[kafkaesq]

He said "You kinda don't want to win 2016".

Thiel isn't just "weird"; it should be pretty clear that he's out-and-out nuts, by this point.

At least he's being honest in conveying to us that not only does he not expect his sockpuppet candidate to win in 2016 - but that his ideology as a whole is essentially fatalistic; and that he needs some major catastrophe (in the form of either the economic collapse he's predicting; or of an actual Trump administration, which he's smart enough to realize would also be a major disaster) to bring about the sweeping, transformative change in global consciousness that he seeks -- the social chaos, ruined lives, and piles of corpses be damned.

Just like any megalomaniacal ideologue anywhere, since the beginning of time.

[sremani]

Lets tone down the rhetoric, I have immense respect for Thiel, he is a smart man, man of ideas and vision. But he is not infallible. As Gandhi said, right to err is a basic right. He is a known libertarian and for his own reasons supports Trump, so what?! Also remember, you are not infallible either.

[Analemma_]

> so what?!

There are some people, including a lot of us here on Hacker News, for whom a Trump administration wouldn't be that big of a deal. I'd hate it, but my day-to-day life probably wouldn't change all that much (unless he really goes off the deep end and starts a war, either the real kind or the trade kind, which can't be ruled out).

But there are a lot of people for whom a Trump administration would be a living hell. Those people have a right to be angry at Thiel's support of Trump without being treated to a "so what?! he's a smart mean of ideas and vision" lecture.

That's especially true when, as mentioned above, Thiel's support doesn't appear to be coming from a genuine belief that Trump is the right man for the job, but rather a hope that he will be such a disaster the country will fall apart, and that will ultimately result in the more widespread public support for Ayn Rand-style libertarianism that Thiel has been craving for so long. "Let's burn everything down and hope my preferred ideology springs from the ashes" is easy to support when you're rich and powerful enough to be unharmed by the "burning down" part, which Thiel is and most people are not.

[sremani]

I am not telling people to stop being critical of others, but we should stop painting people whom we disagree with as James Bond movie Villains. That is the point. During the election cycle, we all get emotional esp. if we are politically minded, my caution is against these heightened emotions and rhetoric.

Contempt for fellow citizens should not be a habit.

[kafkaesq]

I see your general point, and I respect it.

At the same time: in politics we occasionally do find there are truly bad actors; -- who don't just hold views we disagree with, or find distasteful; but who are basically out to push buttons and sow chaos (either with some greater goal in mind, or with chaos, and/or simple ego gratification in itself as the ultimate goal). And when this happens -- as it seems to be happening in the current U.S. election cycle -- it isn't uncivil (or even impolitic) to point this out.

It's simply a matter of stating the obvious -- and calling a spade a spade.

[vivekd]

I don't really follow American politics too much (I'm a Canadian), but as I see it, the people who stand be really adversely affected by Trumps policies are illegal Mexican immigrants and people from Islamic countries, and to be honest, I don't think they will actually be affected. I think trump is lying about those campaign promises. For one, it's just not practical from a logistic standpoint to deport all those millions of Mexican illegal immigrants, the process would bankrupt the country, and Trump has got to now that.

It's also not practical, in a globalized world, to have a ban on immigrants from Islamic countries. It would be financial suicide.

I think Trump is going to backtrack on both these promises, I think the Muslim ban is going to become a ban on "non approved" immigrants from Syria, Iraq and Yemen where there are major conflicts and he's probably going to backtrack on the Mexican issue claiming impracticability.

I mean really, it's not like anyone holds you the promises you make during primaries. I remember Trump also made a promise to shut down congress over the abortion issue (which is impossible for congress to overturn because it's been ruled a Constitutional right) and then just a few days later, I saw him on the news praising planned parenthood for the great work they do.

I think the guy is just playing to the crowd and saying what it takes to get the nomination. Trump seems to me to be one of those guys who is determined and will do what it takes to succeed at what he sets his mind to. I think a lot of his more radical statements during the Primaries is just election talk aimed at getting single issue republican voters to rally behind him (the Christian right over abortion, the nationalist right over immigration etc).

Also Theil is a huge pro-immigration advocate, I can't see him supporting an anti-immigration candidate .

[dragonwriter]

> I don't really follow American politics too much (I'm a Canadian), but as I see it, the people who stand be really adversely affected by Trumps policies are illegal Mexican immigrants and people from Islamic countries

Many people who do follow American politics closely disagree with this assessment of who stands to be "really adversely affected" by a Trump Presidency.

[mjburgess]

"The right to err" is commensurate right on behalf of those your err'ing against to call you a lunatic.

Thiel is responsible for his own pronouncements, ideological fantasies and desire for catastrophe.

[clarkmoody]

> He is a known libertarian and for his own reasons supports Trump

This is the craziest part to understand. Trump is about as libertarian as Hillary.

[kafkaesq]

Exactly. Talk about ulterior motives.