Here’s the catch for someone like Rick Wilson: if we get honest - if HE gets honest - we have to admit he has spent decades either being entirely evil and knowingly creating this, or being partially evil and partially stupid and partially knowingly creating this. 1/

This is the catch with never Trumpers who were real insiders - PARTICULARLY those who worked on campaigns. In the 90s I had a brief period of thinking of being a campaign professional. I worked on some campaigns and went to professional conferences and 2/

Read the material the professionals wrote for each other. I eventually realized I couldn’t do it. I also realized I could not work in sales or marketing (as it turned out any customer- or client-facing job) because I wanted to be able to be honest to people in my work. 3/

And I saw that, even if I believed in the original product (the candidate) the marketing around the product was not honest and candidates were pressured to conform to the marketing rather than the marketing to the candidate. 4/

Consequently, I look at candidates differently than some. When I see a candidate making smart AND moral AND practical choices about shifting for marketing, I gain respect. But this tweet here is an aside from the point. 5/

Rick Wilson engaged in wholly dishonest and wholly immoral marketing for wholly immoral underlying purposes. Those first two he must have known (evil). The last he may or may not have (stupid or evil). 6/

So to me, an honest Rick Wilson conversion entails Rick Wilson *knowing* and *admitting* that he himself has a completely terrible human being for decades.
All this “yay! He decided he hated the product he’s been foisting on us for decades!” 7/

OK. That’s good I guess, but 1. does he hate the WHOLE thing that he did, or is he just mad his Pinto exploded?
And 2. Does his past not reveal that his judgment is crap and even if at this late date he realizes that, we should probably never listen to his opinions?

Like - has he not proved he should not be an influencer?

His only value is in exposure of the past. If he isn’t doing that he should retire and stay off the airwaves.