Death of the Bush/Obama era? The rise of the “conservatarian” in Silicon Valley? Rand Paul warmly received in tech country
By Nick Sorrentino on July 21, 2014
I was just out in San Francisco and I definitely sensed a political shift in the winds. Obama’s “hope and change” has long left the Bay Area for many, though most won’t say it out loud yet. One gets the feeling out there that people think now is the time to begin turning the page on this political era, the Bush/Obama era.
The NSA scandal has really affected tech. Businesses are losing big time contracts because other countries fear that hardware and software made in the USA is full of back doors for the American spy agencies. This means jobs. This affects people’s future. This is not good for innovation. And tragically had we just adhered to the 4th Amendment of the Constitution – you know, the law – it wouldn’t have been a problem.
Tech of course lives on innovation. It is built and rebuilt and rebuilt in the quest for “ever better.” For faster computers. For more useful applications. For more ingenious phones. For more intuitive ways to do business. This is tech. This is the soul of tech.
But Mr. Obama is not about innovation and people have come to see this after a long slog. When given the chance our current president has always sided with the big companies and the big agencies. With big, languid, bloated, slow (but destructive) government. Half of his mantra in 2008 was “change” but the assumption by most of his supporters presumably was that this was supposed to be a “change” for the better. For the tech community and industry this has definitely not been the case.
As such Silicon Valley is opening it’s eyes, and checkbooks, to new thinking and new thinkers.
- (From CBS San Francisco)
- “I come out here, and people say, ‘we loved President Obama, we’re all for President Obama, we’re from the tech community’ but why?” said Senator Paul. “He’s not for innovation, he’s not for freedom, he’s for the protectionism crowd, the crowd that would eliminate the activity of these companies.”
- The National Security Agency scandal sent shock waves through Silicon Valley. Paul warned about its repercussions for the business climate.
- “Since the NSA scandal, there have been people losing money,” said Paul. “People selling stuff in Asia and Europe aren’t very happy with us now. There have been articles written citing as much as 22 billion in lost sales.”
- “I come out here, and people say, ‘we loved President Obama, we’re all for President Obama, we’re from the tech community’ but why?” said Senator Paul. “He’s not for innovation, he’s not for freedom, he’s for the protectionism crowd, the crowd that would eliminate the activity of these companies.”
http://www.againstcronycapitalism.org/2014/07/death-of-the-bushobama-era-the-rise-of-the-conservatarian-in-silicon-valley-rand-paul-warmly-received-in-tech-country/ --
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