--- title: Why is Rand Paul Schmoozing in Silicon Valley description: The conservative icon could face an uphill battle making friends among techies canonical: https://time.com/3002259/rand-paul-silicon-valley/ author: Denver Nicks article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-17T20:29:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-19T07:41:36.882Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why is Rand Paul Schmoozing in Silicon Valley og:description: The conservative icon could face an uphill battle making friends among techies og:url: https://time.com/3002259/rand-paul-silicon-valley/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcd9901eb5c3e6693/69869c3bcd6848f8b1095b51/450935380.jpg?branch=production&width=396&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 396 og:image:height: 223 og:image:alt: Faith And Freedom Coalition Holds Policy Conference og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why is Rand Paul Schmoozing in Silicon Valley twitter:description: The conservative icon could face an uphill battle making friends among techies twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcd9901eb5c3e6693/69869c3bcd6848f8b1095b51/450935380.jpg?branch=production&width=396&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Rand Paul Is Schmoozing in Silicon Valley > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Rand Paul Vs. Clinton [Watch (HLS stream): Rand Paul Vs. Clinton](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/W7FxRuuE.m3u8) (1:51)  _Published 2014-02-10. Rand Paul Vs. Clinton_  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Jul 17, 2014 8:29 PM UTC  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Faith and Freedom Coalition's 'Road to Majority' Policy Conference at the Omni Shoreham hotel June 20, 2014 in Washington, DC. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) addresses the Faith and Freedom Coalition's 'Road to Majority' Policy Conference at the Omni Shoreham hotel June 20, 2014 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images  by [Denver Nicks](https://time.com/author/denver-nicks/)  ## Denver Nicks Jul 17, 2014 8:29 PM UTC As Kentucky Senator Rand Paul heads to San Francisco Thursday for a series of events over the weekend, he’s looking for two things above all: cash and geeks. Paul hopes to dip into the wealth of deep pocketed tech entrepreneurs, like PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel who donated more than $2.7 million in support of his father Ron Paul’s 2012 long shot presidential run. He also hopes to recruit tech savvy talent to work on his campaign, [reports](http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/rand-paul-tech-donors-bay-area-108998.html?hp=r6) Politico. As the scion of the country’s most prominent libertarian, Paul may find Silicon Valley to be fertile ground. Though the Silicon Valley tech scene has tended to support Democratic candidates and champion socially liberal causes, the libertarian streak that runs through the community has deep roots. Many in the tech world embrace what author Steven Levy dubbed the “[hacker ethic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker%5Fethic),” a value system stemming from the earliest days of computers that prizes transparency and voluntary collaboration and fundamentally distrusts any central authority. With startups like Uber and Airbnb recently encumbered by regulatory moves at the state and local level, Paul’s libertarian vision of limited government oversight in the market has appeal. And Paul’s public displays of opposition to the National Security Agency’s domestic surveillance programs speaks both to Silicon Valley’s libertarian bent and to concern for the bottom line of tech titans like Google and Facebook, both of which could see business hurt by NSA snooping. But Rand Paul is a Republican, not a registered Libertarian, and he has staked out positions that put him at odds with Silicon Valley big wigs, most notably on immigration. Paul voted against last year’s grand “Gang of Eight” compromise on immigration reform, a measure championed by Fwd.us, the Silicon Valley lobbying group led by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who would like to see more visas available for the kinds of highly-skilled workers Facebook likes to employ. “So far he’s tried to have it both ways,” Republican pollster Whit Ayres told TIME. “There might be some alignment on some libertarian issues but there certainly is no alignment based on immigration reform.” With unaccompanied minors flooding across the U.S.-Mexico border in recent weeks, a [Gallup](http://www.gallup.com/poll/173306/one-six-say-immigration-important-problem.aspx) poll out Wednesday reveals that immigration now tops the list of problems Americans see facing the country. If he is to make powerful allies among the tech titans of Silicon Valley, Paul will have to strike a delicate balance between the Zuckerberg set and the Tea Party border security hawks that first propelled him to national prominence. In recent days, the Senator has reportedly met privately with both Thiel and Zuckerberg. “Maybe they’re trying to woo him to their side,” Republican strategist Michael Hudome said. “He’s not to be underestimated.” ## Transcript >> After labeling Bill Clinton a sexual predator for his affair with Monica Lewinsky, Republican Rand Paul is not stepping up the attacks calling Democrats who asked him to raise campaign cash hypocrites. >> If they wanna take positional women's rights by all means, do. But you can't do it and take it from a guy who is using his position of authority to take advantage of young women in the workplace. >> It's raising new questions about whether Paul is really trying to undermine Hillary Clinton, a possible 2016 rival for the White House. He tells CNN it isn't her fault the way her husband behaved. But he also called them a fund- raising team. No official responses yet from team Clinton but their supporters are mocking Paul saying Bill Clinton's past is ancient history. >> My biggest, you know, regret is what happened in Benghazi. >> Hillary Clinton's recent history is a different matter though and Saturday night Paul again went after her for how she handled the attack that killed four Americans. >> The things that I think should limit Hillary Clinton from ever holding our office. When she was asked for reinforcements, she turned down reinforcements and we should never ever have a commander in chief who won't send reinforcements. >> All this has a new book, HRC, comes out this week, with insider details on Hillary Clinton and the Clinton's relationship. The authors on NBC recounting a scene just before his speech at the 2008 Democratic Convention. He had ripped off the structure and added some of his own poetic flourishes they write. But Hillary was having none of it. It's my speech, she declared as she left to find Bill. 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