Tea Party activists have shoved the small-government fringes of the Republican party into the spotlight, with Sen. Rand Paul a leading Libertarian figure.
At the State of the Net Conference I spoke with this new leader in the Republican party, asking about what life would be like for innovators under conservative leadership, and how libertarians viewed technology?
I kept it deliberately philosophical to understand how Paul will view issues in the future. Here are a few take-aways.
Federalism For Everyone!
It's a caricature of libertarianism to believe that it's only about slashing the government into the smallest possible slice of its former self. "Federalism is that you devolve power, and the power is not all in Washington, it's in different places," Paul tells me, when asked about the future of small-government conservatism.
Under a federalist government, San Francisco could allow a drone to airdrop you a piping hot taco, while New York City could choose to outlaw Amazon's new army of delivery drones. Silicon Valley has always had a separatist itch; a libertarian might give them more room to experiment.
Though, in practice, Paul (and other libertarians) have valued no government over decentralized rule. Paul opposed the law that would allow states to collect Internet sales tax, which would have effectively hiked up everyone's pajama-clad Christmas shopping splurge about 7%.
Federalism is a nice theory, but unclear how it could impact the Valley.
Allowing Companies To Do Good, Stockholders Be Damned
Paul thinks that Silicon Valley should have more leeway to invest in socially beneficial products. "There is a sense, particularly in young people, they still want to make money, they want to do things that are successful, but they're socially conscious."
"There's a certain community spirit, particularly among young people, with the way they approach business".
He says he supportive of legislation to give legal immunity to B-corps, (Benefit Corporations), which would allow for-profit companies to invest in sustainable products, even if it wasn't the best way to optimize shareholder value. Stockholders "can always leave your company if they don't like what you're doing, but should be able to do things, even if they're not the least expensive thing, because you think this is good for the environment."
Science Funding, If You Can Find It
"The real explosion of the Internet was the lack of control," argues Paul, in response to my question about whether federal funding of science labs proves its government is essential to innovation.
Paul's issue is with managing our trillion-dollar debt, so if experts can find something else to cut, "I'd rather spend the money on R&D if there's not a marketplace for that."
Paul is delightfully consistent here; scientists freaked out over one of his early budget proposals to slash R&D funding, but calmed down after he brokered a deal with Democrats that would slightly increase funds for higher education and research.
Civil Liberties Galore And No Killing Of Hackers
Paul infamously said that whistleblower Edward Snowden and intelligence director James clapper should share the same jail cell (Clapper for lying to Congress). I pressed Paul on how he would treat information activists.
"There do have to be some rules and there are some problems with disclosing secrets and people could die," he says. But, for Snowden, security hawks "are calling for death penalty and I think that's inappropriate".
Paul wouldn't commit to what punishment people like Snowden should receive. He is, however, suing the Federal government to stop the National Security Agency's collection of bulk Internet and phone data. It's no shocker that under Libertarian leadership, national defense would be dramatically cut back.
Patents...Pretty Much The Same
Does Paul see patents as a legalized monopoly? In a word, no. "There are libertarians that have written that you shouldn't have any patents--the market will just sort it out," he said. "I think there ought to be protection for intellectual property."
In a bit of refreshing honesty, he says of the current proposals on patents, "I'm not sure I understand the bill yet", noting that law intellectual property law is "complicated." Recent attempts in Congress have tried to change intellectual property law, especially around patent "trolls" and for software, but there's no bills with serious traction. Either way, this doesn't appear to be serious interest to leading libertarians.
Unions A No-No
We've often noted that tech companies rank as the "best" companies to work for, despite having no labor union. Unions have a rough-and-tumble relationship with innovation, largely because technology destroys jobs. Likewise, libertarians have opposed their collective bargaining peers, so I asked Paul what kind of support he would give unions:
"I'm not opposed to the small guy organizing to have leverage against the big guy," he explains. But, they've gone overboard. "Labor Unions had their heyday, it was in trying to get rid of really horrific working conditions," he continues, "I don't think they really have a place in the high-tech industry."
Yes, Libertarians Are Getting More Powerful
The right-wing traditionalists of the Republican party are getting thumped by tech-savvy libertarians. Tea Party founder Mark Meckler once explained to me how individualistic principles make libertarians so powerful on the net, “Because folks who participate tend to be so individualistic, what started to happen is, without anybody telling them, they immediately started to spawn hundreds and then ultimately thousands and then millions of web pages dedicated to tea party activity.”
Paul, whose father is an Internet political celebrity and former long-serving member of the House of Representatives, sees the same thing happening with his own base of support, "I think there's a huge bunch of people who are a part of a leave-me-alone-coalition," he explains.
Though Silicon Valley leaders overwhelmingly support President Obama, Paul argues (of course) that could change. He argument is worth quoting in full:
"When I've been out and visited Google or Facebook, when you go in, there's an atmosphere of not of structure, there's an atmosphere of, you know, not being able to go 5-steps without having food, or a nap, or play ping pong. It's less rigidity and more openness. I think people are attracted to that; it's sort of a libertarian sense, 'as long as I'm not hurting someone else, let me do what I want to do."
My 2 Bitcoins
For the record, I am not a fan of libertarianism. I find it an unrealistic social philosophy. Our personal success is inextricably linked to the lives of our neighbors and the rest of the world. If they suffer, we suffer. If they do well, we do well.
That said, this modern strain of libertarianism is growing on me. Our government is terribly inept. The refusal of the White House to partner with the tech sector on the failed launch of the health insurance website, healthcare.gov, shows that we need a radical rethinking of government (among other monumental government failings).
So long as Paul and his ilk don't recreate some Hunger Games-style version of ruthless capitalism that leaves the downtrodden without a safety net, and provides ample funding for education and research, perhaps our country could use a government diet.
There is still much more we need to know, but the direction is promising. Watch the full video below.
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