The Trump/Vance Puppetmaster
JEFF SCHECHTMAN
WhoWhatWhy.org, 07/19/24
Excerpt...
Today, a new puppeteer has emerged from the digital realm, Peter Thiel, the tech billionaire whose influence has grown from merely bankrolling campaigns to seeking to install his own protege in the corridors of power. While Thiel is the master puppeteer, he has brought along some of his cohorts. People like Elon Musk, David Sacks, Marc Andreessen, and Ben Horowitz are throwing their considerable wealth and influence behind Trump signaling a seismic shift in Silicon Valley’s political allegiances.
This convergence of the valley’s right wing with Trump and Vance’s populist agenda has created a new political force, leaving traditional Wall Street Republicans consigned to the ash heap of history. Thiel’s masterpiece is J. D. Vance, a candidate molded in Silicon Valley’s image, and now poised for the second highest office. This isn’t just about having a friend in high places, it’s about reshaping the government in Thiel’s vision with Vance as his avatar.
The implications are nothing short of chilling. While Trump blusters about retribution and dismantling institutions, Vance could be the quiet architect of a brave new digital world. An America where surveillance is the norm, where AI-powered weapon systems are unleashed at home and abroad. All rubber-stamped by an administration indebted to tech’s most controversial figure.
This isn’t just about policy, it’s about American democracy in the digital age. The Trump-Vance ticket with Thiel pulling the strings represents a potential marriage of authoritarian instincts and cutting-edge technology. This is about Thiel’s long game, a chess match where Vance is both Knight and Pawn. Advancing a vision of America where data is the new oil and democracy is just another system to be disrupted.
The stakes couldn’t be higher, and with the backing of Silicon Valley’s new conservative Vanguard, Thiel’s hand has never been stronger. Right before the 2022 elections before J. D. Vance had yet been elected to the Senate from Ohio, I had an opportunity to talk with Bloomberg editor Max Chafkin about his biography of Peter Thiel entitled The Contrarian. Given the events of the past few days, I think it does us all well to listen to that conversation with Max Chafkin about Peter Thiel. Max Chafkin, thanks so much for joining us here on The WhoWhatWhy Podcast.
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https://whowhatwhy.org/podcast/the-trump-vance-puppetmaster/
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