Joe Trippi and Me

Big news from the Dean camp today. Blogmaster architect Joe Trippi is outtathere. As luck would have it, I had met him and chatted the day before the election. Whatever one may think about the man, I found him to be friendly, forthcoming and completely unpretentious. He didn't know me from Adam, but acted as if we were neighbors-- and I was wearing my Clark button. He hadn't shaved in a couple of days, and was clearly a bit frustrated with recent events, but very personable.

He seemed surprised when I told him that I hoped Dean would pull an upset. I explained that Clark wasn't going to overtake Kerry at that point, but a Dean win would deflate the Kerry balloon. What I didn't say was that Dean was already damaged goods, and therefore, less of a concern than Kerry. I forget what brought it up, but he did say that this was probably his last campaign. Of course, maybe that was the lack of sleep talking. I thanked him for the innovations he had brought to the electoral process and he replied that Clark's campaign had energized the process as well.

Whatever he does, I wish him well.

Update

I just read this:

Trippi had been part of the staff faction that had urged Dean to focus on a few upcoming states that could be won, skipping all or most of the seven Feb. 3 contests in favor of Michigan, Washington state and Wisconsin. Dean and Neel dug in their heels, insisting that he had to play everywhere - an argument that prevailed as Trippi left.

This is interesting, because one thing Trippi said to me, I thought in a reference to Clark and Iowa, was that he believed you had to compete in every state. Either he changed his mind overnight, or this story may not be right. In any event, it caught my eye.