They aren't under threat. Many republicans thrived under Obama.

The campaign commercials came easy, and the donations flowed.

And they weren't expected to deliver anything.

You say that, but Rand Paul got booted off Facebook for a brief period, and a Republican congressional candidate got banned from Twitter in the 2018 midterms.

I'd say those are pretty direct attacks.

Yeah, Rand Paul is an outsider.

Think instead of creatures like Rubio.

I used to like that guy. Now I'm convinced he's clueless.

Remember when Flake was considered a diehard conservative? Turns out he was just McCain's bootlicker.

He's not clueless. It's just that his goals aren't in alignment with the people who vote for him.

You think he's basically a grifter wanting campaign contributions or something?

Rubio was in serious debt in 2015. Now he has a net worth of ~$500,000.

I don't think he's intentionally trying to fleece anyone, but his financial fortunes have improved dramatically through politics, and he's not likely to risk that.

Sounds like a senator. I can't think of a Senator who hasn't gotten rich in Congress. Even "the people's Socialist" Bernie Sanders is stupid rich (in his case, in the millions).

And taking major political stands is risky. He's always going to play things nice and safe.

I guess, but mass censorship of his allies must be a risk in the long run.

And do what the most moneyed donors want him to do.

I mean, he doesn't have to be Ted Cruz. But that's just the point.

You'd expect *enough* Republicans to want to do something to push the bootlickers into defending themselves.

Unless you think the Tech companies have enough money and sway on their own.

Which, considering Google was the single largest lobbying organization in the past several years, is very believable.

The average age of republican senators is 61 according to Google.

These people have no personal experience with this problem.

I wouldn't be so sure. They all have social media arms in their campaigns at this point.

They all have run ads.

I think it's more likely their naive about how badly the left wants to get rid of them. That's my experience with most mainline Republican activists too.

Naivety is a major problem for sure.

Normalcy bias exists.

They simply can't perceive the risks. They do a good job terrifying themselves of goat herders in Iraq, but can't see ANTIFA knocking on their own doors and aren't willing to go to war with institutions de-platforming them.

I've gotten yelled at and kicked from mainline Republican circles for telling them years ago that Google was going to start messing with things and was the greatest risk for individual liberty in the last decade--possibly human history.

The naivete is real.

---
Them: "Google would *never* have rogue employees who might leak personal information from Gmail to rogue, potentially violent, elements. The users would flee and Google would go bankrupt"
Me: "Before or after you're dead?"
Them: "If it happens we'll have the police take care of it"
Me: "Are these police on Gmail?"

---
Them: "Fox news and the Republican party are too big and important to get censored or attacked"
Me: "wanna bet?"

The amazing part is that most Republicans I know in academia could see this all from a mile away. Look at Niall Fergusen's writings in 2017 about the coming tech censorship. It's not like they weren't warned.

From yesterday
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/14/johnson--johnson-shares-drop-on-reuters-report-that-the-company-knew-for-decades-of-asbestos-in-its-baby-powder.html

https://abc7ny.com/food/farm-tied-to-romaine-e-coli-outbreak-recalling-cauliflower/4899297/?sf204310000=1

Be careful, ladies and gents

The side effect of those going after Patreon and SubcribeStar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETt5JzufY4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FETt5JzufY4

First they came for Sargon, then they came for the SexyCyborgs

She has a troubled history with VICE and then editor. The one who became NYTimes tech editor.

https://medium.com/@therealsexycyborg/shenzhen-tech-girl-naomi-wu-my-experience-with-sarah-jeong-jason-koebler-and-vice-magazine-3f4a32fda9b5