MSNBC's Rachel Maddow reacts to Paypal founder Peter Thiel addressing the RNC on the how the culture wars have distracted the U.S. from focusing on the nation's economic decline, and being a gay Republican, but being an even more proud American.



Thiel was well received by delegates and convention attendees, receiving a standing ovation at the conclusion of his address. Maddow, also gay, called Thiel controversial and was amazed by the "absolutely historic" moment of a gay man addressing the Republican National Convention. What followed was fascinating television of the MSNBC anchor flabbergasted by a "tough nut to explain" like Thiel.



"What he just said there on the culture war issues, that's very controversial for most Republican conventions. He said fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline. Now we're told the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problems. who cares? You heard that distinctly mixed message from the floor even before he said I am proud to be gay, which is an absolutely historic statement for the podium from any Republican National Convention," a shocked Maddow said to her fellow panelists.



Maddow mentioned that Thiel bankrolled Hulk Hogan's case against Gawker, which is entering bankruptcy due to the judgment, but forgot to mention the vendetta started when the gossip website outed the billionaire.



Maddow dug up an article from the 2000s where Thiel argued democracy and freedom are not compatible, ranting "particularly since women got the right to vote."



"He's also been an internationalist critic of democracy, and this is what I actually think is the most interesting thing about the RNC's decision to put him on," a tweaked Maddow said.



"Very famously in 2009, he wrote an essay in which he said I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible," a very prepared Maddow said on MSNBC tonight. "And he's arguing against democracy as a suitable form of government for humans. And he doesn't want that in the United States and he doesn't want that around the world. He thinks democracy is outmoded and inappropriate, particularly since women got the right to vote."



Maddow said an "openly gay" man raising the culture war issue at a Republican convention is "incredibly radical" and an "octagonal thing."



"So the RNC, this is sort of an octagonal thing that they're doing here, right?" Maddow said as she looked at her colleagues for support. "Openly gay, talking about being gay, raising the culture war issue, also incredibly radical on some other stuff including freedom of the press. The Trump campaign itself has had freedom of the press controversies following them around," a bemused Maddow said followed by Washington Post's Eugene Robinson jumping in after she pontificated for nearly 2 minutes.



"It's very interesting. He would prefer a more authoritarian form of government?" a confused Robinson seemingly asked.



Maddow then continued her diatribe against Thiel.



"He's advocated the creation of new countries created by shipping containers that are in international waters so they can be libertarian paradises but you have to live on a shipping container floating in the ocean," a vexed Maddow said. "He also believes -- he intends in his lifetime to beat death. He believes that with enough investment he can become a cyber creature that will never die and he thinks that's the future and what he intends as a future for himself."



"He also runs one of the biggest surveillance companies in the world that does lots of business with the CIA and the NSA and lots of other government agencies, and mass surveillance is a controversial thing in Republican politics. This guy is a tough nut to try to sort of explain, to try introduce into the last -- the ultimate night of the Republican convention," an exasperated Maddow concluded.