I’m not sure which side is helped more by viral internet politics, but the email circulation of partisan political discourse is certainly becoming a more important part of the campaign.

Three bits I’ve encountered suggest some of the possibilities.

First, consider the Anne Kilkenny letter. Written by an actual Wasilla resident, it documents all the local’s concerns about Palin’s time as Mayor and Governor. Penned just last weekend, it’s already exploded as a much-forwarded email.

Next, the cliche example is YouTube, but consider it as a vehicle for sharing less-visible public appearances by candidates. This rally speech excerpt by Joe Biden, “The Silence is Deafening,” went up on Friday and has already been viewed almost 80,000 times and earned over 1,400 reviews averaging 5 stars. It likely would have been lost in the weekend news cycle to many, if not most, of these viewers, myself included. Emailed links to the video on YouTube kept it alive.

Finally, consider the Daily Show. This week, they have been fiercely criticizing the Republicans during their convention. Even for those who didn’t watch the first time around, the show’s encyclopedic video library allows the sharing of these gems:

Sarah Palin–Vet This! (Start about 5 min in. Best summary of the Giuliani and Palin speeches starts just before the 8 min mark.)

John McCain, Reformed Maverick (Narrated by Ian McShane)

John McCain’s Big Acceptance Speech

I don’t doubt that the right also has a hall of fame of viral emails and videos that are also mobilizing their base. While I’m not going to dig up the source to link to, I’m pretty sure viral internet video is a phenomenon that has much greater resonance among the young–that age and online video consumption are inversely and strongly related.

While the impact may not be necessary or sufficient, I think the Obama/Biden ticket stands to accrue a unique benefit from the widespread adoption of home broadband. This is especially true since young people are by and large sold on Obama but may still need to be mobilized to vote. If every few days, a different friend is passing along a relevant video, young people may be more likely to register and vote than in previous elections.