John McCain’s new web team

August 24, 2006

This probably won’t cause much of a blip in the major media outlets, but John McCain’s newest aide for his all-but-announced presidential [tag]campaign[/tag] is a pretty big deal.

Over the past several months, Sen. [tag]John McCain[/tag] (R-AZ) has quietly recruited for his presidential campaign some of the most influential online strategists in the country, including one of the main architects of Howard Dean’s pioneering website.

[tag]John Weaver[/tag], McCain’s chief political strategist, confirmed today that [tag]Nicco Mele[/tag], the webmaster of Dean for America, is among those who have committed to help. Mele’s work on Dean’s campaign, which including, led Esquire to name him as one of the country’s “best and brightest.” His firm, EchoDitto, lists more than twenty major Democratic and liberal firms and candidates as clients.

As far as I can tell, [tag]Mele[/tag] hasn’t spoken to any reporters about this, but on his blog (which is experiencing a bit of a traffic spike today), Mele explained that EchoDitto has not and will not do any work for McCain, but he personally will back McCain’s presidential bid. “While I currently don’t know what role I’d like to have in 2008, if Sen. McCain runs I hope to be helpful,” Mele said. “This is a personal decision for me based on my own first-hand experience. I like Sen. McCain — I think he should be president!”

For one of the Dems’ most important — if not the most important — experts in online community building and networking, this is no minor “get.” Not unexpectedly, the announcement has generated two important questions. On left, it’s “What in the world is Mele thinking?” And on the right, it’s “What in the world is McCain thinking?”

Making the transition from Howard Dean’s campaign in 2000 to war-supporting, tax-cut-backing, Falwell-chumming Republican John McCain in 2008 is, well, kind of odd. How can a liberal Dem back a conservative Republican presidential candidate? What will Mele teach McCain’s team about how the left operates?

Mele said he came to admire the senator while working on the McCain-Feingold legislation at Common Cause, but does Mele realize that McCain himself has quietly backed away from the effort that bears his name?

Of course, on the other side of the aisle, which sometimes looks askance at McCain anyway, learning that the senator has hired someone from Howard Dean’s campaign does not sit well. For example, consider RedState’s take:

What do Air America Radio, Barack Obama’s Senate campaign, the Clinton Global Initiative, Democratic gubernatorial candidate John DeStefano in Connecticut, the campaign of Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm in Michigan, NoIraqDraft.com, Rock the Vote, PurpleOcean.org which is the online activism hub of the Service Employees International Union, and Rosie.com, the personal blog of Rosie O’Donnell have in common with John McCain? All of them are or were clients of Nicco Mele’s blog company, EchoDitto, and John McCain has now hired Nicco himself. Who was the last Presidential nominee to hire [tag]Nicco[/tag]? Why that would be Howard Dean. […]

At the end of the day, John McCain and his new found friends on the left might win the media primary, but they will have a hard time winning a Republican primary, where voters tend to actually be conservative. Being middle of the road means you are easily persuaded to jump into the left lane or the right lane depending on the issue flow. And Republican voters are so tired of the GOP’s fondness for jumping into the left lane, I expect they’ll run him over should he run in their primary.

Given the right’s reaction, I’m almost pleased about the Mele announcement — because it’s serious campaign ammunition against McCain. I can see the GOP primary ads now…

“Not only did John McCain consider becoming John Kerry’s running mate; not only did John McCain co-sponsor health care legislation with Ted Kennedy; not only did he co-sponsor campaign-finance legislation with Russ Feingold; but when he decided to run for president, he sought out Howard Dean’s online organizer. What side is John McCain on? Can we really trust John McCain as our presidential nominee?”

I guess he just wantsto make sure a spike in traffic wouldn’t take down his site the day before the election.

  • I hope that this is not some spoils from the “terrorist wiretapping” program from TeamBush.
    Call me paranoid, but when something like this happens, I think back to J.Edgar Hoover & Nixon’s Enemies List.
    But if it were a blackmailable situation, Mele certainly could not admit it, could he?

  • Another wheel falls from the fast-yap express, and my theory that Republikanners are cannibalistic gets another source to cite….

  • My first reaction to the news is that I think this is very bad news for the Dems. McCain is trying to be all things to all men, but at the end of the day he is a Republican who is committed to the Iraq war, tax cuts, and the corporate agenda. On Further reflection though I think Howard dean was surprisingly successful in ’04 because he had a very strong anti-Bush message and many of us were hungry for that discussion. Yes he had some good internet support but he had much more. I am not sure, no matter who works for him, that McCain can run away from the Bush agenda.

  • “And Republican voters are so tired of the GOP’s fondness for jumping into the left lane”

    Does this guy smoke crack?? When was the last time the GOP fondly jumped to the left lane, let alone grudgingly jump into the left lane?

  • Does this guy smoke crack??

    I probably should have warned readers; RedState commentary rarely reflects reality. Take it with a grain of salt.

  • It’s possible for someone to be creative and talented in one or more fields, but in others to be as gullible as Gilligan. Just because someone is a superb jet pilot or an NFL Quarterback, that person doesn’t automatically know shit from Shinola about politics or policy. It’s possible that in McCain Mele saw a likable guy and a decent person, and decided to throw in with him. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s ever happened.

  • It’s possible that in McCain Mele saw a likable guy and a decent person, and decided to throw in with him. It wouldn’t be the first time that’s ever happened.

    It’s also possible that the money McCain offered made the deal even better. Dean’s Internet strategy was remarkable, and Mele’s services may have been for sale to the highest bidder. You can’t fault him for that.

  • It seems that a lot of these politicians have a certain personal charisma that makes people overlook their political actions. The press thought Bush the candidate was a great guy. Marilyn Monroe slept with John Kennedy. Hey, something’s going on there.

  • “And Republican voters are so tired of the GOP’s fondness for jumping into the left lane” They do seem to be driving the country into the breakdown lane.

  • Community building on the web is not particle physics, it’s not molecular biology…..this is not such a “get.” It’s nice, but par for the course for a big money candidate like McCain.

  • ” What will Mele teach McCain’s team about how the left operates?”

    Couldn’t it work the other way as well? Couldn’t Mele learn as much or more about how the GOP operates?

    I’m dubious on McCain’s chances of winning the GOP nomination. He has a better chance running as an independent.

  • “RedState commentary rarely reflects reality.” – CB

    That must be true. Why the hell does he think that McCain’s staff is more important than McCain’s policies (which are universally conservative)?

    Either conservatives are just plain idiots. Or they have come to the conclusion that the purpose of Government is not policy but plunder, and they don’t want any liberals like Nicco Mele getting in on the plunder.

    Though how one proves that Nicco Mele is a liberal, him not being a politician with policies to defend, I don’t know.

  • “Couldn’t it work the other way as well? ” – Kurzleg

    Indeed it could. Might not Mele act as a mole for Left Blogistan as much as for Right Wingnuttia?

    I don’t know the guy, but up to now his credidentials have looked pretty good. This being still a more or less free country, he can work for whoever he wants to. And if he hasn’t totally lost his mind (or been bought by huge piles of simoleons), this could turn out better than it might seem at first blush.

    And if it doesn’t, well, that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

  • I tend to agree with RedState, insofar as suggesting John McCain cannot be trusted, any more than can any other Republican. John McCain SEEMS like a straight-shooting guy. He comes across as truthful and believeable. A uniter, not a divider, you might say.

    Sounds too much like another Republican to me, who turned out to have accurately represented himself about as much as a pig in a crash helmet claiming to be Richard Petty.

  • “Mele’s services may have been for sale to the highest bidder. You can’t fault him for that.”

    That might be true in just about any other business you can name, but not in politics, prm. Politics are supposed to be about something more than going with the “highest bidder.” ( Or at least it’s supposed to be for people who aren’t Republicans.)

    Mele’s move fits right in with the other thread about the political imbecility of Americans. McCain may be a “decent guy,” Hell, it’s a well-known fact that Hitler liked dogs. Sothefuckwhat?

    McCain is pro-bigger war, anti-choice, anti-environment, anti-clean government, and anti just about everything Mele probably believes in that drove him to work for Dean. Being a “nice guy” doesn’t cut it, not for that kind of choice.

  • I think maybe something is a little mixed up here. You said that “Mele explained that EchoDitto has not and will not do any work for McCain, but he personally will back McCain’s presidential bid.” This means that his company, EchoDitto is NOT going to work for McCain’s presidential bid but he, himself, might: “While I currently don’t know what role I’d like to have in 2008, if Sen. McCain runs I hope to be helpful.”

  • I had the pleasure of working with Nicco on-site at Dean HQ during the primary campaign.

    Though I didn’t spend too much time with him, he struck me as a very decent human being. His work with EchoDitto and his interest in and support of citizen journalism have been very interesting.

    One of the things that most people wouldn’t know is that quite a few of the main Dean web people were not at all sharply partisan about Dean and would often say favorable things about his opponent. Meaning, they were very reasonable people.

    But, McCain, Nicco? Really?

    Sure, he’s not pure evil, but he could have done so much more in the last five and a half years to help blunt the disaster of the Bush administration.

    I definitely can’t go there with ya, pal…

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