Unfortunately for the blog wave, I have been under a rock working on a number of different issues – this weekend had me taking care of affidavits, enjoy a trip to the Finger Lakes and then working non-stop on an NSF proposal for a community-based project for The Cooper Union due at 5pm today. So when I fired up my FeedDemon, suffice it to say I was surprised to see so much ruckus kicked up by Aldon Hynes’ compassionate post, to Rick Klau’s support, to Markos’ and Zack’s somewhat “pitch him over the rail” commentary. Reading through the comments on Daily Kos, I was blown away from the assertion that Nicco would ever be considered a traitor, simply because he might be “working for the enemy”.
High integrity and high moral character
I first connected with Nicco back in November of 2003, when Dean had gotten the Gore endorsement and I first attempted to connect the tech guys from the campaigns via the DemTech group. Out of all of the campaigns, Nicco was the first person to respond to the idea of working together – and we kept contact for quite some time over the course of the campaign. When we hit our first million dollar day, he and I were caucusing about what was the speed of the Dean Campaign reaching that mark. When the Dean Campaign came to an end, Nicco was the first person i called to offer a chance to come aboard the Kerry Campaign. In every conversation i have had with Nicco, it has been one of integrity and high character – especially when he is addressing an issue that is in his heart.
I do not believe that the fact that he has been “helping” the McCain folk should be a damning thing against Nicco, since I do not believe that Nicco would ever violate the trust of a client or the Democratic Party. I think that Nicco has the ability to stand by his honor and integrity to be able to address this particular issue. I certainly do not think that he would have “swiped” any private information from a Democratic candidate and would use it in the McCain Campaign.
DavidNYC on SwingState Project makes an interesting argument about how to evaluate Nicco’s decision and EchoDitto’s action on “leave of absence”
. I am not sure how to react to it -but I do expect (and this is IMHO) that Nicco and Harish would never jeapordize their relationship with the Democrats that they work with.
Maybe this is Nicco’s way of having one last harrah before he gets married and settles down. He might be tired of campaigns and the politics within. Could he be wanting to see how the other side lives and work with a person he respects? He chose to work for Howard Dean well before anyone thought Dean was going to be a powerhouse. I, for one, accept his decision for the fact that he made it, has had it addressed in public, and is standing by it. I trust in Nicco’s integrity. And while I may be fighting him in the trenches, I will afford him the respect of a worthy adversary.
P.S. Great recap by William Beutler at Blog PI on the progressive and the conservative point of view on the issue.
Tags: Nicco Mele, John McCain
