Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team • Hacker News Board

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#271

Post by overgard » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 3:59 AM UTC

ubernostrum wrote: post #54

overgard wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The right thing". Tolerance means recognizing that people have different world views than your own. Sometimes the people you do business with have political opinions you don't agree with. The melodrama over Thiel's political opinions is pointless. If you demand Thiel steps down, are you personally just going to stop doing business with 49% of the country that voted differently? Personally I lean liberal, but I'm pre…

Serious question: is there any action he could take, any line he could cross, literally anything he could do or say that would ever, in your mind, be sufficient to justify refusing to associate with him?

Yes.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#272

Post by ams6110 » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:00 AM UTC

kafkaesq wrote: post #84

fib739mbbh wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As usual, the media distorts what Trump actually said. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/nov/24/...

Apparently, the "certainly implement" part was a misattribution. But if you follow the analysis in the article you posted, it's quite clear that Trump basically does favor the idea of such a registry -- and that yes, it would be mandatory for all "legal" entries into the country: Friday, Nov. 20 The next day, an MSNBC reporter asked Trump, "Should there be a database or system that tracks Muslims in this country?" "T…

All legal aliens in this country are already in a database. They have green cards or are here on some sort of visa, and it's all tracked in databases. All citizens are as well, unless they are young enough or isolated enough to never have had a job or a credit card or filed a tax return or had any other interaction with the governemnt.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#273

Post by postcarnival » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:00 AM UTC

noobermin wrote: post #154

privong wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> He lied, as many on the left said he was. Please drop the partisan angle on this. This isn't a left/right difference. Obama campaigned with a similar promise and he still selected lobbyists for his administration: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/08/15/th... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Wheeler

I never said people on the left don't do it. Yes, Obama did it too. The point is Trump isn't what he appears to be, in fact he appears very similar to Obama in the sense that he convinced many people there would be change for the better but all evidence points to that he will just perpetuate the system which he rallied against (which Obama did too).

You're criticizing a presidency that hasn't even seen it's first day! All of the "evidence" also pointed to Clinton winning in a landslide, and then a stock market crash after he won... what happened? Ya. Relax.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#274

Post by maverick_iceman » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:00 AM UTC

meritt wrote: post #21

This was obvious from the RNC speech and further reinforced when Thiel donated $1M to Trump. A contrarian bet, sure, but $1M is a pretty small price to pay to have a 50/50 shot at CTO of the USA. I'm sure he'll see a very significant ROI on his $1M once the government starts awarding contracts very conveniently to companies of which he owns a portion. I had very negative feelings about Thiel, and those were magnified…

Do you realize that $1M is chump change to Trump?

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#275

Post by pjdemers » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:01 AM UTC

Disagreeing with each other's views on the economy, international relations, even the environment is good for the country. We need different points of view on important issues.

But using race baiting to gain political power crosses a line that should never be crossed. He should not be helping to legitimize this.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#276

Post by leesalminen » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:02 AM UTC

smsm42 wrote: post #113

davesque wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not entirely. Trump was extremely unclear and dodgy when asked more about his comments in the days after that interview. People asked him very directly on several occasions if he would, in fact, implement a Muslim database. He never denied that he would. In fact, he confirmed that he wants a database for Syrian refugees.

"Never denied he would" is not exactly the same as "Would for sure do it". > he confirmed that he wants a database for Syrian refugees. Doesn't the government already have database of all immigrants? I even have a nice card with a number, I'm pretty sure this number refers to a record in the database. Before I had that, I also had to fill in and send out certain forms, which I am pretty sure also went to some governm…

Most everyone is just a record in a database. Where we live, go, work, eat, watch, listen to... it's all just a record in a database.

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#277

Post by Tycho » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:02 AM UTC

threeseed wrote: post #260

edblarney wrote: post #231

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Lots of individuals who Trump "owes" through either money or support they provided to him; pure cronyism." Trump is the most 'free' President in modern history. He 'owes' the least, to the fewest people. This is one thing even the center-left press were talking about. As for Thiel - $1M might seem like a lot - but Trump doesn't really 'owe' Thiel anything, because Thiel doesn't have direct future influence etc., and…

This is just nonsense. Trump never provided his tax returns for scrutiny so unlike Hillary we don't know who exactly he is beholden to. What we know from his son, sources and leaks is that Russian ogligarchs with ties to Putin do hold significant amounts of his company's debt. It is this type of "pay to play" that is far, far beyond anything that has ever been seen before.

Why would we learn anything new about that from his tax return? Doesn't the financial disclosure filing cover that?

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#278

Post by Rapzid » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:03 AM UTC

edblarney wrote: post #231

Rapzid wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we believe all the recently headlines about who he's bringing in it appears pure "pay to play". Lots of individuals who Trump "owes" through either money or support they provided to him; pure cronyism. I'm not sure Trump realizes what worked best in business, or what he felt worked best for him in what business he has done, is not necessarily best for operating policy. I'm not sure he cares. I suspect he might tho…

"Lots of individuals who Trump "owes" through either money or support they provided to him; pure cronyism." Trump is the most 'free' President in modern history. He 'owes' the least, to the fewest people. This is one thing even the center-left press were talking about. As for Thiel - $1M might seem like a lot - but Trump doesn't really 'owe' Thiel anything, because Thiel doesn't have direct future influence etc., and…

> He'll give them to those that 'stuck by him' i.e. Guliani etc. and scorn on the old Bush guard.

"owes" man. In quotes because he doesn't have any fiscal or otherwise legal obligation to pay them back. If he largely surrounds himself with those few who supported him(opportunistically dare I say?) then it's a huge red flag in my book he isn't really going for the best advisors. I'd like to see at least a couple old detractors on the list..

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#279

Post by maverick_iceman » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:03 AM UTC

threeseed wrote: post #216

Rapzid wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If we believe all the recently headlines about who he's bringing in it appears pure "pay to play". Lots of individuals who Trump "owes" through either money or support they provided to him; pure cronyism. I'm not sure Trump realizes what worked best in business, or what he felt worked best for him in what business he has done, is not necessarily best for operating policy. I'm not sure he cares. I suspect he might tho…

Trump I suspect will be very similar to George W Bush. From all accounts he simply doesn't have the intellectual stamina to handle the rigours of the job. And I don't mean that in a negative way he is just more of a hands on, energetic, get shit done sort of guy. So in order to survive he is going to delegate to people like Guilani, Christie, Gingrich, Carson etc. Some of the most shameless, self serving and unethica…

Last time I read the constitution there was no "intellectual stamina" requirement to become the President. Also if Hillary was elected would she have surrounded herself by Gandhi-like selfless advisors?

Re: Peter Thiel To Join Trump Transition Team

#280

Post by kafkaesq » Fri, Nov 11, 2016, 4:04 AM UTC

verbify wrote: post #236

ch4s3 wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He thinks women shouldn't be able to vote. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/peter-thiel-women-democr...

That's not quite accurate. What he did say was bad enough without exaggeration for effect. He said women voting led to less libertarianism, and he regards less libertarianism as a tragedy. He claims that he supports women voting. He also said that 'democracy and freedom are incompatible' because the masses don't vote for his libertarian paradise.

He may get a pass for not (directly) advocating that women shouldn't be allowed to vote. But what he did say is sufficiently stomach-turning that one has to question the judgement of any tech company that would want to maintain associations with such a person, in any capacity.

In any case there's also this precious quote

Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women — two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians — have rendered the notion of “capitalist democracy” into an oxymoron.

Which, if read properly, is very revealing about the vision he has in mind for society.