Dirty politics hurts real people: Massa v Dickert

Ye gods – some things make you weep.

In the main stories of Democrat gains in the US Senate and House mid-term elections, one sad story of manipulation and bullying is just hitting the headlines – besmirching someone of good character along the way.

Sanford Dickert – a humourous, generous, dedicated, dynamo of a man – has been working in US politics for a while: using the power of the web and online community to further the Democrat cause. He’s behind Political Gastronomica.

He’s also starring (reluctantly) in a battle with Eric Massa to get paid wages he’s contractually owed and to clear his name after some rather unpleasant name-calling.

Sanford’s weblog has details of the case but it’s most succinctly covered in his own statement.

Hopefully this will be resolved soon. While I’m sure that Sanford’s concern – in the ‘google age’ – is that some mud will stick, my own view is that the record will show that poor judgement, salacious allegations and welching on contracts go to the heart of a person’s character (or lack of). Whether you consider that these attributes are plus points or negative for a political career will depend upon your level of cynicism.