The 10 Best Political Memes of 2012

1. Texts From Hillary

   Who could ever forget Texts From Hillary, the Tumblr of Hillary Clinton's hilarious responses to text messages? Even Clinton herself got in on the fun.

   Source: Texts From Hillary

   

2. Clint Eastwood

   Actor Clint Eastwood's bizarre rant against an invisible Barack Obama spurred many memes and a few great Twitter parody accounts, including @InvisibleObama.

   Source: WeKnowMemes

   

3. This Seat's Taken

   Barack Obama's campaign got in the meme-making game with this one, tweeted from an official account. It was a direct response to actor Clint Eastwood's "Invisible Obama in an Empty Chair" routine at this year's Republican National Convention, coming with the caption "This seat's taken."

   Source: @BarackObama

   

4. You Didn't Build That

   Obama's opponents took his "You Didn't Build That" line and had a field day with it, making memes and essentially theming the Republican National Convention around it.

   Source: You Didn't Build That

   

5. Big Bird

   After Romney said he wanted to reduce funding for PBS even though he "liked Big Bird," Internet users everywhere accused him of wanting to put Big Bird in the unemployment line.

   Source: @shkennedy

   

6. Relatable Romney

   Mitt Romney's comments about the 47% set off this meme, poking fun at the candidate's wealth and occasional unfortunate offhand remarks.

   Source: Reddit

   

7. Binders Full of Women

   Internet users latched onto Romney's comments during a debate about having "binders full of women" and didn't let go for weeks.

   Source: Binders Full of Women

   

8. Etch-a-Sketch

   Earlier this year, a top Romney advisor said during a television appearance that the campaign was "almost like an Etch-a-Sketch" and Romney would be able to shake off comments he made during the Republican primary when it came time for the general election.

   The company behind Etch-a-Sketch soon sent a pun-laden press release to the enjoyment of Internet users everywhere.

   Source: Quickmeme

   

9. Horses and Bayonets

   During the third presidential debate, Obama knocked Romney on his comments about the Navy by saying, "Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military's changed."

   Needless to say, the Internet loved it.

   Source: Horses and Bayonets

   

10. Little Face Mitt

    One of the Internet's stranger offerings was Little Face Mitt, a Tumblr dedicated to pictures of Mitt Romney with...well, a little face.

    Source: Little Face Mitt

    

The 2012 presidential election is just over a month behind us, so we've had time to celebrate, mourn or just be thankful it's all over.

Throughout the election, many voters participated in a cultural phenomenon made possible by social media. Any piece of content created by anyone had the potential to go viral on the web — particularly, memes, funny images and captions that commented on the day's events.

In a way, political memes represent the democratization of political cartoons. Just as a blogger no longer requires space in a newspaper to share his viewpoint with millions, a meme-maker can communicate a political point with simple visuals and caustic humor.

SEE ALSO: LOLitics: 9 Hilarious Memes Inspired By the Healthcare Ruling

Whether you think political memes are just a bit of Internet fun or a new form of expression, join us for a look back at our favorites from the past year. And be sure to share your picks in the comments.

Image Credit: SAUL LOEB/Staff/AFP/AFP/Getty Images