“An under-the-radar startup funded by billionaire Eric Schmidt has become a major technology vendor for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign,” Adam Pasick and Tim Fernholz report for Quartz. “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,” Pasick and Fernholz report. “The Groundwork is one of the Clinton campaign’s biggest vendors, billing it for more than $177,000 in the second quarter of 2015, according to federal filings. Yet many political operatives know little about it.”
Its website consists entirely of a grey-on-black triangle logo that suggests “the digital roots of change” while also looking vaguely like the Illuminati symbol:
“Schmidt did not respond to several requests for comment. But several Democratic political operatives and technologists, who would only speak anonymously to avoid offending Schmidt and the Clinton campaign, confirmed that the Groundwork is funded at least in part by the Alphabet chairman,” Pasick and Fernholz report. “Sources say the Groundwork was created to minimize the technological gap that occurs between presidential campaign cycles while pushing forward the Big Data infrastructure that lies at the heart of modern presidential politics. There is also another gap in play: The shrinking distance between Google and the Democratic Party. Former Google executive Stephanie Hannon is the Clinton campaign’s chief technology officer, and a host of ex-Googlers are currently employed as high-ranking technical staff at the Obama White House. Schmidt, for his part, is one of the most powerful donors in the Democratic Party.”
“One former Obama staffer, Elan Kriegel, who now leads analytics for the Clinton campaign, suggested the technology accounted for perhaps two percentage points of the campaign’s four percent margin of victory in 2012,” Pasick and Fernholz report. “With tech policy an increasingly important part of the president’s job — consider merely the issues of NSA surveillance and antitrust policy, not to mention self-driving cars and military robots — helping to elect yet another president could be incredibly valuable to Schmidt and to Google.”
Much more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It’s very, uh… interesting how they compile a comprehensive record of each voter’s Facebook pages liked, volunteer contacts, events attended, money donated, etc. and assign them a score based on how strongly they support the candidate. If you think you’re not being watched online, you’re not thinking.
SEE ALSO:
Edward Snowden’s privacy tips: ‘Get rid of Dropbox,” avoid Facebook and Google – October 13, 2014
Eric Schmidt says Google ‘far more secure’ than Apple, denies harvesting data – October 3, 2014
Google’s Eric Schmidt spurns Obama cabinet post offer – December 11, 2012
Obama to reward Google’s Schmidt with Cabinet post? – December 5, 2012
Google outfoxes U.S. FCC – April 17, 2012
Google Street View cars grabbed locations of cellphones, computers – July 26, 2011
Glenn Beck: Be wary of Google, they way they think is creepy (with video) – February 17, 2011
Consumer Watchdog calls for probe of Google’s inappropriate relationship with Obama administration – January 25, 2011
FCC cites Android ‘openness’ as reason for neutered ‘Net Neutrality’ – December 22, 2010
U.S. FCC approves so-called ‘net-neutrality’ regulations – December 21, 2010
Google CEO Schmidt: If you don’t like being in Google Street View then ‘just move’ – October 28, 2010
Consumer Watchdog ads mock Google CEO Eric Schmidt (with video) – September 2, 2010
Google CEO Schmidt: Change your name to escape ‘cyber past’ – August 18, 2010
Wired: Google, CIA Invest in ‘future’ of Web monitoring – July 29, 2010
37 states join probe into Google’s questionable Wi-Fi data collection – July 22, 2010
Google Street View Wi-Fi data included passwords and email – June 18, 2010
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
What’s Bernie Sander’s take on Google and Tech?
I mean not being of “this” regime or the prior.
Did you know TYT is restricted like Music for Europe?
You get an according message after signup.
Pure censorship is the hidden agenda, don’t you think?
Only John O. left to clean the mess up?
Did you know this censorship is called law?
Did you also know that the government needs to control the fierce power of gigantic funds and companies.
Money is evil when it has no good reason. A good reason is not to make more money, that is the opposite.
We are not talking about us, we are talking about the evil influence of bankers and Wall Street on leading technology … and therefore on all of us.
Take your time to understand what is going on, turn of the Tele, it is the moneys disinformation channel to keep morons in line. Beefed up with ads to make you feel incomplete.
Standing in line is not cool at all. Nowhere.
Especially if time still equals money. But for heavens sake it does not, does it?
For his detailed positions:
berniesanders.com
feelthebern.org
Bernie has an army of volunteers, takes no PAC money, has never run a negative and is generally despised by the political class in
Washington. Since he does not play their game, they are doing their best to ignore him. His money comes from over a million individual contributions from about 2/3rds of a million individuals in small amounts.
Hillary gets her money from Wall Street , is still poll testing the latest iteration of her core values and has one plan for America: her fat ass in the White House.
The fact that Eric the Mole supports Hillary should tell you more than enough.
By the way: Bernie is on the record that he would grant Ed Snowden clemency as a whistleblower. Hillary thinks he is a criminal and a traitor.
If there were any connected group to the Illuminati it would be old Skull and Bones and the Bush family. But that’s all tin foil hat stuff.
John Kerry was Skull & Bones (1966) before Bush (1968). Kerry, connected to his rich elitist wife, Teresa, for her money, 1 Billion est., heir to her thanks to prior hubby, Senator H. John Heinz III, and the family business… Heinz catsup fame! Talk about your connections!
Exactly. They are all pretty much the same, no matter what “side” they are on.
They have simply fooled the populace into making this a “team sport” where people choose teams. At the end of the day, the agendas of both parties are closely aligned, no matter what their marketing tells us.
Crooks of a feather…
The DNC has announced it is moving the Democratic National Convention next summer from Philadelphia to Leavenworth, Kansas, to accommodate Hillary’s nomination.
So, the Republican Party (or any other political group) can’t also hire them?
The GOP has their own data crunchers. There have been several lengthy articles recently about both party’s use of data miners.
The Mole and The Magic Vagina®…makes one schmidt their pantsuit.
Back in fighting form I see! Dearie me, how graphic.
Excellent Bot 👏👏👏👏
Don’t feed the sicko man, unless you are also sicko
heh.
And now I have one more reason to despise that weasel.
-jcr
Does this mean that if Clinton gets in, the DOJ will leave Google alone and attack Apple?
Second Laugh Of The Day Award! Didn’t quite wake up the neighbors, but close.
One more reason to support Bernie Sanders instead.
of course, because socialism has proven to be such a successful concept.
Actually, because Democratic Socialism has been such a successful concept. Forbes recently ranked the best countries for business, and here’s the top 10: Denmark, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland and Finland.
More than HALF of those countries are, in fact, Democratic Socialist countries.
http://www.forbes.com/best-countries-for-business/ Best Countries for Business
Since you like theft so much, how about just giving me your car and house keys and save me having the government take them from you.
By the way, the good ol’ capitalist USA is #18 on Forbes list.
it fell to 18 because The Magic Negro® is a socialist.
Obama is actually white. See his mother’s picture. That is where all his extreme racism comes from. And his very low expectations of black people.
that’s why I call him the “magic” negro.
Unfamiliar with the “single drop” rule, I see. It’s a Southern thing.
botty, you and kent are utterly hopeless. You are both despicable examples of humanity, representative of the worst characteristics of humanity.
coming from you, that means absolutely nothing…as usual.
KingMel, perhaps that perception is a thin artifact of abstract politically-charged discussion in an anonymous forum—a place ideally suited to the expression of personal bias—thus forming an incomplete picture of their full humanity. It’s conceivable that kent and botvinnik are more polite and circumspect away from the internet water cooler; their names are uncapitalised, suggesting a modest, retiring nature.
The funny little fact of democratic socialism is that it requires capitalists to build wealth for the socialists to steal. We’re almost there anyway. What the hell.
TM, can you imagine how the rest of this globalized economy thinks about America, nominating a Trump, going everywhere armed to death in order to supply democracy?
The military guys are not bad, only if they do what they are told. And that is Eagle Eye Shit.
Republicans are also not empowered to stop this Halliburton Nightmare, Blackwater-boarded “White-House”
If you know the rules of power that apply to the American Economy and Politics, you know the world needs a trustworthy person at the Oval, no matter if black or white, red or blue or even indian.
If we proceed to judge people like you and me for no good reason, just because some dumb blogger or journalist gives us reasons why we put our hate on him or her, we do it like morons,
I guess even little George once run for the Oval for a good reason.
Do not underestimate the power behind the curtains, a place you would also prefer to hide if only you would be rich (and therefore evil) enough to make a lot of money on the shoulders of people like you and me.
Defending this unethical freedom of economy is the reason why Jesus once kicked the shabby dealers out of the temple of his father.
It is written on the greenback in your pocket. Check every detail, watch the Movie “Zeitgeist” and if you still believe this is all just conspiracy, well then we need to allow you to call all that mental and conspiracy.
From a medical perspective you would need help, from a Mac user perspective I can completely understand your delusion, so lets call the support and discuss it.
Dont vice up on enhancement of quality, that would be a betrayal of Darwinism, the only theory that survived somehow 😉
Ask yourself who is in favor of all the advantages of that system we call democratic society and elected representatives that governs almost the entire planet because of globalized economy.
So this is not an american issue, it has become global when american companies took over the privacy with Google, Facebook and of course Apple as well.
Their Use of Terms / Privacy Agreements are heavily reworked at this very moment just to make sure the world data stream to the US remains the same.
Controlling the US and their companies is maybe the most important topic on the globe list of responsibility for everyone of us.
You just have o double check where your money goes and why.
And please do all of us a favor and think wisely before voting for unethical haircuts, alright?
I love you and don’t you forget it.
Very good, even if I am not sure who could be that trustworthy being you mention. I would rather put a dog in that position, but who are the guys behind the curtain, that are in a “legal control” of our president?
I am just trying to have a little fun filks, while I try to save Apples DNA against this crazy bankers roulette.
Ask Eddy, I am upset like hell inside. That is why we party so hard to forget we are rich but do not have power over the guys behind the curtains.
Can we be friends at all?
Voltaire was right, “Common sense is not so common.”
Not to mention that no mater what flavor of socialism you buy, it seems to come with these nuts… http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Climate-of-Racism-Makes-Nazi-Party-Most-Popular-in-Sweden–20150821-0038.html
http://qz.com/516017/sweden-is-not-the-tolerant-raceless-paradise-it-claims-to-be/
Most of these countries are tiny with a relatively austere homogenous population. The nanny state model works well for them (which is why many of them are held as models for singlepayer healthcare.) History has proven that for that socialism works great until you run out of other people’s money…
happy columbus day! gadget, you are very wise. the list is being posed as a flame against capitalism. that is not why forbes out it together.but, that is what it is being used to promote an ideology. take the same list and turn it upside down. the bottom 10 are not doing so bad (china is in that list). the “small austere, homogenous population” is so different that the US and yet people frequently use these lists as a way to promote an agenda. only very stupid, shallow, or foolish people would look at the list and see the US as achieving euphoria by being socialist democratic.
by all means, enjoy your Gulag Americana.
Yes, it’s left a path of resounding success…say nothing for living free.
Actually, one more reason not to vote for a Democrat.
And here we demonstrate the whole problem with the mainstream media. You know, the media that Fox News wants to pretend is liberal, but it actually isn’t. They want to pretend that Sanders’ candidacy is only relevant in how it impact’s Hillary’s candidacy. When in fact, if you listen to media that is actually liberal (say, The Young Turks), you would be truly educated as to why voting for Hillary is as bad as voting for any Republican, and voting for Sanders is the only truly sane choice.
Bernie is a commie rat bastard. He promises free shit with vague hand-waving about paying for it by soaking the rich, but he hasn’t run the numbers.
-jcr
You sir, don’t know ANYTHING about Bernie Sanders. Learn something before you shoot your mouth off. Please.
Learn something before you shoot your mouth off. Please.
That’s advice you would do well to follow. Learn something about Bernie the warmonger, and maybe you’ll quit supporting him.
Look, I understand how desperately you Democrats need someone other than Hillary Clinton, but you don’t have to settle for the likes of Bernie Sanders.
-jcr
“someone other than Hillary Clinton..”
Here comes Uncle Joe, he’s movin’ kinda slow at the junction, Globalist Junction!
I’m waiting to see the Republicans run the numbers on Trump-The-Clown’s vague budget concepts.
I personally trust NEITHER party regarding much of anything, especially the US budget. One blows the budget with military spending. The other blows the budget with social spending. Then the future arrives and everyone’s screwed.
The SANE REPRESENTATION Party. How’s that for an avante garde concept?
You are aware it helps to a least listen to what a candidate actually says, right? That way you don’t have to make up a platform out of whole cloth, which you just did.
This is some of the most interesting Apple news in a long time. Where’s First 2014 to liven up the conversation?
Sounds great for Hillary. The more tech these days, the better.
…while also looking vaguely like the Illuminati symbol
Laugh Of The Day Award! Woke up my neighbors.
Eric Schmidt involved in stealthy operations? Say it ain’t so!
And here I was thinking that you had to be highly intelligent to run a major tech company.. Smh..
As it shakes out NOW anyway.. Bernie is a very good person.. he really does tell the truth, is committed to helping people and representing the less powerful. He also has no chance of getting elected. Trump’s teflon status is quickly eroding and regardless of what he says going forward, he has no chance of being elected either. Rubio, Bush, Firorina.. none of them will get elected due largely to the fractious nature of the Republican party who can’t even seem to elect a Speaker of the House, much less propel a president into power. Hillary is frequently a liar, an equivocator at best, but she has the best financed campaign (Trump notwithstanding and Bush who is a non-entity because he has no genuine fire). She will transcend the whole Benghazi mess (she shouldn’t but she will) the email controversy (a wildly blown out of proportion matter), and other bullshit whipped into a froth by angry conservatives. The delusional liberals who are her base are actually more powerful than most understand. Right now.. she STILL has the best chance to be the next president. A fact that just drives some people completely crazy. Schmidt is very smart, So is Rupert Murdoch. They align themselves with POWER. You can be IN or you can be OUT.. if you have billions.. you swallow your political beliefs because in the end they are just your personal opinions. Power and money are all that count. Read that again. What you think of Clinton literally matters less than zero. Get clear on that. Power and money. The smart people (and yes even the Koch Brothers) find a way to work with those they oppose politically. That’s the American way. The INSANE level of opposition means stagnation and endless argument. For some.. even if Trump were elected it would make more sense to find a way to work with him. The Tea party caucus the Freedom Caucus.. for god’s sake.. oppose what you must but quit preventing actual legislation from getting done. The American people don’t need your “loyal opposition” they need to have things get done.
As one who has and is still dealing with the after effects of that bullshit Obamacare law, and if you have not been in my shoes dealing with what I have been dealing with, I would really withhold idiotic comments, so from my point of view I say “preventing actual legislation from getting done” can actually be a good thing!
if that point of view actually made sense then you’d be fine with keeping Obamacare in place, since only legislation will change it. Unless of course more obstructionism is the better path. American democracy works best when compromise is reached and positive action taken. If you are unhappy with the law.. and clearly many people are, it will take legislators coming together to fix it… not continuing to simply sit on their hands in some form of childish refusal.
But you’re forgetting that we’re dealing with the Tea Party here. They’re the ones who took Reagan’s comment about government being the problem to ridiculous conclusions and are actively trying to break the government. So childish refusal is all they’re capable of, or otherwise they’d have to admit that government is actually good for something.
Of course, this is also the problem with only having two major parties in this country. If we were like other democratic nations who have several major parties, then there actually would have to be compromise, and then they would have to get something done. And if there were a party whose whole agenda is that government is bad and they must break it by any means necessary, they would soon find themselves ineffectual and in exile.
Methinks Eric is putting his money on the wrong horse.
One more nail in the Clinton Coffin(tm).
I wonder how many backhanders/brown envelopes will be passed around to Eric if she gets in… and of course Eric is doing it for democracy and making the USA a better place…
…yer right.