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 The libertarian-leaning Kentucky Senator tweeted, Snapchatted and
Instagrammed his way through the South by Southwest Interactive
conference as he sought to make inroads among an independent-minded
crowd that could serve as an important source of money, votes and
programming talent for his expected presidential bid.
"If you want talent you gotta go where the talent is," he said on
Monday.
It was the first time a potential candidate has participated in the
conference, according to organizers. Paul spent much of the weekend
talking about the shared DNA of the tech community and the
libertarian movement, but he spent little time talking about net
neutrality, the thorny question of how to ensure that all Internet
traffic is treated equally.
While many tech companies back recently approved rules that
broadband providers such as Verizon and Comcast should be regulated
like utilities, Paul and other Republicans have argued that the new
regulations will choke off innovation.
It's an argument he has made in great detail in other forums. In
front of this crowd, he framed the debate in the broadest terms
possible.
"I don't want the government to screw up one of the greatest
technologies we've had," he told the conference on Sunday, drawing
applause.
The applause that line drew came as a surprise for tech consultant
Warren Hanes, who said he thought many at the conference weren't
aware of his opposition to the new rules.
"It’s possible there are people who simply responded emotionally to
the issue of less regulation," he said.
TECHNOLOGY ARMS RACE
Paul's decision to spend the weekend in Texas, rather than
early-voting states like Iowa or New Hampshire, highlight the
crucial role the technology industry is likely to play in 2016 -
both as a source of money and talent.
While former Florida Governor Jeb Bush has locked down many big
donors on Wall Street and Florida Senator Marco Rubio has made
inroads with the billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch,
Paul has worked hard to cultivate ties in Silicon Valley, where many
entrepreneurs share his frustration with government eavesdropping.
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Campaigns have also engaged in a technology arms race since 2004 to
find ever more sophisticated ways to target voters. Planting the
flag at South by Southwest could help Paul build a cutting-edge
operation.
On Monday, he opened an office for his political-action committee at
the Capital Factory, a shared-office space for technology startups
in a downtown Austin high-rise.
The tech industry gave twice as much money to Democratic President
Barack Obama than his Republican rival Mitt Romney in the 2012
election.
Paul's conservative stances on social issues like gay marriage and
abortion could prove troubling for many in the industry, where
liberal social views are widespread. Mozilla Corp. CEO Brendan Eich,
for example, resigned under pressure in 2014 after board members
objected to his support for a previous campaign against gay
marriage.
Paul's views on social issues are "a real problem for people like
me," said Jeff Boedeker, a producer at a multimedia company. Still,
he says he believes the final say on abortion and same sex marriage
will go to the courts, not the president, making support of Paul
more palatable.
(Writing by Andy Sullivan and Sarah McBride, editing by Ross Colvin)
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