1. Social Media Influencers are more important than traditional political endorsements
There is a mantra I repeat all the time: “If the information is important it will find me” . We don’t go find the news. It finds us. The majority of presidential election voters don’t turn on the evening news or open a newspaper or even tune to cable news network to learn about the candidates and decide on who they will vote for it. They probably can’t name all the candidates running for POTUS. I’m not sure if they care.
What they trust are their social media news feeds. Whats on their instagram. Whats mentioned on snapchat stories. What’s in their FB feed.
We are on the verge of Ground Game meaning not just what influencers you can get going door to door or calling their friends, but who will develop a FB, snapchat, instagram and twitter following and push messages out.
Along these same lines, while we have seen some Youtubers during debates, we haven’t really seen any endorsements of candidates from big time social media influencers. IMHO, any candidate that wants to win the youth vote should be more interested in getting an endorsement from Nash Grier types than traditional political influencers.
It’s a new political world.
2. SocioCapitalism is and has been Capitalism for Millennials. You haven’t been paying attention. Bernie has.
If you watch Shark Tank you may have noticed a trend. Entrepreneurs don’t just want to make a profit, they want to make a profit and share their success with those less fortunate. I first saw this in the mid 90’s when Rob Glaser founded Progressive Networks and promised 5 pct of their profits to those less fortunate.
We saw this type of philanthropy gain interest with Tom’s Shoes and their One for One program.
Today, charitable give aways, or inclusive hiring as part of a product or service purchase is more than just common place. We see it on Shark Tank in almost every pitch from a 20-something entrepreneur. Several of my recent Shark Tank deals reflect this trend, RRiveter , Combat Flip Flops, Living Christmas Trees to name just a few.
Not only are 20-something entrepreneurs starting companies with a social component , 20 – Something consumers are EXPECTING a social component from companies they do business with.
So how can it be a surprise that Millennials are excited about Bernie Sanders ? Millennials EXPECT capitalism to reflect a socialist element. I don’t think Bernie knew this going in. Either way, any candidate that expects to get millennial votes needs to understand that your father’s capitalism is not what how they understand the world. Soci0-Capitalism is who they are and what this country will be. Whether you like it or not.
To each according to their ability, from each support for those in need. d
3. There has not been a single instance of leadership from any of the candidates
Bitching about everyone else is not leadership. It may play to the base, but it certainly doesn’t reflect an ability to lead. This years candidates seem to want to prove to everyone that they conform to “party principles” rather than offering strategies and solutions and rallying consensus behind it. In fact, they argue with each other about who conforms to party standards more. IMHO, this is just crazy.
The democrats argue about who can give away more stuff and is more progressive. The republicans argue about who is the purer conservative and how hard they will work to undo what is already done. Both sides stick purely to issues that are raised in polls and in debates. None of the candidates have moved into new territory.
It’s as if there is an island for democrats and an island for republicans and no one ventures off.
A leader would come up with new ideas and new solutions for issues that are outside what everyone is talking about and make people realize just how important they are to the country. It may not seem like it sometimes, but this country does want exciting new ideas. We want to know there is a positive direction for us. The future of this country can’t just be about free stuff, raising taxes on the rich or cutting taxes for everyone, keeping people out and undoing what is already done.
There are new ideas in this world that matter. It would be nice to get one from a Presidential candidate.
4. It’s a problem that all the candidates appear to be technologically illiterate.
Using or not using email, being on social media, neither reflect a knowledge of technology. No one is saying they have to be hard core geeks, but the future of this country, our jobs, economy, security, culture, lifestyle and more are intertwined with advanced technology. How can you hope to strategize and create solutions to issues we face without having more than a basic understanding of technology ?
Wars won’t be fought with bombs and bullets as much as bytes and advanced technologies. Homeland security will be much more about machine vision, learning and Artificial Intelligence than walls. The future of healthcare and its cost will be much more about personalized medicine and CRISPR than trying to defund Obamacare. Do our candidates realize that when it comes to hacking, there are only 2 kinds of companies and government agencies, those who have been hacked, and those who don’t know they have been hacked ? And what about our stock markets ? Does anyone understand what is going on in the markets and how technology has completely upended companies ability to raise capital publicly and undermined the confidence our citizens have in our markets ? Financial terrorism is more than just a possibility.
This isn’t about the age of the candidates. It’s about their knowledge. None has given us any reason to believe they could make a decision on the technology used by a tiny business let alone the country.
5. The Ultimate Stress Test – Updated
A theme in this election has been anger. Voters are angry at Washington. I disagree. Voters have never expected anything from Washington. So the concept of insiders vs outsiders, establishment vs non-establishment is really just headline fodder.
I think the real problem is the uncertainty that comes with more than half of the country having under 10k in liquid assets and about 35pct having under 1k.
I’ve been there. When you don’t have enough to buy health insurance, even with subsidies, that is stress. If you are fortunate enough to get insurance and your savings are less than your deductible, thats stress. When you know that one problem with your car and you are carless, that is stress.
Much of the savings from the drop in gas prices has not been spent because of these stresses
Think of it as an equation:
If Savings < (Car Insurance Deductible + Health Insurance Deductible + Expected Car Repairs + Transportation Payments + Health Insurance Payments ) = You are in deep shit
If you are a parent, add the risk of healthcare for you kids
If you have student loans, add your minimum monthly payment.
And each individual has additional items that they will add to this formula.
Add it all up and at least half the country is stressed about keeping their heads above water. It’s not that they are mad at politicians, it’s that no one, politicians or elsewhere has proposed anything that gives anyone a glimmer of hope of swimming above their debt.
Tax cuts won’t do it. Redistribution of wealth might help in the short term, but won’t solve the problem. The first step is to understand just what the budgets of underwater American families are and to look for ways to provide ways to cut those costs. Hopefully the free market can find answers. Here is what I have asked a couple of people to look at.
I asked a machine learning company to try to find nutrition databases of readily available, deliverable foods from Amazon and to cross reference those databases against the Amazon delivered price in one urban city. The goal is to create the least cost, deliverable daily or weekly menu of food that meets a high level of nutritional requirements for individuals and families.
Can we do it ? It is far from certain. Will it work ? It should, but that doesn’t mean it will. Will people use it if it does save them money and provide viable menu options ? The odds are firmly against it. But there is only one way to find out. This isn’t a quick turn project. It will take time. If you have a better idea, tell us.
6. Now for my pet peeve.
There has never been an investor in the history of investors that has believed a 10 year projection in a business plan. Yet for some reason we allow candidates to deliver tax , healthcare and other financial plans over a 10 year period.
The only certainty is that they are wrong.
Are we that stupid ?
if you have gotten this far, thanks for reading my rant
As always you can discuss with me on the Cyber Dust app , user ID – Blogmaverick
I agree with most of your points. I have some additional thoughts.
1. It is so exciting that people are identifying beyond old social boundaries / “casts”
2. I think money will move to places of need with much greater ease
3. I am beginning to think of a leader as a (less needed) middle man between collective needs and their fulfillment.
4. True, most leaders are old school. Also how they got there seems to be who they are.
5. I agree that most voters know that it is all game. Many choose not to play but like to watch.
6. I think predictability and planning has less value. Changes are happening faster and faster. Value could be in those old principles ( methodology) that always guided us – the idea that we should focus on a principled methodology than strict outcomes.
Oh well .. the question could be … drum roll please .. “Do we really need leaders?”
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Comment by sarahvaughn8400 -
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What they trust are their social media news feeds. Whats on their instagram. Whats mentioned on snapchat stories. What’s in their FB feed.
That trust comes with an expectation that those social media feeds are honest and not tampered with. But with Twitter and Facebook actively manipulating those feeds to promote certain viewpoints and to negate others, that trust is disappearing.
See Robert Stacy Mccain’s account suspension on twitter for one example.
Comment by John Oglesby (@droolonthefrog) -
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We need more collaboration in this world. Speaking of which, please check out our educational platform at aceducational.org or facebook.com/acezis. If interested, shoot me an email (contact details ceo@aceducational.org)
Comment by Millian Gee -
Do you invest in shower product companies ???…..Body Detailer LLC in Los Angeles is seeking financing. Mass Distribution plan is in place with retailer interest.
Comment by Body Detailer® (@BodyDetailer) -
Right on, Mark. If anyone doesn’t believe that social media influencers (and the media) are more important than traditional political endorsements, they have been sleeping under a rock. One of these candidates is actually going to “lead” our country for at least the next 4 years. Everything every one of these candidates does or says is “news”…… even if it happened in 2002.
Comment by Audrey Folmer -
“…Yet for some reason we allow candidates to deliver tax , healthcare and other financial plans over a 10 year period.” “…Are we that stupid?”
The answer that you already know is: Yes. The vast majority of Americans are stupid. Stupid is lacking intelligence OR common sense. For America to continue to elect politicians who do absolutely nothing about the problems indicate that Americans and the electorate in other democratic countries are indeed STUPID. I bet your billions that 80% of Americans have not the slightest idea about the practice of 10 year forecasting for budgetary purposes, much less how budgets work in the first place. Most people don’t even budget their own money!
And there’s not, I dare say, one politician who has a plan to actually balance the budget AND pay off the debt in 4,8,12, 20 or 50 years!
An ass-kick’in adjustment is on the way and it will smack the stupid out of America when it is least expected!
Comment by Herschel -
Completely agree. We’re in the beginning stages of the A.I. Automation Age. Labor jobs stand to disappear by the millions over a 15 to 20 year period and not a single candidate appears to understand that. The Federal Government seems happy to add debt onto current college students changing normal interest rates instead of dropping the interest rate down to the default rate.
The rich are getting richer because the middle class can’t buy property, they can’t buy property because the cost of normal things are exponentially higher today than 10 year ago, rents keep going up because people can’t buy property making it harder to get away from renting. People can’t save because their savings get eliminated by increased costs, increased rent, forced health insurance purchases or being fined, and student loan debt. Add in to that equation the rich investing in automation technology like those ordering kiosks at Panera, self-checkout machines, autonomous vehicles, and even automated web design programs and it’s a perfect recipe for pending economic disaster.
Comment by Joe Youngblood (@YoungbloodJoe) -
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It’s a amazing how wealthy people, when faced with demands for more equality, always resort to simplistic memes like “they want to give stuff away”. It’s not coincidental that the same parties never complain about all the stuff the US government “gives away” to corporations. Corporate welfare, bail outs, tax breaks, military support, etc.
Comment by Harry Cardillo (@HarryCardillo) -
Very well stated Mark! Hey, have you considered running yourself? You sir, would spank Trump’s ass!
Comment by Chuck Bacon -
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There were two candidates who seemed to have a better grasp of technology and who were willing to think out of the Box: Carly Fiorina & Rand Paul. Loved the rant.
Comment by lupitatucker -
I’m shocked at the number of socialist sympathizers on this blog. The indoctrination of our youth, liberal educators taking root. Venezuela, Brazil, most of South America, socialist countries with failing economies. Empty shelves, awful health care, long lines. The only people not affected? The ruling political class making the decisions for the rest. Check your history of the New Deal, prolonged unemployment , didn’t solve it. We are a great nation, the nation many, many people wish to come to because of the individual freedoms offered (at least for a little while longer). Cuban baseball players have risked their lives to play in America, and now they are leaving the island in droves with the loosening of the noose. Ask yourselves, in whatever path you follow, do you really want to allow the government to take 3/4 of what you earn? How long before you decide to let someone else bust their ass? For what? Be careful what you ask for, you may get it and be very sorry someday. It scares me to death.
Comment by skippyramona -
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Bernie’s got a clue; we older folks (one doesn’t have to be as old as Bernie) have sometimes have paid attention, observed, understood (or investigated till things became clearer). Sometimes age can bring wisdom (takes serious effort).
You want to be a Republican…
Read: Bulls Bears and the Ballot Box by Bob Deitrick and Lew Goldfarb. Socio-Capitalism same as the New Deal (see also: New New Deal by Michael Grunwald, and: The Wrecking Crew by Thomas Frank).
Then ask, “Why?”
Comment by Stephen Wyman -
A lot of what he says is spot on. But, I have problems with some of these ideas, which sound like pure rhetoric: “Tax cuts won’t do it. Redistribution of wealth might help in the short term, but won’t solve the problem. The first step is to understand just what the budgets of underwater American families are and to look for ways to provide ways to cut those costs. Hopefully the free market can find answers.”
My reply to these:
1) Tax cuts WILL do it, provided they’re given to the 99%.
2) Redistribution of wealth IS a long term solution. In fact it’s a basic requirement for an equitable society. This statement implies that he shouldn’t give up some of the welfare dollars he’s been given.
3) Understand the budgets of underwater American families…Fucking duh, but hey Marc, NEWSFLASH, that should have been your step #1.
4) Provide ways to cut those costs for underwater American families… Yeah, we solve that with #1 and #2… it’s not rocket-science.
5) Free market doesn’t care about people… get your head out of your privileged ass, Marc.
Comment by Adam Fowler -
Socio-Capitalism=Capitalism with a conscience; the conviction all Americans are contributors; & the ‘moral imperative’.
Comment by Jose Luis (@one4wisdom) -
I don’t feel at all aware enough of Economics or American politics to discuss any of the other points. But regarding point 1 and 2, while i agree 100% with the sentiment in regards to Future-Looking, you might be a bit too far ahead of the curve right now.
The signs are all there; the voices are strong and this idea of a rights honouring socially conscious but business minded state is certainly seeded and our progression towards it is very, very clear. At least to me.
But I think you’re call of it’s importance is rushing it; which might be to do with the echo effect of the Internet and the massive saturation of these socially minded people (in areas such as Facebook, petition signing, blog reading).
1. Reasonably I think that the % of tech engaged individuals of that view far outweighs the % in virtually every other view, after all; it is the internet and it’s connecting culture that certainly caused the millennials to begin to think this way; Their the Internets first children.
But that also means when you have 5000 of these individuals engaging; it doesn’t imply 45,000 who aren’t; like it would for 5000 baby boomers. There isn’t as much of a silent majority; we’re all pretty loud, arrogant and better then thou.
2. I also think your neglecting the appeal of radical positions at the age the millennials are currently at. Not Trump radical; But Anarchy, Marxism, Communism, Libertarian-ism. First you have to persuade these guys to vote at all, let alone for a Candidate that has at least shook hands with some Oil Tycoon’s CEO.
3. We’re also lazy. Not in the way many people think we are. But in our information gathering; we skim read and listen to fast talking people who deliver fast input so we can digest quickly and move on to more information (maybe that’s not lazy, but it sure isn’t entirely productive either) rarely sticking to something until fruition. You can see the evidence of this in how Flash Fire Activism for causes rises and falls with the same haste as the New’s does when Journalistic integrity is being reported on. Petitions, Political Selfies, #Hashtags and Click bait. it rises, it burns, it dies and we all forget about it.
This isn’t to say that this change isn’t coming; it certainly is, but if I was forced to put a bet on it: Traditionalist fear of the different so far has repeatedly won out at crunch time no matter how ferocious and hot the new voices seem to be and because of that 2016 is unlikely to swing that way as much, I’d even say 2020 will do the same. I’d bet on 2024 as the first election where SocioCapitalism is in full demand and social media becomes the dominant campaigning position; that is the first I time I see the true Internet Babies becoming the dominant ideological voice.
Comment by EmptyE -
There is another culprit here. Essentially, the media is leading the texture, content and temperament of the pre-presidential race. So to the debate moderators & commentators …. ask the important questions, “lead” in favor of rational discussion and avoid the emotional pitting of candidate against canditate. I for one have been waiting for a debate that is about nothing but policy, realistic intent and pragmatic approach to problem solving.
Comment by Pamela Greusel (@PJayyy) -
Valid points all around, especially the ability of some candidates to navigate more skillfully amid social-media waters than others. However, just as is stated within this post, genuine leadership isn’t about bashing the other candidates. I’ve yet to hear one, not a single candidate yet weigh in on the scheduled release of all the files related to the JFK Assassination in 2017, yet that single issue alone has the potential to bring citizens closer to their government or seriously strain the already suspicious undertones since that tragic day in 1963 http://jfkambush.com/
Comment by Jack Kennedy -
The mere mention of Hillary Clinton will probably generate an onslaught of negativity. However, the Clintons have always been liberal moderates, or moderate liberals, close enough to the middle that some here are suggesting is not present in this year’s race.
Unfortunately, most moderates in our society tend to be structured, hard working people who don’t get into online scrums the way that the passionate supporters of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders do. Even Ted Cruz has militant bloggers who counter attacked on Sarah Palin’s Facebook page when Palin attacked Cruz for stating that Ben Carson had quit the Iowa Caucus.
Bill Clinton is the only president in the past 80 years who actually lowered his annual budget deficit each and every year he was in office, Bill Clinton is also the only president in the last 80 years who left office more popular than when he was elected. I think Hillary Clinton would do a better job than Bill Clinton, yet she has no social media love going for her because her biggest support is from moderates are just less social media active, hence, we are seeing social media drive the winners to be more brash and more neo than ever before. (and all the negatives this comment will probably get will just prove that point).
Comment by Alessandro Machi -
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Mark, nice touch by subtly weaving in machine learning. Considering the emerging, endemic trend of millennial unemployment, would love your take on the potential for technology to ‘replace’ humans in certain functions (i.e., routine, monotonous, ‘incremental’ tasks).
Comment by bumseo (@brikstah) -
The problem is our country’s smartest, creative, successful people work in science, business, and other private sector jobs. If we could find a way to bring these people in to direct political positions for one or two terms we would be much better off.
Instead we get mostly lawyers and career politicians. I feel this is why some voters are looking at Carson and Trump as the anti-politician. This trend could continue with more qualified candidates.
Comment by David Rosenblatt (@drosenblatt78) -
Mark – What do you think of the idea of a new political party that is specifically in the “middle”. I have to believe that the country is a bell-curve being forced to act like an upside-down bell-curve. Be all about compromise, not adamantly opposed to compromise. Perhaps it could be called the “moderate” party because each of the current parties is an “extreme” party on one end or the other.
We need someone to lead this.
Comment by Duke G -
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The Law of Unintended Consequences, where pragmatic thinking fails to address our problems, is why the government and economy are so chaotic. It is the reason why we cannot solve poverty, the reason why trickle down economics failed. It is the reason why one of the greatest national economies with all it’s advantages educates kids likely to drop out of college in their first year heavily in debt with jobs paying insufficient income to cover it because they need remedial courses and are unprepared for the task at hand. It is why a working welfare single mom is in debt because her child care costs are more than she earns working. And is why, as Mark Cuban states, “There has never been an investor in the history of investors that has believed a 10 year projection in a business plan.” And it is why capitalism is no longer the capitalism we once knew and why a republic with democratic principles hides an oligarchy within it under Citizens United. And, it is why our attempt to solve our terrorist problem by invading Iraq destabilized the middle east and created a worse terrorist problem than we had and why our meddling in Iran’s affairs created tensions between us and them. It is why technology improvements create as much unemployment as the employment it creates. Such as all the typographer jobs lost with the introduction of computer graphics. How technology creates as many problems as it solves. It is why capitalism involves so much government quantitative easing, federal spending, and corporate-written government regulations in a supposedly free market society.
The Law of Unintended Consequences involves unexpected results due to opposing influences, a rigged game, those whom profit from gaming the system, multinational business intervening in government to get government to intervene in business to the advantage of the politically influential business over it’s competition, small business, it’s customers, it’s employees and taxpayers.
Comment by PragmaticStatistic (@MyReadingMapped) -
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Mr. Cuban may not have wanted to delve deeper into why millennials feel the way they do,but let’s not pretend that their generation was just naturally born to be sociocapatlist thinkers. The reality is, they’ve grown up in a completely different world than their parents. Going into massive debt just to get an education, a low paying job, real estate that is priced at 4,5…10 times what their younger parents faced. The sociocapatlist leanings aren’t a fad, it’s a response…and I will boldly claim it’s a response to want people in his generation did and left for the ones behind them. Maybe not Cuban specifically but if we are speaking in terms of generations as a whole, then absolutely his generation. And maybe it’s true that people in that older generation don’t even understand how, in their times, things become so screwed up for the next generation(s).
Comment by Dave Tucci -
You have to do well in order to do good. Unfortunately, none of the candidates are doing well.
Comment by Combat Flip Flops (@combatflipflops) -
I agree with all this but the real question (which we will learn in November) is will likes, upvotes, and retweets translate into votes.
Comment by Jim Wang -
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To put it another way: no matter what you do, you’ll be working for the government till about lunch time Thursday, possibly dinner time the way it’s going.
Comment by skippyramona -
So I just read Bernie’s top tax rate will be 73%. When wealth leaves this country and no longer have the incentive to earn, he’s coming for the next tier, then the next then the next, until we become Venezuela or Greece. Do any of you out there read Thomas Sowell, or Milton Friedman? Go to Cato or Heritage? Any idea what a Bernie Sanders presidency will mean for the future of this country? Nothing but government workers, teachers, professors, bureacrats, and IRS agents .
Comment by skippyramona -
Bloomberg-Cuban 2016
Comment by Miguel Bfd -
You are right on all points except one; the MSM still controls a lot of the conversation for much of the public. and even on social media it is near impossible to even have a real conversation with people like Will Smith and his wife who seem ready to donate their organs to any Democrat, even those who openly despise black people. And no one despises African American people more than Democrats.
All The candidates are beyond ludicrous. All of them. It;s like watching a horror film every day. I’d rather shoot myself in the head than turn on a debate. I won’t be sending in an absentee ballot either, because not one of them is worth the stamp.
Before Obama it was free to renounce American citizenship. Now the fee has risen to over $2k, It seems to be the most lucrative government fee Obama and his ilk ever came up with, because expatriated Americans are giving up their citizenship in droves. As someone who was born and raised in Philadelphia with a Main Line private school education,and deep respect for the Constitution, that deeply saddens me.
If I were an interviewer, I’d be asking these morons to name all the articles in the Bill of Rights. Do they even know them? Do these morons even know the Pledge of Allegiance? Vote for the guy who at least knows that.
Comment by lunchgirl -
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It’s time for you to GET IN!!!!!!
Comment by jay (@Jmr44Jay) -
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Absolutely Agree!! A platform based on those ideas would be something I would vote for! MC for POTUS!!
Comment by Charles Geddes -
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I agree on what you’re saying. The question is, would someone like that survive the “politic game” as it stands in today’s electoral college? I think the current candidates are talking about what the “experts, the media, and the party” tell them to talk about. Unfortunately, the average american doesn’t care enough or get involved enough to see all the nonsense.
Comment by A Sagissor (@ASagissor) -
Great article and amazing points.. a few of my take away’s
1) “IMHO, any candidate that wants to win the youth vote should be more interested in getting an endorsement from Nash Grier types than traditional political influencers.” …you’re right. Candidates should be reaching out to social media followers as the right campaign move but that type of strategy is what is wrong with our voting system today. Too many voters are placing “blind” ballots for the simple reason of their favorite celebrity publicly endorsing them on Social Media or at the MTV award show. The youth should certainly be encouraged to vote but not WHO to vote for. Millennials are voting for candidates while not being able to name a single one of their positions/policies.
2) Great point about making “stress” more affordable. This can solve financial as well as social issues.. i.e. The “right” is pro-life and the “left” is pro-choice with no in between.. how about we make birth control more accessible and Plan B cheaper than $80 a pop. Less unexpected pregnancies = drastically reduced abortions..
3) “It’s as if there is an island for democrats and an island for republicans and no one ventures off.” …oh you mean like Libertarians? It’s a shame that our voters are so far right or so far left. Rand Paul would have made a great president.
4) “Are we that stupid?” …yes, Mark. We are indeed that stupid.
Comment by Ross Christensen (@ross_christ) -
I have been thinking about this for a while now. Though I have been viewing it as a problem instead of a positive trend. The problem I see with this is that younger folks are receiving their news from shortened headlines on various social media sites and basing an opinion on the headline. Can we have critical thinking if people are basing such an important decision on one liners and sound bites? I think that folks should empower themselves and try to find credible sources and not rely solely on FB posts or article headlines. Dig deeper – try to see things from more than one angle. I’m concerned that this social media revolution may have some as of yet unseen downsides – especially if folks like Donald Trump can be so popular. Yes, he does speak to the angst of many Americans but at the same time, those same folks are (in my opinion) willing to make decisions off of 250 characters or less.
I hope that what we are seeing in polling does not translate into hard votes.
Comment by Christopher Miller -
Millennials will only whine about capitalism being bad until they make something of themselves. If they do they’ll change their tune quickly. It’s amazing to see how many people are falling for this envy mentality.
Comment by Al Schwartz -
I agree with your entire post, well said.
We need to collectively come together as a society to have any chance in implementing serious and lasting change. Positive change and overall balance of civilization will eventually happen, it’s inevitable; but it will be slow and it will most definitely be painful if we stick to our current path. As far as I know, this is the only life I/we have, so we should be working together and helping each other – isn’t this the whole purpose of society in the first place?
Inequality has been a major influence in collapsing pretty much every past civilization; our society is no exception. Equilibrium/balance/order is the most essential principle of nature, it’s the whole reason we exist. So, whether it’s student loans, housing, social security, massive baby boomer retirement outflows, or debt market defaults across the board, we will collapse and depress because we failed to act. OR, we can work together and create something better now. Not next year or in 5, 10, 15 years, now. We need to find a way to drop our egos and biases so that we can begin taking an honest and realistic approach into creating a society/civilization that values basic principles such as balance, equality, respect, humility, and universalism (to name a few). It’s possible for this to happen if we work together. Sample 25 random people on what they see as an ideal society that benefits all, then sample 25 random groups of people. Then do it again. Then again.
I obviously like to rant too, but this is a really important to me. All living things suffer if we can’t figure this out, most of us already are.
Last thing in regards to fresh, nutritious food for everyone. Freight Farms (http://www.freightfarms.com) turns old shipping containers into greenhouses/mini farms that can produce 1,100 heads of lettuce a week! Oh, and it’s grows plants without soil and produces tastier end product. Sounds pretty good to me.
Comment by Joe Fortunato -
Picture Bernie coming out behind the curtain after Cuban partners with a young entrepreneur with a fantastic business and concept. ” Great job, now don’t forget 75 % of your profits are going into the federal coffers”.
Comment by skippyramona -
Ok time to debunk 120 million people not working. Seen it listed in the convos here.
320 million Americans
There are 75 million kids thats 17 and under they live at home should not count.
50 million above retirement age I’ll be honest 1/2 or 25 million may be seeking work.
Either way that leaves 200 million workers if you dont count those retirees or 225 million
Possible workers.
There is 150 million working leaving 50-75million possibly seeking work.
Now add 2 million people in jail, the 10million stay at home married moms (not counting divorced non working) and the 3% of the population who are disabled. Oh and easy 3% with F you money. Trust fund early retires etc.
Well that easily keeps it a high figure of 75 million down under 60 mil.
Im not saying an estimate with 200-225 possible working age with 50-75mil non working is great. That means 25-33% working age are not working.
However going around claiming 120mil when your easily 60 million off target well wtf go research it yourself if you dont believe me.
Comment by sinskiblog -
Well said. There is no island in the middle. We have become so divided that there only seems to be the “lesser of two evils”.. Not a good option.
Comment by Bob Inman -
Good ideas but you miss the key challenge of American today: Culture. We have been fractured and no longer have a similar vision. Responsibility is being lost. So is work ethic. Culture must be engaged. Right vs. Wrong. Values systems. Goals. Respect. This is all missing today…
Comment by deanpappas2 -
People constantly ask the question why Donald Trump is leading in the polls? The answer is simple. He has his eye on the prize. If you thought the prize is the presidency you would be wrong. The prize is being the Republican Nominee. He is ONLY trying to win the Republican Primary. Therefore he has found the few issues which by his calculation will win him the primary. His objective is clear and and his focus singular.
This does not mean he does not want to win the general election. Once he is the republican nominee, he will shift to the center and his views on Mexicans, Muslims etc. will soften. Why? Because now the singular goal is winning the Presidency. This is the best lesson a young entrepreneur can learn. Singular and dedicated focus.
This is by no means an endorsement of Donald Trump. Merely an analysis of his focus .However, I think out of the current batch, he may be the best option. He will at least hire the right people for the job (see Bill Clinton’s first term appointments). And he may be the right person at the right time. In the days where the Middle East is in great turmoil it may need a leader who can fight fire with fire (even irrationally at time). As the greatest and most open democracy in the world we have become soft and predictable. With him at least there is no chance of that.
Lastly, I will take a President / CEO any day who takes decisions and is wrong sometimes compared to the gridlock and lack of decisiveness in Washington today.
Comment by Yazdi Mehta -
Has no one heard Carly Fiorina speak? She has new ideas, is technologically literate, and understands that babies diving for Doritos are, in fact, human.
Comment by Max (@MaxDeHaven) -
Well, Mark, I am far from a Millennial or a twenty-something since I am a sixty-seven-year-old retired teacher and small business owner, but I am in complete agreement with this blog post. What I don’t understand is how many established businesses fail not only to see the value of this generation’s ability to utilize technology (often speaking of it with enmity) but also to realize the power of the sleeping giant it holds within its hands. I’ll wager that many of our current challenges will handily be solved through the imaginations and worldwide communication skills of our younger generations. I see a bright future for this country and for the world, and I’m no starry-eyed Pollyanna. Why our current can’t, or won’t, is a mystery to me. Thanks.
Comment by John Ellzey -
I agree with most of your assessment here, except for #2. This younger generation’s support for Bernie does not derive from their desire to help people, but rather from their collective ignorance regarding economics, mathematics, and the role of government as defined by the US Constitution. They ask silly questions like “why do students have a higher interest rate on student loans than on a mortgage?”. They ignore the math that shows Bernie’s proposals are completely nonsensical. And, instead of trying to understand the Constitution, and study why the founders restricted the role of government, they want to toss it out as an “old document”. As the adage goes, those who fail history are doomed to repeat it. This generation appears to be poised to repeat the hard lessens of our grandparents and great-grandparents.
Comment by Zac Howland -
I would vote for you, Mark Cuban. You are what America needs. I’m serious about this. You should run. It’s not too late!
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 10:49 PM, blog maverick wrote:
> CyberDust ID – Blogmaverick posted: “1. Social Media Influencers are more > important than traditional political endorsements There is a mantra I > repeat all the time: “If the information is important it will find me” . We > don’t go find the news. It finds us. The majority of presidential el” >
Comment by KT Banks -
Pingback: Mark Cuban on presidential candidates: ‘B****ing about everyone else is not leadership’ | | Dallas Morning News
Love it when you rant Mark. My generation is trying to figure out what the hell happened to our country so anything that gives perspective helps. I now know why my deceased relatives weren’t terribly upset about the fact that everyone dies eventually. They were wondering the same thing about their country. The same country that they fought ( Iwo Jima and Pearl Harbor ) for was deteriorating into something else entirely. I am deeply saddened to see their sacrifices and efforts ignored and tossed aside. Yep, it’s a whole new country now. Socialism isn’t something I want but for the person who wants someone else to pay his way, it looks good. Guess we’ll see. Keep the rants coming Mark. We need them. Gives us hope that someone else is thinking about the state of affairs. BTW like your plan to help kids pay for college. You should be more vocal about that!
Sheryl Armstrong
Cyberdust ID: sherylrdh
Sent from Windows Mail
Comment by Sheryl Armstrong -
Mark Cuban for president in 2020!
Comment by Spencer Naegle -
Very well put Mark. I’m so tired of all the bantering and no solutions. Concerned for my children and grandchildren.
Comment by Sandi George (@Mrsmlg2009) -
I agree with your assessment. I also think it would be a good idea to place the national debt ticker behind Bernie and Hillary during the next debate. Leadership would be to solve the current issue instead of stealing from our children. Maybe leadership means we need to wait before offering stale old ideas to appease the crowds. Imagine what we could do with 20 trillion making interest @ 2%?
Comment by iStor Mobile (@iStorMobile) -
Pingback: Some Thoughts on the Presidential Race and SocioCapitalism – Updated | blog maverick – Spoonboy Chronicles
Pingback: Mark Cuban: Some Thoughts on the Presidential Race and SocioCapitalism
Mark, you keep hitting on issues that have one thing in common…TOO MUCH FEDERAL GOVERNMENT! 75% of every federal dollar spent is totally wasted on the bureaucratic infrastructure put in place to take control of EVERYTHING and keep politicians and bureaucrats in power. The solution is to return all social programs to the local level with the state governments playing as little a roll in it as possible. Only local government and community groups really have a real grasp of the need for “government assistance” in their communities.
Today, there is no accountability. We throw trillions of dollars at a problem and when things get worse, the excuse is that we didn’t throw enough at it. More money, more unaccountability, more waste, more bloated governments. It’s a never ending story.
In 2012 we hit a terrible milestone in this country. The average amount of money handed-out in social welfare programs per individual exceeded the median income of workers, over $32,000. That’s comparable to a worker earning $38,000/year ($19/hr) and paying $15% taxes! This is outrageous and cannot continue! When social handouts exceed the average American’s paycheck, we teach people how to game the system and not work. Today our “worker participation rate” (those people actually working) is only 62%. This means that there are about 120 million people not working.
Which gets me to my pet peeve… Get everyone working! Hand a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him forever. Also, idle hands makes idle minds and we all see the effects of idle hands in society today.
Comment by Provocateur (@TheTiaraTheory) -
Pingback: Mark Cuban Suggests Nash Grier Could Swing Presidential Election
Mark – it is true that candidates on their “islands” don’t stray from message, but it’s also true the system sucks. If they don’t appeal to the base, they think they can’t win the primary.
Comment by joehefferon -
The opportunity for a third party candidate who is truly independent is amazing right now – especially if Hillary gets the Dem nom. Mark should absolutely step in (instead of Bloomberg!).
Comment by cpadave71 -
Why don’t you run for president? We need someone like you.
Zac Sweet SIOR Lic. 01352800 First Vice President Buzz Oates Real Estate 8615 Elder Creek Rd Sacramento CA 95828 (916) 379-3828 (916) 717-4768 Cell zacsweet@buzzoates.com
Comment by Zac Sweet -
Mark,
I’m a Baby Bummer. The news finds me usually through CNBC (although I do have a FB account) I read your blog and agree about the lack of leadership with ALL of the candidates. I do not like any of them because of the leadership issue. I thought also about you Socio-Capitalism comments. Large corporations have been giving grants and donations to charities, the arts, medical facilities, etc. for as long as I can remember. Is that not a form of Socio-Capitalism? On a smaller scale, my wife has her own CPA practice. She gives money to veterans in need, charities, church mission work and even the Disaster Response Team I am on. She has been doing that for 30 years. Is that not Socio-Capitalism?
Your blog made SC sound like a new trend the Millennials came up with. I feel part of the American Exceptionalism is that we’ve been giving back to the less fortunate and the needy for generations. I prefer to make those donations personally rather than have a politician take the money out of my pocket (then who knows where it goes). For example, the US government has spent a trillion dollars since the 1960s to “end poverty” in America. I read in the WSJ, we have more poverty now then the 1960s. Maybe we let the private sector take a shot at it…..
Oh, and I absolutely agree about the 10 year plans! What a joke. None of those guys has a clue where we will be in 10 years. Those plans are just talking points to make them look like they have an effective plan to begin with. They are campaign promises that will not occur.
I enjoy the blogs. The death of the IPOs blog was good too. We’ve regulated small companies into never wanting to go public. What a shame. I think we are clearly headed in the wrong direction and I cannot find a candidate I think will lead us back to prosperity.
Regards,
W. Gregg Nieman
Skytop Investments Partnership, LLC
Comment by Gregg Nieman -
Very impressive comments/essay on very important topics.Well done
Comment by Nick Patterson -
“…who can give away more stuff”. You’re smarter than that.
Comment by Ben Turner (@benlantern) -
AMEN Mark AMEN
Comment by John Blevins (@JohnBlevins94) -
mark, thanks for the rant
i think you’ve made some good points
but in stead of just ranting
with all your resources why can’t you either run or find us a good candidate
gary
________________________________
Comment by webcuration -
Pingback: Some Thoughts on the Presidential Race and SocioCapitalism | Mod Podge cure!
What has Obama added to those conversations that have been so advantageous? Bernie will get a great VP – obviously more tech savvy and younger than him. What Bernie is saying is that a lot of the reasons the policies are what they are is because the lobbyists have pushed for those policies therefore we have to join together to both remake congress and apply pressure on our elected officials/Congress. I know it’s not a hard concept to grasp as long as you accept that special interests are really what’s deciding which laws are passed. Lot of documentaries, literature, and one very reputable and notable Princeton study that Americans really have no say in the laws made in this country – unlike the special interest groups.
Comment by sacampbell88 -
nothing better than intelligent well thought out rants – but rather a very smart opinion- although not like the fact that two types of people- those who hack or those who do not know they were hacked- I for one Mark- hate loathe the fact that as a small business ( and the only reason I am a small business is two companies tried to steal two of my brands-and we fought like hell and sued) anyway what troubles me is that we cannot afford to hire folks who can build the right protections and firewalls to protect our small business from being hacked- two of my brand computers (one APPLE one PC) both computers were hacked and one of my PC’s – a very expensive cost -on our budget. Funny thing is I took my computer to the police precent-they cop said very nicely’ Teresa if we took your computer- imagine how many computers we would have ? I was so pissed off someone hacked me i walked right to the police and said – someone broke in !!!!! So thanks for your blogs – I love reading them- however maybe you can start an affordable or suggest an affordable company that can keep our computers safe-and or a better solution is the fact that Apple and Microsoft computers are being hacked and costing the public fortunes to fix- THEY SHOULD PAY for all the issues we have with hackers !!!!!!!!! Hell why make something that is NOT hacker proof than WE have to bare the consequences ????? thats a bad product if you ask me– the fact that one can HACK is well– why would we want anyone in our mailbox situated outside our homes or driveways- this is to me- horrific – :):)
Comment by Teresa Taylor -
Regarding showing Leadership Qualities…In 2008 Hillary Clinton was against parallel foreclosure. She went so far as to state she would have a 90 day moratorium on foreclosures until something could be worked out. That was unacceptable to Wall Street and the Bankers, who wanted out of their Mortgage Back Securities along with all of their investment money even if it meant foreclosing on over a million american homeowners.
Suddenly Barack Obama became the media darling and eventual democrat nominee in 2008. Barack Obama looked the other way regarding parallel foreclosure. I don’t even think Bernie Sanders knows what parallel foreclosure is. Now its 2016 and Hillary Clinton can’t say anything about what really happened in 2008 for fear of being accused of being a back stabber, so instead she takes the attacks that she is for Wall Street and the Banks even though she actually lost the 2008 democrat nomination because she stood up for the impoverished homeowner and not for wall street.
Comment by Alessandro Machi -
Those islands are called “LOST”
Jay Matthiesen
Comment by jmatthi -
One day gluttonous accumulation will be seen for what it is. Disgusting
Comment by Robert Hosking -
In some sense, you can call buying the Dallas Mavs a SocioCapitalistic move. Or was it purely commercial?
Comment by lbomaster -
Great post and 100% agree! As a young and successful, multi-business tech/marketing entrepreneur who is independent (more right), it’s hard for me and similar friends/colleagues I spend time with to get excited about politics/politicians these days. It’s like flavorless, un-innovating bureaucratic corporations that can’t get anything meaningful done besides pander to shareholders (voters). I/we have been saying for years we need someone who has no political background and a modern day, uber successful entrepreneur (tech / finance background) that can get shit done and move us out of stagnation and inspire the rest of our country and this planet to evolve in all areas of tech, etc. much faster than we are. Trump is the closest to that, unfortunately, but at least he will be entertaining to watch for 4 years. Nothing will change no matter who wins. Why the hell don’t you run?? Honestly, whenever we talk politics (which isn’t very often), we all say how we need a guy like you running this place.
On Mon, Feb 8, 2016 at 10:50 PM, blog maverick wrote:
> CyberDust ID – Blogmaverick posted: “1. Social Media Influencers are more > important than traditional political endorsements There is a mantra I > repeat all the time: “If the information is important it will find me” . We > don’t go find the news. It finds us. The majority of presidential el” >
Comment by Michael McCutcheon -
I am a Libertarian candidate for President.
I am also a Certified NationBuilder Expert.
My 10-year plan is to balance the budget on day 1. Encourage voluntary social safety nets by changing all charitable deductions to 100% dollar for dollar tax credits. Then stay the course for 10 years.
I am looking for a running mate. Kanye West is my first choice, but you are still on the short list, Mark.
Comment by Marc Allan Feldman -
Bernie is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. These young entrepreneurs have a choice where to be charitable now. With Bernie, he will take it, tax it and the government will piss it away. I’m sad Rand Paul dropped out, he was the guy pointing to our 19 trillion in debt, wanting to protect our individual liberties, ready to audit the fed. We need to become a tax haven, not make an already punitive and insane tax system even worse. If you want money and industry and jobs to return to this country, simplify and flatten the tax code, make it so companies will want to stay here and hire here. Quit demonizing the wealthy, most had to hustle for it any way. And if it was left to them, so what? Some body before them had the brains, and the guts, and the work ethic to leave it to loved ones, or whomever theyf*n want to! I’m sick of these liberal lifer politicians pandering for votes by demonizing Wall Street. 99% of them don’t have the slightest clue what goes on there any way. Won’t be many Mark Cubans running around with a Bernie Sanders government to kill the incentive to work, innovate, excel. So what if we keep score with dollars? Most wealthy people I know deserve it and aren’t dicks with it. Oh, and single payer health care? We already have it, it’s called the VA. That’s a perfect example of socialized medicine in action. In England they have doctors and nurses going on strike. Wake up!!!!
Comment by skippyramona -
I forgot my username on cyber dust. Unless I remember the correct user name (even if I have the correct email) I can’t seem to get the user name to be emailed to me
Sent from my iPhone
>
Comment by inclinefit -
You’re not wrong, but…
we’ve known for a long time people are influenced by “thought leaders” and the nature of who are the thought leaders changes. The decline of centralized political parties and media means people turn to more diffuse online voices, but it also allows people to find a voice that already agrees with them. This is part of what drives the democratic and republican “islands” you identify. Everyone is engaged by people who tell them what they want to hear. Bernie’s success isn’t so much that he understands social media, as the people who like what he’s saying understand how to use social media to fund raise and get out support. The fact of his candidacy allows these people to get their followers energized. This also diminishes new ideas, encouraging a notion of leadership as delivering on existing ideas.
What you describe as socio-capitalism isn’t really any different than the responsible capitalism encouraged by Teddy Roosevelt. I agree that many people want it, but I think it’s a bit of a mis-characterization to say Bernie gets this and others don’t. Bernie is saying we can’t rely on the current system to deliver this, so we need to take steps to make sure people have resources, whereas the other candidates presuppose that we will have it. People are losing faith in the current system delivering socio-capitalism.
Technological know-how isn’t really required for the next president, but an appreciation of the precepts is. A president will appoint a CIO and others to understand how xml and other technologies work. What the President needs is an understanding of how communication and data flows work, so they appoint people who make the right priorities rise to the top. Bernie seems to get this better than the rest, even though he doesn’t really understand the tech behind it.
Comment by Win Dhover -
To point 2, “e pluribus unum” comes to mind. In one way or another, we’re in it together and our businesses and institutions should (and in many cases should continue) to reflect this.
Comment by Daniel Goodman (@dgoodm04) -
Hi Mark, Great information and so true! have a great week!
Comment by Jackie Houston -
Bernie for the win. What’s your guess Mark? Put money on it? 🙂
Comment by Rich Wan -
I agree with most of what you wrote but one caveat a candidate who is hyper focused on social but not doing a great job at everything can’t win. Rand Paul had a great digital game but look…
Comment by Yosef H (@yossy770) -
Yep.
Comment by Scott Britton -
Not normally a follower of your blogs nor do I agree with some of your ideas but dude you finally said something that I agree with 100%. Great post.
Comment by Roy Valdez (@Roy_Valdez) -
Spot on, Mark. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Their campaign slogan should be, “nothing new here, move along”.
Comment by Scott Casey (@ScottCCasey) -
Great rant.
Comment by Neel Sarwal -
Great article Mark, amazing points some very unfortunate, none the less true about these candidates!
Comment by James Blair (@jamesblair06) -
Points 2 and 4 ring true for me. On 4, Trump (and Hillary) wanted to “shut down the Internet” or major parts of it to stop enemy recruiting. And Mary Ruwart makes point 2 in the newest “Healing our World” — but earning a profit to help the poor is a libertarian idea.
Comment by jboushka -
Well put and true.
Comment by Renegade528 -