Thread

Y Combinator's PAC is throwing money at Republicans across the country

75 points · 46 comments · slater

qwerpy · 1789769918 · focus · HN ↗
Are we supposed to be up in arms about this?
> 66 different federal political action campaigns (PACs), nearly half of which are supporting Republicans.
Seems balanced to me.
1. manux · 1789770022 · focus · HN ↗
  Balanced, sure. Why is 50/50 ethically coherent?
  1. sghiassy · 1789770233 · focus · HN ↗
    I’d also like to know the answer to this
  2. qwerpy · 1789770362 · focus · HN ↗
    Didn’t say it was. But the headline is implying throwing money at this particular side is noteworthy. However, money is going to both sides. Why isn’t the headline “throwing money at various political candidates”?
    sghiassy · 1789770953 · focus · HN ↗
    Because for many people, and especially for the cohort that is HN readers, the current MAGA republican, doesn’t differ just on policy decisions like a Bush or Regan, but is undermining the institutions that keep our checks and balances in place
    P.S: I hope this wasn’t too political of a comment. I know we want to keep HN political free. But it does need to be said there’s a difference between policy differences and desecration. Example from today: <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/trump-white-house-ban-msnow-cnn-politico.html" rel="nofollow">https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/18/trump-white-house-ban-msnow-...
  3. xp84 · 1789770755 · focus · HN ↗
    One party does not have an indisputable claim on being ethical.
    Both of our political parties have done highly unethical things.
    Without getting into a bunch of hot-button political fights, I'll just say: Different people prioritize different issues and the parties (and their politicians) each have a lot to be ashamed of.
    zetsurin · 1789776633 · focus · HN ↗
    Maybe one party doesn't have the claim to being ethical, but one party (Republicans) have an indisputable claim on being unethical.
    tzs · 1789784325 · focus · HN ↗
    > One party does not have an indisputable claim on being ethical.
    No, but one party does have a disputable claim on being ethical. The other party doesn't even have a disputable claim any more.
  4. legitster · 1789771018 · focus · HN ↗
    The goal is to get a seat at the table, not tip the scale.
    Even if the government is unethical, it's still a good idea to push for good policy (unless you're an accelerationist).
    Obviously we're talking about businesses here so what they are pushing for is probably ethically neutral in itself. But supporting everyone equally seems like the least bad option.

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