I watched the politically-connected up close

I grew up watching someone close to me who was politically-connected move comfortably between business, sports, and state-level politics.

Before I begin: This isn’t about exposing any one individual. It’s about what observing power up close taught me.

Some people find it insane that I’m an anarcho-capitalist and a libertarian. But one major reason is that I’ve literally seen politics played out right in front of me.

There are very few people in politics who I actually trust. One of them is a state representative whose parents started with nothing and became highly successful first-generation business owners intent on staying and selling local, which is huge in my book.

This representative has spoken at liberty-oriented conferences and rails against property taxes. My cup of tea in both aspects.

But there’s another candidate planning to run against them at the midterm. A candidate someone close to me strongly supports, mainly because of their insistence on maintaining property taxes as the status quo, among other issues.

And here’s the part that made me pause: that particular candidate is a regular visitor in that circle, and gatherings are often hosted to help that candidate win over voters.

Of course, there’s more to the story than just that. But that revelation gives you an idea of how interconnected politics can be. It’s also something I only fully grasped recently—even if I had an inkling for years, considering how aggressively certain viewpoints were dismissed whenever they conflicted with the “right” people.

This person has always been politically-connected

I’ve known them for decades, and they’ve long moved comfortably in circles that blend business, sports, and politics. They’ve been recognized in their industry and featured in media more than once because of those connections.

But it didn’t stop there.

They always seemed to have a calculated approach to their professional life. Every move felt deliberate, loyal for a season, strategic repositioning, then onward to the next opportunity.

I won’t speculate beyond what I’ve personally observed. What I will say is this: watching someone navigate institutions with that level of precision leaves an impression.

They’ve always been private. The type of person who could enter and exit spaces without explanation. Conversations often felt incomplete, and stories never quite aligned in ways that made sense when revisited later.

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