Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Tom Perkins Responds To Nazi Germany And 1 Percent Criticism, Says Kristallnacht Was ‘Terrible Word To Have Chosen’



Tom Perkins Responds To Nazi Germany And 1 Percent Criticism, Says Kristallnacht Was ‘Terrible Word To Have Chosen’
By Philip Ross
on January 27 2014 6:34 PM
Venture capitalist Tom Perkins in his San Francisco office in 2011. Perkins, co-founder of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and the backer of companies ranging from Genentech to Google, drew the ire of many after the billionaire compared the “progressive war” on America’s 1 percent to the persecution of Jews in Nazi-controlled Germany. Reuters

Tom Perkins, a successful American businessman and billionaire entrepreneur, has come under fire for recent remarks he made about the “progressive war” on the 1 percent in the United States. His comments drew the ire of Internet bloggers and Twitter users alike, and even raised eyebrows among his own colleagues in Silicon Valley. Now, Perkins responds to those who found fault with his statement.

During an interview with Bloomberg TV’s Emily Chang on Monday, Perkins apologized for using the word “Kristallnacht” in his letter to the Wall Street Journal. Perkins said he regretted the comparison, but “not the message.”

“The 1 percent are not causing the inequality, they are the job creators,” he told Chang. “It’s absurd to demonize the rich who create opportunities for others.”

Perkins continued to defend his writing of the letter, citing the recent spate of “attacks” on his former wife Danielle Steel and the previous Occupy movement as reasons for his beliefs.

Perkins, who co-founded the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, penned an open letter to the Wall Street Journal in which he compared the treatment of the wealthy to the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany.

In the letter, published Jan. 24, Perkins pointed out what he called “parallels” between “fascist Nazi Germany” and the “progressive war on the American one percent.”

“From the Occupy movement to the demonization of the rich embedded in virtually every word of our local newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, I perceive a rising tide of hatred of the successful one percent,” Perkins wrote. “This is a very dangerous drift in our American thinking. Kristallnacht was unthinkable in 1930; is its descendant "progressive" radicalism unthinkable now?”

Kristallnacht was an anti-Semitic riot organized by the Nazis in Nov. 1938. The series of coordinated attacks led to nearly 100 Jews in Germany and Austria being murdered and tens of thousands more going to concentration camps.

Paul Kedrosky, co-founder of Garibaldi Capital Advisors, described Perkins’ comments as “contemptible, indefensible, [and] stupid.”

Even Perkins’ own firm quickly distanced itself from its founder. “Tom Perkins has not been involved in KPCB in years. We were shocked by his views expressed today in the WSJ and do not agree,” the firm tweeted Saturday.

While social media users waited for Perkins to recant his statement, he actually did the opposite, telling Bloomberg News in an email that he stood by his statement.

“In the Nazi area it was racial demonization, now it is class demonization,” he wrote.

During Monday’s interview with Bloomberg TV, Perkins said he still believes there are parallels to draw between the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany and today’s one percent. “I was talking about the persecution of a minority by the majority,” Perkins said.

He added: “My point was that it can get out of control. That was my thought.”

When Chang asked Perkins if KPCB should remove his name from their door, Perkins said that’s a decision for KPCB.

“That’ll be something for them to decide,” he said. “I don’t care if it comes or goes.”

Nazi
Nazi Party was a political party for Germany.

Note: Adolf Hitler was the leader for the Nazi Party, and the fuhrer for Germany.
Richard R. Burt was the U.S. ambassador for Germany, and is a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Rozanne L. Ridgway was the U.S. ambassador for Germany, and a director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank).
Open Society Foundations was a funder for the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), and the Center for American Progress.
George Soros is the founder & chairman for the Open Society Foundations, was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a supporter for the Center for American Progress, and a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the International Rescue Committee, the Aspen Institute (think tank), the Brookings Institution (think tank), Refugees International, the Climate Reality Project, the Center for American Progress, the Harlem Children's Zone, and the Robin Hood Foundation.
Colin L. Powell is an honorary director at the Atlantic Council of the United States (think tank), an overseer at the International Rescue Committee, a strategic limited partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Michael K. Powell.
Michael K. Powell is Colin L. Powell’s son, and a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
L. John Doerr is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), a director at Google Inc., and a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Bill Joy is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and was a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank).
James S. Crown is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Lester Crown was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Mellody L. Hobson is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the chairman for DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.
Margaret C. Whitman was a director at DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., and a strategic adviser for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Sidley Austin LLP was the lobby firm for Genentech, Inc.
Thomas J. Perkins was the chairman for Genentech, Inc., married to Danielle Steel, and is a partner emeritus at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Danielle Steel was married to Thomas J. Perkins, and her stepson is Trevor D. Traina.
Trevor D. Traina is Danielle Steel’s stepson, and a board member for the Haas School of Business.
Richard C. Blum is a board member for the Haas School of Business, married to Senator Dianne Feinstein, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a regent at the University of California.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Walter E. Massey is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was the provost & VP for the University of California.
Genentech
Controversy
In 1999, Genentech agreed to pay the University of California, San Francisco $200 million to settle a nine-year-old patent dispute. In 1990, UCSF sued Genentech for $400 million in compensation for alleged theft of technology developed at the university and covered by a 1982 patent. Genentech claimed that they developed Protropin, a growth hormone, independently of UCSF. A jury ruled that the university's patent was valid last July, but wasn't able to decide whether Protropin was based upon UCSF research or not. Protropin, a drug used to treat dwarfism, was Genentech's first marketed drug and its $2 billion in sales has contributed greatly to Genentech's position as an industry leader. The settlement was to be divided as follows: $30 million to the University of California General Fund, $85 million to the three inventors and two collaborating scientists, $50 million towards a new teaching and research campus for UCSF, and $35 million to support university-wide research.
Michael Abbott is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and was a VP for Twitter Inc.
Frank J. Caufield is a co-founder for Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and a director at Refugees International.
Albert A. Gore Jr. is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a senior adviser for Google Inc., the chairman for the Climate Reality Project, and was a donor for The Climate Project.
Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers was a donor for The Climate Project.
Carol M. Browner was a director at the Climate Reality Project, the energy czar for the Barack Obama administration, an administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and is a senior fellow, director at the Center for American Progress.
Melody C. Barnes was the EVP for the Center for American Progress, a domestic policy council, director for the Barack Obama administration, and is Barack Obama’s golf partner.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Sidley Austin LLP was the lobby firm for Genentech, Inc.
Thomas J. Perkins was the chairman for Genentech, Inc., married to Danielle Steel, and is a partner emeritus at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Mary Meeker is a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and was an analyst for Salomon Brothers.
Michael R. Bloomberg was a general partner at Salomon Brothers, a benefactor for the Harlem Children's Zone, a donor at the Robin Hood Foundation, is the founder for Bloomberg LP, and an advocate for the ONE Campaign.
Bloomberg News is a division of Bloomberg LP.
L. John Doerr is a director at the ONE Campaign, a director at Google Inc., a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a general partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Michelle Obama is an advocate for the ONE Campaign, and was a a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Sidley Austin LLP was the lobby firm for Genentech, Inc.
Thomas J. Perkins was the chairman for Genentech, Inc., married to Danielle Steel, and is a partner emeritus at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.

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