How Republicans could win back Silicon Valley

After all, the GOP has historically been the party of business...

Parker
(Image credit: (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))

Silicon Valley, the economic engine of the deep blue state of California, may be revving up for the GOP.

Last month, news surfaced that tech billionaire Sean Parker, of Napster and Facebook fame, was writing checks to Republican candidates across the country. The donations marked a strategic departure for Parker, who has largely backed Democrats in the past. This isn't a blip — it's part of a worrying trend for progressives, as Silicon Valley entrepreneurs show an increased willingness to put aside liberal idealism not only to side with libertarians when it comes to government snooping and regulations in the digital world, but also to reach across party lines to pursue their business interests in Washington. As Joel Kotkin, a fellow in urban studies at Chapman University, puts it, "They may wear T-shirts to work, but the tycoons of Silicon Valley are, in some respects, J.P. Morgan's true heirs."

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Dana Liebelson is a reporter for Mother Jones. A graduate of George Washington University, she has worked for a variety of advocacy organizations in the District, including the Project on Government Oversight, International Center for Journalists, Rethink Media, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, and Change.org. She speaks Mandarin and German and plays violin in the D.C.-based Indie rock band Bellflur.