A tip of the hat to Sibby for fighting back for Sen. John Thune today. (And yes, I'm really breaking my vow of silence and even linking to his story.) That's more like it. Give and take and debate.

Sibby has questioned the motives involved in revealing MetaBank to Dan Nelson via John Thune.  Fair enough.  Heck, I'd do the same thing if I were in their position.  I can't answer for my fellow Lefty bloggers, but I can answer for own actions and motivations.

• I am not being paid by anyone to promote this story.  I am doing it because I think the story is important.
• Do I like John Thune?  At a personal level, yes.  As I've told others, he would be a wonderful neighbor.  When he was a lobbyist in Pierre and I was a journalist, we played basketball together a few nights a week.  I thought he was a good person.  He had a reputation in Pierre as a straight shooter.  I still do like John. John has always been friendly to me.  He has also been gracious to my wife Donna in vising her dialysis unit at Avera McKennan on a couple occasions.  In fact, they just ran into each other on a flight and John was very friendly to my wife.  I think John has a wonderful family.  I don't wish him any personal ill will.   
• But also, Sen. Daschle is a friend and a person I have enormous respect for.  I think he did so much for South Dakota.  Was I mad that Tom got beat?  Absolutely.  However, I think John and his advisors ran a dirty, misleading campaign against Sen. Tom Daschle and his wife Linda.  I think the Thune camp set in motion the current "perpetual campaign."  I find John's stands on most issues to be anathema to regular South Dakotans and my own sense of values.   Do I want John to be re-elected to another term as our U.S. Senator?  No.  Do I think he has been consistent in what he has said publicly and some of his votes and actions.  No.  Does any of this surprise anyone?  It's called politics.
• I do not know Dan Nelson.  Everything I hear about him is that he is a nice guy.  I do not wish him any personal ill will either.  I have no personal ax to grind with Dan.  But he was playing in the big leagues of business and something bad happened.  That is a consequence of his business decisions, not what the SDMSM, bloggers, or I have written.  Just as I have to be accountable for my own business and professional decisions, so does Dan.  We all have our challenges in running our businesses.  That should surprise no one. 
• I receive press releases from the state Democratic Party, Sen. Tim Johnson, and others like many mainstream media outlets.  I believe I am on many of the same distribution lists as many SDMSM outlets.  The difference is that I will typically publish these releases without comment or editing as I am very much in favor of the S.D. Democratic Party and Sen. Tim Johnson and other progressive public officials and issues.  I view my blog as an unfiltered outlet for Democrat and progressive information.  Since blogging is immediate, these releases hit the Internet far more quickly than they do more traditional media like TV, radio, or print.  However, I don't think I get any more advance notice on most press releases than anyone else. 
• I do communicate with some of the other Lefty bloggers.  I know who most but not all of them are.  I do not know who S.D. Blog Watch Man is, despite my best efforts to find out.  (I thought I had it figured out but I was wrong. I'd also like to figure out who Gutzon Borglum Online is, but I digress.)  I was not part of the group of Leftward blogs like Clean Cut Kid et al that broke the original story.  I can't answer for them.
• I have developed my own sources in the MetaBank story.  Most of these people have called me.  That is probably a function of not being anonymous. 
• I have also developed other sources that provide me with information on other stories.  I have noted when I use these sources.  You the reader can determine if you think they are credible.  You all know my track record and reputation.  Some of you like me, some of you don't.  Some of you think I'm reliable, some of you don't.  If you choose not to believe what my sources or I write, that is your prerogative.  Feel free to test the validity of the information and opinion you find here.  That's what the discussion of public issues is supposed to be about.
• Do I talk to fellow Democrats?  On a regular basis.  I can't believe that surprises anyone. I'm a Democrat with a number of Democratic friends.  And some Republican friends.  And some friends who could care less about politics. 
• Do I have sources in the SDMSM?  Absolutely.  I make no bones that I worked in the SDMSM for years.  And yes, unlike most bloggers on either the Left or the Right, I have a foot in that world.  Despite the fact I have been practicing law for 8 years, several of my best friends and most interesting friends are journalists.  Does it help in "selling" a story?  Somewhat.  However, as you can see from my correspondence with Randell Beck over the past seven months, I don't think he's taking any marching orders from me. 
• One thing that I can tell you from my years in the MSM belly is that journalists DO NOT LIKE BEING TOLD WHAT TO COVER AND HOW TO COVER IT.  They are a very independent minded bunch.  They are a lot like bloggers in that respect.  You push a story too hard and you are forever a kook in their book.  This Nelson/Thune/MetaBank story has been fueled largely because of the proximity of a U.S. Senator serving on the board of a bank that helped his best friend's business and that business going into the tank.  There is also a plethora of publicly accessible records for review the document a large portion of the story.  This is a story that was eventually going to get told, either by the S.D. press or by the national press. 
• For example, last night's story featuring me on the blogger angle on KELOLAND.  I did not push that story.  They called me.  I obliged their interview request.  Journalism is very much a "don't call us we'll call you" business.  But yes, just like most things in life, if you want a friend, be a friend.  Some of you on the Right need to learn that lesson if you want similar access to the SDMSM.
• Some bloggers have chosen to be anonymous.  I don't agree with that approach but it is a fact of the new medium.  I admire Sibby and South Dakota Politics for putting their names on their work.  I think it gives their postings more authority and credibility.  On the Left, Josh Marshall has been doing it for years under his own name.  He also gets a ton of hits, so being revealed is working for him.
• I am not anonymous for several reasons.  First, I doubt I could keep that cat in the bag.  Second, someone would figure it out anyway.  Third, I view my blog as a marketing tool for my law and political consulting businesses.  Fourth, my ego won't let me be anonymous.  Fifth, I think my blog has more credibility if you know who I am.  But others make other choices for their own reasons and there are arguments to do it that way. 

Anyway, that's where I'm coming from.  Believe it or not, that's up to you.