Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
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Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#2Every election I get that California "my vote doesn't count" feeling. Glad this is out there as an alternative.
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#3Thanks for your great work Maciej! I'm impressed with how well you're able to mobilize people and dollars.
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#4If 2016 was the year 4chan won the US presidency maybe 2018 will be the year HN wins an election? Almost everyone quoted in this story is a well known HN account...
It doesn’t help that Ceglowski is insistent on giving the candidates briefings on information security. He carries YubiKeys — hardware authentication devices that are the gold standard of two-factor authentication — with him to meetings with those running for office. Beefing up security practices in political campaigns is important, especially given the email hacking that dominated the 2016 cycle — but a strange man showing up to explain two-factor authentication to you is probably a little off-putting nonetheless. After raising nearly a million dollars combined last quarter, “they’re being a lot friendlier to me,” says Ceglowski.
This ia great, but sad that it takes a million dollars to make people use two-factor.
A good chunk of that was driven by security researcher Thomas Ptacek’s promise to stop tweeting about Eric S. Raymond, a notorious figure in the open-source community whose bizarre and abundant ramblings on everything including race and sex could be considered early forerunners of current alt-right strains in the tech community.
I don't really know what to say...
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#5I know some people running for public office. Can't even get them to use Signal, much less a dongle.
I would welcome an Intro to Privacy for Campaigns MOOC though; maybe that would teach them? Are there any concise refernces for how to securely communicate yet remain flexible and welcoming?
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#6I know some people running for public office. Can't even get them to use Signal, much less a dongle. I would welcome an Intro to Privacy for Campaigns MOOC though; maybe that would teach them? Are there any concise refernces for how to securely communicate yet remain flexible and welcoming?
A bit dry and long, and focused on journalists.
https://tcij.org/sites/default/files/u11/InfoSec%20for%20Jou...
Happy to put a free 30 min course together if one does not already exist.
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#7This is everyting that is wrong with the electoral system in the US and the attempt (often successful) of many people to buy elections. It's one thing when you live in an area, vote in it, and work at that level. It is another when you have no real connection to an area, have no real idea about what the struggles of the peole in that area face, or their local issues, but are willing to do anything you can do influence who they vote for because of your desire to change things nationally for your own interests.
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#8Interesting article, shame to see the continuing pattern of demonising the DCCC for being pragmatic.
If someone could unlock a way for idealists and pragmatists anywhere to the left of fascism to work together better then the government would far better reflect the views of the population (which, polling tells us, are all in line with the Democrat platform). It's only gamesmanship from the Republicans, and apathy from everyone else that keeps them and their unpopular ideas in power.
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#9 He doesn’t even own a laptop or smartphone.
Spencer doesn’t take PAC money.
Re: Meet the Campaign Connecting Affluent Techies with Progressive Candidates
#10If 2016 was the year 4chan won the US presidency maybe 2018 will be the year HN wins an election? Almost everyone quoted in this story is a well known HN account... It doesn’t help that Ceglowski is insistent on giving the candidates briefings on information security. He carries YubiKeys — hardware authentication devices that are the gold standard of two-factor authentication — with him to meetings with those running…
> If 2016 was the year 4chan won the US presidency maybe 2018 will be the year HN wins an election?
I suppose it's possible, but I seriously doubt it.
I live in Arkansas. I was born here, grew up here, and recently bought a house and moved back after living five years in Charlottesville, VA. While I'm not in Spencer's district I know several people who are.
From my perspective, this article is going to be a millstone around Spencer's candidacy. It will do substantially more damage to his campaign than the money will bring him benefit. There is a strong GOP majority there, and being able to point to this article and say "Look! My competitor's campaign is being financed by California liberals!" will all but guarantee that incumbent French Hill will be able to consolidate and energize his base.
The district flipped in 2010, after the retirement of seven-term incumbent Democrat Vic Snyder. It was successfully handed off to another GOP candidate in 2014 when the previous incumbent gave up his seat to run for governor.
Further, in light of Trump's recent rapidly changing stance on gun rights, I anticipate that will be polarizing issue of the 2018 midterms. Of the 435 current members of the House, Hill received the most money from the NRA[1] - just over $1m, split between ads supportive of Hill and opposing his opponent. According the Great Slate website[2] they raised $938k in Q4 of last year, which was divided amongst nine candidates. That's less than 10% of what the NRA alone provided to Hill last election cycle, while it sounds like it constitutes the majority of Spencer's war chest.
In short, while the approach taken by the Great Slate is valid and could have had a significant impact, this article probably eliminated what little chance Spencer had in this election.
1: http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/lawmakers-nra-money/story?id=...