This article from the March 29 issue of Newsweek reveals which tech company CEOs are giving money to which parties. I suppose I should reserve my ire for Carly Fiorinna of HP, not-so-closet Republican. But the guy who really ticked me off was Marc Andreesen, former Netscape boy wonder.
Andreessen gave $350,000 to Democratic candidates in 2000, but says he's not yet willing to open his checkbook this time around. The reason? The Dems' persistent criticism of outsourcing. "It just boggles my mind," says Andreessen, whose software helps companies process data offshore. "Whatever happened to free trade?" For now, he says, "I've stopped returning their calls."
Marc, if you get your head out of your LoudCloud for a second, you might notice that there's been a few other developments in the past few years that might make it particularly desirable to support the Dems this time around. If the country spends all its money on Iraq, destroys civil liberties at home, suffers more terrorist attacks, accelerates the distruction of the environment, and continues to alienate the rest of the world... it just might have a negative effect on your bottom line. What about that "big-picture" thing you CEOs are supposed to be so good at?
