An under-the-radar startup funded by billionaire Eric Schmidt has become a major technology vendor for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, underscoring the bonds between Silicon Valley and Democratic politics.
The Groundwork, according to Democratic campaign operatives and technologists, is part of efforts by Schmidt—the executive chairman of Google parent-company Alphabet—to ensure that Clinton has the engineering talent needed to win the election. And it is one of a series of quiet investments by Schmidt that recognize how modern political campaigns are run, with data analytics and digital outreach as vital ingredients that allow candidates to find, court, and turn out critical voter blocs.
But campaigns—lacking stock options and long-term job security—find it hard to attract the elite engineering talent that Facebook, Google, and countless startups rely on. That’s also part of the problem that Schmidt and the Groundwork are helping Clinton’s team to solve.
When big business supports a party that has regularly posited anti-business regulation, you know there's a quid pro quo relationship. That relationship - you give us money and we'll support an environment that supports your business at the expense of smaller competitors. Crony capitalism. GE, GM, Google. They're all guilty, along with the Democrats.
If you want to rail against the 1%, make sure you understand what you are upset about rather than blindly assuming it's the Republicans who are the nefarious evil party. A little bit of common sense can go a long way.
