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I hold a contradiction over Zuckerberg. He would work harder than most to understand issues, fundamentally transform government to embrace tech, and also have a
by zghst 9y ago
I hold a contradiction over Zuckerberg. He would work harder than most to understand issues, fundamentally transform government to embrace tech, and also have a very powerful platform to reach out to voters directly.
However, given all of this, running as a Democrat would not protect him from the same pressures and problems as Trump. It would probably exacerbate tensions, with him ending up much more isolated than Trump from the political establishment. If we think the Trump presidency and its coverage are hectic, just imagine the air when Zuckerberg blows through all of the weak political candidates. Everyone D and R will unilaterally oppose Zuckerberg, 10x as they do Trump, just because of his power.
Additionally, it's dangerous gamble for Zuckerberg to run, as all Facebook products WILL face a massive exodus stoked by political enemies. The debate of him vs Trump will not please anyone. His path to the nomination will feel so forced like a repeat of Hillary's campaign without all the enthusiasm.
Despite all of this, in my recommendation, it would be incredibly foolish of Zuckerberg not to run. If not in 2020, at least afterwards.
2020 is not an election anyone should want to be involved in. Ever. With the optics and warping that Trump's campaign style involves, traditional campaigns (and even with an adept tech strategy, direct messaging, etc.) do not work against Trump. Even co-opting his strategy and style (energy, heart, voice) is suicide. It would take an exceptionally practiced person to channel, reflect and amplify the frustrations of the electorate as a candidate to displace Trump.
- bogomipz 9y ago>"I hold a contradiction over Zuckerberg. He would work harder than most to understand issues, fundamentally transform government to embrace tech, ..." What does this mean? Do you believe that the US government doesn't currently "embrace tech"? Look up 18F and the USDS. Do you not think that every law maker in Washington doesn't have a smart phone and an ipad? Would "embracing tech" somehow result in less pork barrel politics, partisan gridlock, deficit spending or kicking the can down the road on policy making? These are the real structural issues with Washington not the lack of tech in the workplace.
- georgeoo 9y agoDoesn't matter who the president is. The current election cycles and the kind of panderers that get propped up remind me more of third world democracies than anything else. The outcomes of whomever has got elected in the last 30-40 years have been so pointless that I'd be happy to have decisions be taken by a random number generators, than these time and resource wasting clowns.