August 23, 2006
Exclusive: McCain's Web Team. And Nicco Mele.
Over the past several months, Sen. John McCain (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.
John Weaver, McCain's chief political strategist, confirmed today that Nicco Mele, 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. Mele did not respond to an e-mail seeking immediate comment.
Also committing, according to Weaver: Mike Connell of New Media Communications. He designed, developed and managed the Bush campaign's websites in 2000 and 2004.
Max Fose, McCain's webmaster in 2000, is also back on board. And so is GOP technological entrepreneur Becky Donatelli, the CEO of Campaign Solutions. Donatelli helped to coordinate online fundraising for McCain in 2000.
"We're honored such top professionals in this field support a potential McCain candidacy," said Weaver.
The range of experiences brought by these consultants suggests that McCain's web strategy will be integrated with the campaign's message, donation and political operations -- just like Dean's was in the primary, -- and certainly hewing to example set by the Bush campaign in 2004. Bush raised more money from the ‘Net than any candidate in history and campaign used its website to track thousands of volunteers and motivate Bush supporters.
Mele is considered an expert in web community building and networking. His recruitment suggests that McCain's campaign recognizes the dynamic nature of online campaigning. Online activists on the left and increasingly on the right now demand access and feedback from candidates and top political officials. Elite bloggers, in particular, wish to be treated as fledged members of a campaign, rather than as parts of a restive constituency waiting to be coddled.
It's hard to generalize, but the disparate reaches of the conservative online activist community tend to view McCain with skepticism. Almost to the blogger, they opposed the "Gang of 14" compromise on judicial confirmations and sneer at campaign finance regulations with scorn. A large number of prominent bloggers disdain his position on immigration reform. More recently, however, McCain's role in sponsoring pork-busting legislation has garnered him some praise. And the most important center-left blogger -- Glenn Reynolds -- is more sympathetic to McCain than others.
McCain himself is not especially comfortable with the Internet. But he has reached out in substantive ways. His PAC now pays prominent conservative blogger Patrick Hynes a consulting free, his chief of staff has blogged, uninvited, on Huffingtonpost.com, McCain has participated in podcasts with Instapundit’s Glenn Reynolds and his wife Helen Smith, and he has contributed to the Porkbusters online effort to reign in government spending. Rick Davis, who managed McCain's 2001 campaign, helped to corral the current roster of talent.
In the days after his New Hampshire primary victory in 2001, McCain's team raised more than $1 million off the Internet -- then a record setting performance. And he held one of the first online fundraisers, participating in a web chat with donors who ponied up $500.
With the recruitment of Connell, the incipient McCain campaign has pulled off a coup of sorts. It has now attracted top talent from nearly every major division of the Bush-Cheney campaign. Terry Nelson, Bush's campaign political director, will probably take a major managerial role in McCain's 2008 campaign. Bush's media guru, Mark McKinnon, consults for McCain on strategy. Nicolle Wallace, who oversaw communications for Bush in the campaign and at the White House, will help McCain. Her husband, Mark Wallace, a former deputy campaign manager for Bush who is now an ambassador at the UN, gave advice before he entered the government. A gaggle of major Bush donors and fundraisers are also on the team. [MARC AMBINDER and SHIRA R. TOEPLITZ]