There was a significant thread about this a couple of days ago [1]. Although this isn't technically a repost, substantively it is—the story hasn't changed. Normally, we kill such reposts as dupes. In addition, this thread is the sort of heated discussion we usually penalize.<p>However, we are careful to intervene less in controversial stories about YC or YC startups. That's the first thing PG told me about moderation and the thing he has emphasized most. So I'm going to suspend the usual rules and leave this one untouched for now. If it falls in rank, it will be purely because of user flags, and if that changes for any reason, I'll edit this comment.<p>[1] <a href="https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7612060" rel="nofollow">https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7612060</a><p>Edit: s/heated political discussion/heated discussion/<p>Edit 2: Enough users have been flagging this post to auto-kill it. I've unkilled it four times so far and will try to keep doing so, though I can't promise how quickly. (Flagging rarely kills a post—usually it at most lowers its rank—but in cases where flags overwhelm upvotes, it can.)
I would not apply to YC if I knew in advance YC was a DNC fundraising organization. (I'd be even <i>more</i> angry if it were an RNC fundraising organization.) I'd even be pissed if it were a Libertarian Party fundraising organization, even if I might donate to them myself.<p>Shark jumping doesn't even begin to address this. This is a new class of fuckup -- "when YC became a political party fundraiser" is the new shark-jump.
Some things you just have to repeat a few times for them to fully sink in. (But why?)<p>We live in a highly-charged partisan debate about all sorts of tech issues -- issues which both parties are, sadly, at odds with what's best for the nation.<p>I don't understand why YC would 1) choose to help one party or the other, 2) choose to piss off members of the other major party, and 3) politicize their mission. I thought they were there to help folks make stuff that people wanted. What part of that has to do with one party or the other?<p>Here's hoping we're missing some important detail. This just doesn't make sense to somebody watching from afar.<p>You know, traditionally if you want the president to come by and pat you on the back so you can take your victory lap, you also bring in some schmucks from the other party. That way you get the press and don't look like partisan robots. Maybe this is in the plan? (but why?)
I'm sorry to say I couldn't accept your proposal for a political contribution. Please don't take it personally. The requests I receive get better every election cycle, and since there's a limit on the number of candidates I can consider in person, I had to turn away a lot of genuinely promising candidates.<p>Another reason you shouldn't take this personally is that I know I make lots of mistakes. It's alarming how often the last candidate to make it over the threshold for consideration ends up being one that I vote for. That means there are surely other good candidates that fall just below the threshold and that I miss even considering.<p>I'm trying to get better at this, but the hard limit on the number of candidates means it's practically certain that candidates I rejected will go on to become successful office holders. If you do, I'd appreciate it if you'd send me an email telling me about it; I want to learn from my mistakes.<p>edw519
to be super clear: YC is not hosting the event, just lending the office space. my apartment is far too small.<p>there's plenty i think obama has done badly, but i think he's done a lot of good things too. and for the political issues i care most about (all related to startups, pretty much) i think he is likely to help the most. of course, everyone is welcome to disagree with me on this, and many yc community members do.
Geeks have a hard time understanding the deeply political nature of the world. Not playing politics doesn't make you wiser or smarter, it just makes you a schmuck, because someone that plays politics will come around and eat your lunch.<p>Why the democrats? On social (think Mozilla and Eich) and science/tech issues (the evangelicals), they're far more in tune with Bay Area techies than republicans.<p>If you doubt this, I will give you a tour of Crazytown (aka Toronto) where Rob Ford has made track gauges a political issue. 1435 mm? You're a liberal! 1495mm? You're a conservative!
Wow. I have been a long time follower of both hacker news and YC, but this draws the line.<p>To be a separate donor on political views alright, but to subscribe your company behind it, jeez.
Calm down people. This event was happening <i>anyway</i> at Marissa Mayer's house. If you think rationally, even if you absolutely despise Obama and more generally the political establishment, you'd be a fool to pretend that they don't exist.<p>No <i>more</i> money is going to be raised for the DNC than would have happened anyway. On the plus side, the President will hear from the startup community <i>as well as</i> the tech establishment.<p>I can't see any huge <i>real</i> negative here (and I'm a fairly extreme libertarian). Hosting or even donating to a political campaign doesn't mean you support everything they do. In fact, you often see powerful people donating to multiple, opposing parties and candidates .. it's just the only way to have influence over the issues that affect your interests.
Woah there, comment-space. Let's hold our rage-horses.<p>This looks like YC is <i>playing host</i> to the president of the United States, who happens to be a Democrat.<p>Edit: As Sam said, it's even less dramatic: They're not even hosting, they're just lending the space.<p><i>Plenty</i> of apolitical institutions with space do the same thing. (Museums, botanical gardens, etc).<p>In another year they may do it again with a president who happens to be a Republican, or Lizardman, etc, etc.<p>While the tickets do amount to donations, I think it's an error to see this as an endorsement of anybody on YC's part. In a few years they could just as well do the same thing with the RNC and a different president.
This is a PR disaster for YC. It sends a strong signal that YC is actually a political organization and not one based on merit. By making this decision, YC alienates founders who are Republicans, and disturbs anyone else who thinks that YC should be politically neutral. Because we can never know if a YC evaluator will look at an applicant's twitter feed and discount the applicant because of their political leanings (shades of Brendan Eich), applicants who are Republicans will either have to hide their affiliations, or simply not apply to YC.
This just all goes back to the seemingly unholy relationship between business and government these days. It shouldn't matter what party and what capacity.<p>They just shouldn't be related, much less running fundraisers. Even if it's just the space.
Politicians from all parties want to associate their brand with "tech." It is associated broadly with pro-growth, innovation and entrepreneurship.<p>YC is not just any old office space. Holding the event here allows the DNC, and the president, to claim support from this community.<p>It is a smart political move for the fundraisers. It is also a valuable contribution from YC leadership to the DNC.<p>Unless there is equal time given to equally important elected officials from other parties, YC can now be branded as a partisan group. You are no longer above the fray.
While the idea of YC being involved in politics at all is off-putting, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. This provides YC with valuable publicity and connections. It helps put the tech/entrepreneurship community in the public eye and will certainly bolster it's importance and value (even just a little bit). I think good can come out of this, but we'll have to see.
This just seems very short-sighted of Sam to do this so soon after being handed the keys to the YC kingdom. There is definitely, some brand damage being done here. And what's the upside? Sam gets to hang with his social betters?
The principals of every noteworthy company in the US probably gave some money to a politician. This is probably not even the first time a YC principal did a fund-raising activity.<p>My read is that YC is being used as a space, and is not giving YC funds. If this were direct to a candidate, I don't even think it would be allowed unless that candidate paid market rate for the space (or the host did and declared it as a donation). I'm not sure what the rules are for committees rather than candidates.
For context, what other businesses in SV have "lent" their space to run a fundraiser for one of the two major parties in the last ten years? Is it a common practice?
Is this a joke or a prank? Because otherwise, ick.<p>EDIT: If the event winds up being a 2 hour barrage of questions about the NSA, it might be redeemed.