Topic: Political Funding

A clip from This Week in Tech features Jason Calacanis discussing the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision and its impact on corporate political spending. The discussion touches on Elon Musk's $250 million in contributions and compares it to Netflix's $30 million deal with Barack Obama. Calacanis argues that consumers should judge tech leaders by their products rather than their political "gameplay."

DNC Vice Chair David Hogg is facing internal backlash for his plan to raise $20 million to challenge incumbent Democrats in safe seats during primary elections. Congressman Ro Khanna expressed support for Hogg's "new generation of leadership" approach, while James Carville accused Hogg of being a paid operative. Hogg maintains his role is voluntary, leading to speculation about potential outside funding from sources like George Soros.

The hosts analyze the financial backing of Ron DeSantis by Ken Griffin of Citadel LLC, suggesting this gives DeSantis independence from Donald Trump. They examine DeSantis's victory speech where he declared Florida as the place "where woke goes to die." The discussion touches on Trump's refusal to denounce vaccines as a potential wedge for his base.

Rob Reiner discusses the funding and bipartisan goals of the Committee to Investigate Russia, comparing the current political climate to the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. The hosts analyze the psychological state of "amygdala hijacking" in modern politics, where words are perceived as life-threatening threats. They link this to Hillary Clinton's continued claims that Russian interference successfully influenced the 2016 election.

Political activist Linda Sarsour launched a Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund that drew skepticism regarding the ultimate destination of the donations. Critics alleged the funds might be diverted to political organizing rather than direct humanitarian aid for flood victims.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan faced criticism for using recent terrorist attacks to make political points against the Conservative government. Critics argue that Khan's focus on police funding cuts during a time of national tragedy was a calculated move to bolster his standing within the Labour Party.

The discussion expands to the Sunlight Foundation, noting its funding from tech figures like Craig Newmark and Jimmy Wales. The hosts express skepticism toward "transparency" organizations, suggesting they are partisan entities that serve specific political agendas while appearing to be neutral watchdogs.

A policy proposal to allocate $4 billion for avian flu prevention is met with skepticism regarding the actual threat of the virus. The conversation shifts to cultural metaphors for political control, referencing a Star Trek episode about a drugged leader and the classic film The Manchurian Candidate. These stories are used to illustrate the potential for leaders to be manipulated by outside forces.