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The Donald Trump in this analogy is.. Patrick Collison? And the “five dollars” is $120M? Your premise is these right-wing anti democratic ideologues are on the

The Donald Trump in this analogy is.. Patrick Collison? And the “five dollars” is $120M? Your premise is these right-wing anti democratic ideologues are on the fringes of the YIMBY movement. That is not supported by the facts. I quoted just one passage demonstrating the literal partnership between a major tech leader / CA YIMBY / Abundance funder and a Peter Thiel funded right wing “Libertarian” with dark visions of police city states. They are not at the fringes, they are at the heart of it and provide the major funding for it.

jeffbee 1y ago
You have no idea what the YIMBY legislative agenda is, do you? For example out of these hundreds of bills, which do you accuse of being the descendant of the influence of Peter Thiel et al? https://alfredtwu.medium.com/2024-california-housing-legislation-highlights-bill-tracker-10dfbb23a188 https://alfredtwu.medium.com/2024-california-housing-legisla...
- abalone 1y ago
  I do, and they are notable for their lack of advancement of social housing, the number one solution internationally for affordable housing for all people. But you’re avoiding the thesis of the article which is that the core funders of the YIMBY movement are more broadly involved in right-leaning politics — not just fringe thinkers. >What began as the Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) project’s narrow focus on zoning reform evolved into a sweeping pro-growth, neoliberal, and socially moderate brand of politics. “Abundance!” now serves as a rallying cry for a new kind of Democrat: techno-optimistic, skeptical of government, and supportive of a welfare state only when it comes with harsh restrictions. There was a time when progressive social housing and market rate development advocates were united against NIMBY zoning rules. But these more conservative forces have come to dominate Yimby (through enormous amounts of funding) and direct its ire more generally against progressives that see oligarchy, not just zoning, as the primary problem in our society.
  - jeffbee 1y ago
    Ironic because Bay Area housing socialists are just witless "useful idiots" acting on behalf of the real estate lobby. For example noted idiot and self-described socialist Dean Preston, who is himself an ultra-wealthy landlord who owns hundreds of SF apartments. Preston's former chief of staff and campaign manager Jen Snyder, and most of the rest of his campaign staff, most of whom literally use hammer-and-sickle titles on Twitter, formed a real estate consultancy called "Red Bridge Strategies" that takes contributions directly from NIMBY dipshits, for example when they sued the city of Livermore to stop two 100%-subsidized affordable apartment complexes in Livermore. YIMBYs rightly looked at these fake socialists and said "pick up a hammer or GTFO".
    - abalone 1y ago
      That is a low quality and highly inaccurate comment that doesn’t really belong on HN, but just briefly: - The real estate lobby funds CA YIMBY and YIMBY candidates, not socialists. - Dean Preston was a major tenants rights attorney who authored key legislation protecting tenants from evictions, not a landlord.
      - jeffbee 1y ago
        See, you're a very poorly-informed person. Dean Preston's SF manse and his two gigantic North Bay estates are owned by the Goosby Family Trust, his wife's legacy real estate empire. The avowed purpose of Goosby Family LLC is "REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT" you can look it up yourself on the Sec. State's website. Class solidarity with a guy who moved directly from undergraduate school to living in a $3 million Nob Hill apartment is, as the online socialists love to say in that incredibly irritating way, "a bad look". Edited to add: I will be disengaging from this thread because it's so bizarre that I, advancing a Marxist materialist analysis, am being accused of aligning with fascists, while you, licking the boots of a millionaire who owns a REIT, cast yourself as a socialist. I will actually lose my mind.
        abalone 1y ago
        This is Q-anon level conspiracy rambling. Preston has a long career as a tenants right attorney directly opposing the interests of landlords. He is landlord enemy number one. He wrote and passed a tax on the real estate industry to the tune of $350M along with several laws protecting rent control and tenants from eviction. The idea that he's secretly a landlord and that socialists are in the pocket of the real estate industry is a desperate (though well-funded) Big Lie. But you've made the larger point of the article: The oligarchy that funds the YIMBY movement uses it as a political tool to slander and fight anti-oligarchy activists. Just moments after pointing to seemingly neutral, technical legislation on the minutiae of zoning reform, you descended into crazed mudslinging against tenants rights advocates and socialists. Addendum: I looked up Red Bridge Strategies and find no evidence they have opposed affordable housing developments. What I do see them supporting:[1] * Yes on H! Rent Control for Pasadena * Yes on M! Empty Homes Tax * Tax on $10M Real Estate Sales to Fund Social Housing * Gross Receipts Tax on Large Corps to Fund Homeless Services and so on. These are all genuinely progressive/socialist positions consistent with promoting working class affordable housing and opposing landlords. It seems like you've just been taken by this well-funded right wing disinformation campaign. I hope you can see the larger point of the article that this is indeed a coordinated political strategy designed to radicalize people like you (and tech industry professionals generally) into fighting to defend the oligarchy and undermine the kind of populist progressive movement we see Bernie/AOC trying to start up again lately, and that folks like Preston genuinely were a part of. [1] https://www.redbridgewins.com/work https://www.redbridgewins.com/work
- potato3732842 1y ago
  It's hilarious (by which I mean facepalm worthy) that people spend so much effort trying to distance YIMBY from the right and from libertarians. Their movement isn't exactly built in the image of Ron Fucking Paul and it does do a lot of steamrolling municipalities which the more socially right types don't like but despite that they've created something the rights seems able to like at least not take issue with on the principal level. And so a lot of these "righter" types do support it, despite there being some minor elements and undertones they might not like. But as soon as someone to the right of center actually tries to fan the flames or actually endorse anything, all the lefties who make up the bulk of movement get all pissed off because it's "their movement". Any sane person would be happy they've found something that almost the entire political spectrum considers common ground. Winners like that are rare. Embrace it.

jeffbee 1y ago

You have no idea what the YIMBY legislative agenda is, do you? For example out of these hundreds of bills, which do you accuse of being the descendant of the influence of Peter Thiel et al? https://alfredtwu.medium.com/2024-california-housing-legislation-highlights-bill-tracker-10dfbb23a188 https://alfredtwu.medium.com/2024-california-housing-legisla...

abalone 1y ago
I do, and they are notable for their lack of advancement of social housing, the number one solution internationally for affordable housing for all people. But you’re avoiding the thesis of the article which is that the core funders of the YIMBY movement are more broadly involved in right-leaning politics — not just fringe thinkers. >What began as the Yes In My Backyard (YIMBY) project’s narrow focus on zoning reform evolved into a sweeping pro-growth, neoliberal, and socially moderate brand of politics. “Abundance!” now serves as a rallying cry for a new kind of Democrat: techno-optimistic, skeptical of government, and supportive of a welfare state only when it comes with harsh restrictions. There was a time when progressive social housing and market rate development advocates were united against NIMBY zoning rules. But these more conservative forces have come to dominate Yimby (through enormous amounts of funding) and direct its ire more generally against progressives that see oligarchy, not just zoning, as the primary problem in our society.
- jeffbee 1y ago
  Ironic because Bay Area housing socialists are just witless "useful idiots" acting on behalf of the real estate lobby. For example noted idiot and self-described socialist Dean Preston, who is himself an ultra-wealthy landlord who owns hundreds of SF apartments. Preston's former chief of staff and campaign manager Jen Snyder, and most of the rest of his campaign staff, most of whom literally use hammer-and-sickle titles on Twitter, formed a real estate consultancy called "Red Bridge Strategies" that takes contributions directly from NIMBY dipshits, for example when they sued the city of Livermore to stop two 100%-subsidized affordable apartment complexes in Livermore. YIMBYs rightly looked at these fake socialists and said "pick up a hammer or GTFO".
  - abalone 1y ago
    That is a low quality and highly inaccurate comment that doesn’t really belong on HN, but just briefly: - The real estate lobby funds CA YIMBY and YIMBY candidates, not socialists. - Dean Preston was a major tenants rights attorney who authored key legislation protecting tenants from evictions, not a landlord.
    - jeffbee 1y ago
      See, you're a very poorly-informed person. Dean Preston's SF manse and his two gigantic North Bay estates are owned by the Goosby Family Trust, his wife's legacy real estate empire. The avowed purpose of Goosby Family LLC is "REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT" you can look it up yourself on the Sec. State's website. Class solidarity with a guy who moved directly from undergraduate school to living in a $3 million Nob Hill apartment is, as the online socialists love to say in that incredibly irritating way, "a bad look". Edited to add: I will be disengaging from this thread because it's so bizarre that I, advancing a Marxist materialist analysis, am being accused of aligning with fascists, while you, licking the boots of a millionaire who owns a REIT, cast yourself as a socialist. I will actually lose my mind.
      - abalone 1y ago
        This is Q-anon level conspiracy rambling. Preston has a long career as a tenants right attorney directly opposing the interests of landlords. He is landlord enemy number one. He wrote and passed a tax on the real estate industry to the tune of $350M along with several laws protecting rent control and tenants from eviction. The idea that he's secretly a landlord and that socialists are in the pocket of the real estate industry is a desperate (though well-funded) Big Lie. But you've made the larger point of the article: The oligarchy that funds the YIMBY movement uses it as a political tool to slander and fight anti-oligarchy activists. Just moments after pointing to seemingly neutral, technical legislation on the minutiae of zoning reform, you descended into crazed mudslinging against tenants rights advocates and socialists. Addendum: I looked up Red Bridge Strategies and find no evidence they have opposed affordable housing developments. What I do see them supporting:[1] * Yes on H! Rent Control for Pasadena * Yes on M! Empty Homes Tax * Tax on $10M Real Estate Sales to Fund Social Housing * Gross Receipts Tax on Large Corps to Fund Homeless Services and so on. These are all genuinely progressive/socialist positions consistent with promoting working class affordable housing and opposing landlords. It seems like you've just been taken by this well-funded right wing disinformation campaign. I hope you can see the larger point of the article that this is indeed a coordinated political strategy designed to radicalize people like you (and tech industry professionals generally) into fighting to defend the oligarchy and undermine the kind of populist progressive movement we see Bernie/AOC trying to start up again lately, and that folks like Preston genuinely were a part of. [1] https://www.redbridgewins.com/work https://www.redbridgewins.com/work
potato3732842 1y ago
It's hilarious (by which I mean facepalm worthy) that people spend so much effort trying to distance YIMBY from the right and from libertarians. Their movement isn't exactly built in the image of Ron Fucking Paul and it does do a lot of steamrolling municipalities which the more socially right types don't like but despite that they've created something the rights seems able to like at least not take issue with on the principal level. And so a lot of these "righter" types do support it, despite there being some minor elements and undertones they might not like. But as soon as someone to the right of center actually tries to fan the flames or actually endorse anything, all the lefties who make up the bulk of movement get all pissed off because it's "their movement". Any sane person would be happy they've found something that almost the entire political spectrum considers common ground. Winners like that are rare. Embrace it.