GI: Gookin Not Kennedy Opponent

Gary Ingram has sparked a little life in the somnambulate Not-So-OpenCDA crowd this morning by posting a comment (No. 1) , which I quote in part: “It is also interesting to note that the HBO blog is turning into a political endorsement vehicle for Kennedy’s campaign by the owner of the blog by prompting his participants to comment on statements made by Dan Gookin years ago, in order to make Kennedy look good at the expense of Gookin who is not Kennedy’s opponent. This poisoning of the well is very strange and disturbing ethical behavior, IMHO.” I guess Gary’s saying that Dan Gookin’s public pronouncements on this blog and others are off limits — pronouncements that provide a more rounded picture of the candidate that his carefully crafted one now. Gookin’s one of those rare candidates who have a track record in print as extensive — or possibly more extensive than the incumbent he opposes. Still, I will gladly post promo spots by any of the challengers on HBO, as I did Mike Kennedy’s two days ago.

Question: Should challengers, like Gookin, be held accountable for statements they made, even years ago, on local blogs?