The “Technical” Style in American Politics


Republican Bernie Moreno at a JD Vance event (REUTERS/Gaelen Morse)

It seems hard to believe now, but in 2021, time appointed Elon Musk like yours Personality of the year. Although this designation is not necessarily equivalent to a seal of approval. But magazine coverage Musk at the time she was very favorable, almost flattering, emphasizing her statement that “my career is mars and cars“.

Now, many people would disagree with that statement. Of course, Tesla and SpaceX are still big companies. But Musk himself is largely defined in the minds of many by how he transformed X, the site formerly known as Twitter, creating more space for right-wing extremists, including a significant number of pro-Nazi accounts, and his own embrace of anti-Semitic and racist conspiracy theories.

Musk’s shift to the right is not universal or even typical: Reports suggest that despite the shift to the right of several prominent names, Silicon Valley remains heavily Democratic. In particular, the Internet industry’s political contributions remain heavily Democratic. Right-wing techies, however, have a significant and, I would say, pernicious influence on the political scene.

Elon Musk (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
Elon Musk (REUTERS/Mike Segar)

Let’s look at a case JD Vancehe Senator from Ohio and Donald Trump’s candidate.

How did it happen Vance where is it It is a activist extraordinaire; extraordinary, that is, in the sense that it seems incredibly bad in that. I’m not going to repeat the failure “cat women” or “cat ladies(a pejorative form used in the US to refer to single women or childless widows who live alone with one or more cats), in addition to contributing to what will likely go down in history as one of worst running field of all time. So who picked this guy?

It seems to me that the answer is a handful tech tycoons led by billionaire Peter Thielwho actually bought Vance a Senate seat overwhelm your opponents with an avalanche cash.

And in doing so, they set someone who, in my opinion, has turned into an extremist, on a path that could very well take him one step away from the presidency: keep in mind that Vance spearheaded the spread of claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio , who stole and ate the neighbors’ pets, and cheerfully continues to perpetuate these claims, even though they appear to be completely unfounded.

Donald Trup and JD Vance (NYT)
Donald Trup and JD Vance (NYT)

Then there it is cryptocurrencywhich is not quite the same as in other parts of the technology sector. No matter what you think Musk, tesla produces a a real product with a real use; he does the same, in a different way PayPalinitial source Thiel’s vast wealth. The cryptocurrenciesOn the contrary, they remain a solution in search of a problem.

But a few months ago, Bernie Morenohe pro-cryptocurrency Republican candidate for him another Ohio Senate seathe asked you bitcoin conventions: “You are tired of these politicians who say that bitcoin Is it because of drug dealing and money laundering?” Not really: I’m tired of it the most visible and easiest use of cryptocurrencies to be it drug trafficking and money launderingafter trying and failing to find significant legal use.

However, cryptocurrencies are marketed as revolutionary technologies, and some of their biggest proponents are among the tech brethren who have staggered to the right, so it makes sense to put the political role of cryptocurrencies in the same basket. And cryptocurrencies play an important role in the 2024 election. Axios writes that according to an August report from Public Citizen, “the cryptocurrency industry accounts for nearly half of the money corporations have contributed to political action committees so far in 2024.” He The Washington Post just announced that in Ohio the industry has spent more than $38 million to support Moreno against incumbent Democrat Sherrod Brown.

Why spend cryptocurrencies is it that big? It is quite clear that the industry is worried ordinance: Gary Genslercompany president Securities and Exchange Commissionclaimed that crypto assets must be considered and regulated as valueswhich could damage or even eliminate its value by undermining some of them advertising.

In addition, a growing portion of crypto assets consists of stablecoins issued by institutions that weigh their value in terms of traditional currencies such as the US dollar. However, we have a name for institutions that issue promissory notes that promise repayment in hard currency on demand: banks. Centuries of experience tell us that banks must be regulated to ensure financial stability. Even Adam Smith called for banking regulation in The Wealth of Nations. But stablecoins aren’t regulated like banks, and it’s unclear whether they would be able to compete if they were.

So he political spending on cryptocurrencies seems clearly motivated personal financial interestwhile the right turn of other technological brothers can reflect – as he said recently The Times founder Facebook, Chris Hughes– sense of common thing with Trumpwho, like them, believes in it I shouldn’t play by the rules. (I would add that men from great wealth Sometimes they can be prone to conspiracy theories because they are too often surrounded by people who they say what they want to hear and they laugh with their jokes even if they’re not funny).

Regardless of their motivations, tech bros’ political spending can have a huge impact on American politics. This race in Ohio alone could determine control of the Senate, with huge implications for federal policy on many fronts.

In summary, style tech bros in American politics appeared as a important forcewhich in my opinion is pushing our democracy towards disaster.

© The New York Times 2024.





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