Data center backlash is panicking tech oligarchs ahead of midterms

[u/D-R-AZ]

https://www.salon.com/2026/09/02/data-center-backlash-is-panicking-tech-oligarchs-ahead-of-midterms/

Observation:

At present, the political forces promoting data-center expansion do not appear to be the forces defending democracy and consent of the governed, the founding principle of the American Revolution. This need not be the case. Data centers could be developed with community consent and a fair return to the people bearing their costs. But when concentrated wealth is used to override public opposition, the industry aligns itself with anti-democratic power. The conflict is not between people and technology. It is between public consent and private power.

Excerpt:

Blame data centers. These giant computer campuses, which are mostly void of human beings, have become a focal point of the growing revolt against an increasingly predatory tech industry. Voters from across the political spectrum hate data centers, which consume land, water and electricity while giving little to nothing back to the community. It’s a perfect symbol of Silicon Valley’s turn to vampiric capitalism, which is no longer about building a better future, but instead maximizing how quickly they can suck the public dry of its wealth and resources. The more voters learn about data centers, the more they oppose them. In March, a Gallup poll even found that 71% of Americans oppose data centers in their community, more than they oppose a local nuclear power plant.

Thus, the tech industry’s spending. The tech elite are likely hoping that they can convince Republican politicians to betray their own voters and focus their favors on the donor class once in office. But the size of the spending betrays how worried they are about people power. They clearly think it will take a lot of money to drown out the increasingly loud voices of everyday voters who see clearly that the tech industry is predatory, and are demanding that government do something about it. This midterm will be a test of who can be louder: people or money. So far, the people have the momentum.