner attention from supporters and detractors alike. Below are some highlights.
