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Okay, random thing I’ve been thinking about: Brad Parscale.
And this is just me thinking out loud, theorycrafting as it where.
Rumour has it that Parscale is going to turn on Trump and help nail the Trump campaign for finance violations.
And this is just me thinking out loud, theorycrafting as it where.
Rumour has it that Parscale is going to turn on Trump and help nail the Trump campaign for finance violations.
I looked at Parscale’s LinkedIn and it looks to me like the resume of a dude who knows tech. What I said before about the Trump data operation is this: Trump might stiff the contractors who work on his real estate but he is NOT stiffing the tech people.
There is a staggering amount of power in the hands of sysadmins. That power is so technically advanced to guys like Trump that it might as well be magic. If a contractor gave him trouble, it’s not like they can go back to the casino and take out the renovations, let’s say.
Guys like Trump can hire security, lawyers, that sort of thing. But sysadmins, man. They are SCARY motherfuckers. They own the keys to every digital kingdom. They have to be there because it’s not like Trump knows WTF do to with an Nginx server, for example.
A good sysadmin knows just how hard it is to keep everything running at the best of times, and how easy it is to fuck shit up if you’re feeling malicious.
We are really lucky that most of them are ethical, tbh. They have power you cannot control.
We are really lucky that most of them are ethical, tbh. They have power you cannot control.
So basically you mistreat your tech guys at your fucking peril. Trump can pull a lot of bullshit but there is No Way he wasn’t paying Parscale very well for his services.
Parscale kept the money hose working. He was the one in charge.
Parscale kept the money hose working. He was the one in charge.
Read his Wiki page and you get a sense that this is a guy who seriously knows tech, online advertising, social media, and data analysis.
I would be really surprised if he didn’t know just about everything to do with Trump’s online fundraising.
I would be really surprised if he didn’t know just about everything to do with Trump’s online fundraising.
And FWIW I would bet you $10 that the vast majority of Trump’s donation money came from online fundraising.
Side note: if you’re a sysadmin, you have access to ALL THE DATA. You know exactly how much money is coming in and going out, for example.
Side note: if you’re a sysadmin, you have access to ALL THE DATA. You know exactly how much money is coming in and going out, for example.
You think accountants know where the bodies are buried, hooo boy do I have news for you about whoever’s got root access to the main databases.
They can tell you what the murderer had for lunch a week before the death occurred.
They can tell you what the murderer had for lunch a week before the death occurred.
So... safe bet that he had a lot of power and he knew a lot of stuff (working for the Trump org since 2011). So what exactly did he find out recently?
Dude’s having a bad time of it and got Baker Acted. Let’s assume for a moment that he has some kind of self-awareness.
Dude’s having a bad time of it and got Baker Acted. Let’s assume for a moment that he has some kind of self-awareness.
People are all the heroes of their own story, right? However he justified it to himself, working for Trump.
I have a feeling that we’ll find out eventually that he’s under massive stress because he’s up to his neck in money laundering shit, all the cash has been pissed away...
I have a feeling that we’ll find out eventually that he’s under massive stress because he’s up to his neck in money laundering shit, all the cash has been pissed away...
...and he’s just realized that they’re going to hang it all on him.
Not to get all tinfoil-hatty on anyone here but it’s Trump’s MO to use and abuse people for his own ends. So Parscale gets pulled into some not-entirely-legal campaign finance violations.
Not to get all tinfoil-hatty on anyone here but it’s Trump’s MO to use and abuse people for his own ends. So Parscale gets pulled into some not-entirely-legal campaign finance violations.
Parscale makes out like a bandit from it and the Trump campaign funnels all that lovely donation cash into various black holes. So maybe it’s okay for a while. He lies to himself, makes up some justification for why it’s not really bad.
Trump wants all the money going into his own businesses, so he leans on Parscale, who has to make some hard choices, and he pisses Trump off.
Maybe this wasn’t the plan but Trump is a sociopath. And then Tulsa happens and Parscale fails like WHOAH.
Maybe this wasn’t the plan but Trump is a sociopath. And then Tulsa happens and Parscale fails like WHOAH.
So Trump is like, here’s a guy who can’t do what I want (push money to my businesses) and who can’t get results and who’s paid a LOT and who has a lot of power. And he replaces him with Bill Stepien.
Stepien BTW is into data/money but doesn’t seem like a tech guy.
Stepien BTW is into data/money but doesn’t seem like a tech guy.
Anyway Parscale has been accused of spending like a drunken sailor on all kinds of shit and I think we’ll find out that it was at the behest of the Trump campaign.
And he believes he’s going to go to jail for it.
And he believes he’s going to go to jail for it.
Could he turn on Trump and sing like a canary? Maybe. He’s the perfect guy to do it. Just depends on whether he has a conscience or a will to save his own skin.
Watch this space, kids. If Parscale starts talking then it’ll be one hell of a trip.
Watch this space, kids. If Parscale starts talking then it’ll be one hell of a trip.
Adding this here because HOLY ABSOLUTE SHIT, you guys.
They got the actual campaign database from 2016. https://twitter.com/channel4news/status/1310584937356103686
They got the actual campaign database from 2016. https://twitter.com/channel4news/status/1310584937356103686
In fairness to Parscale, this looks to my data analyst and former online marketing eyes like he is HELLA smart and knew exactly what he was doing.
Like I’d be somewhat confident in saying Parscale delivered Trump to the White House.
Like I’d be somewhat confident in saying Parscale delivered Trump to the White House.
I don’t say that lightly.
Back in 2012-2013 I used to work in online marketing using Facebook’s APIs and there were several fortunes to be made off FB’s micro-targeting.
Those APIs leaked a TON of personal data. So much I can’t describe.
Back in 2012-2013 I used to work in online marketing using Facebook’s APIs and there were several fortunes to be made off FB’s micro-targeting.
Those APIs leaked a TON of personal data. So much I can’t describe.
We weren’t supposed to have access to that data and TBH there isn’t a lot I can say about it now (plus it’s ancient history, lol). FB got better over the years but not that much better.
So: Cambridge Analytica compiles the dataset. Parscale uses it to run the campaign.
So: Cambridge Analytica compiles the dataset. Parscale uses it to run the campaign.
Maybe it wasn’t the Russians.
Maybe it wasn’t low enthusiasm for Clinton.
Maybe it was just one dipshit white techbro who used his powers for evil.
Having seen this now, based on what I know of the tech, it’s looking more likely to me.
Maybe it wasn’t low enthusiasm for Clinton.
Maybe it was just one dipshit white techbro who used his powers for evil.
Having seen this now, based on what I know of the tech, it’s looking more likely to me.
Anyway FFS delete Facebook and install a good adblocker because it does nothing useful that can’t be replaced by other services or email
