The College Voter

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A few weeks ago, The College Voter contacted Ben Relles at BarelyPolitical.com about interviewing Amber Lee Ettinger, the internet icon known as “Obama Girl”. As Obama Girl, Amber’s been slicing and dicing through the primary season with her political satire videos supporting Senator Obama’s campaign, including her famous “I’ve Got a Crush on Obama” video:

Her success as an internet star is staggering. Over 50 million of have viewed the video on Youtube. All that attention has thrust Amber Lee Ettinger into the national spotlight. Here at The College Voter, we interviewed Ms. Ettinger via an e-mail questionnaire right after the Pennsylvania primary to get a little more insight about her post-campaign plans, her continued support for Senator Obama, and other fascinating tidbits.

First, could you tell us a little bit about “Obama Girl” before you became known as…well….er…. “Obama Girl”?

Well my name is Amber Lee Ettinger and I was modeling and acting in New York for 5 years before this “Obama Girl” project came my way.

What were some of your initial intentions for creating the videos?

I think we all thought it was a funny idea, and wanted to create a YouTube video people would want to share with their friends.

How do you feel about the various controversies Senator Obama’s campaign has had to confront? i.e. the Jeremiah Wright Saga, the “elitist” comments about rural Pennsylvania.

Being a presidential candidate clearly subjects you to a lot of scrutiny. Every relationship they have, word they speak, and action they do is being looked at by a team of people for any potential controversy. All in all — I think like most people I believe the “controversies” get more coverage than the issues people care most about.

What issue (i.e. the Iraq War, the economy, etc) do you feel will be the most decisive in the general election?

From the people I talk to – the economy.

Has Senator Obama contacted you himself?

No! It’d be fun, but I’m not waiting by the phone.

Any word on what Michelle Obama thinks of the “I Got A Crush On Obama Video”?

Well when she was first asked about it she said “if someone has a crush on Obama, more power to them.” So I’ll take that as – she gets it’s a joke.

Are you planning on attending the Democratic National Convention?

Hope so!

Besides your career as a model, do you have any plans for after the election?

I definitely have some exciting projects in the works. Some will be out before the election…so keep an eye out and stay tuned for updates at www.amberleeonline.com

If a hypothetical-President Obama offered you a position as Press Secretary, would you take it?

I’m going to go ahead and say that’s a long shot! But sure if he had confidence in me, I’d figure it out.

Do you feel as if you’ve been a major factor in bringing widespread attention and momentum to the Obama campaign?

Tough to say. Attention…probably. Momentum…I think he’s done that on his own and by motivating the people people who support him.

Do you have a favorite political pundit?

Oh, I’d say Rachel Sklar over at the Huffington Post is a favorite. But it’s crazy how much I watch cable news now.

Your popularity and notoriety is quite an accomplishment. Do you feel the Internet and You Tube is now the most successful way to achieve celebrity status?

Well I don’t know about the most successful, but it feels like the quickest. We put out our video, and two days later over 1 million people had seen it and I’m getting hundreds of emails about it.

Last questions. Is politics sexy?

Of course!

Want More? E! recently named Amber as “Obama Girl” as the hottest women on the web. Check it out: