Shirt-Doffing Tech Investor Loves Washington's "Cancer on Nation"
Tim Draper, the name-dropping venture capitalist who funded Hotmail and Skype, met a bunch of Washington insiders like John McCain and Vernon Jordan. He loved them all. He also thinks they're a "cancer"! Go figure.
In a blog post, Draper, a principal at Draper Fisher Jurvetson, recounted all the political figures he met at the Alfalfa Club over the weekend — Sarah Palin, John McCain, Vernon Jordan, and other "Washington insiders."
Here's his advice to Michelle Obama on how to set herself up as Marie Antoinette 2.0:
I also met Our First Lady, Michelle Obama for the first time, who is charming and stunning in person. I suggested that she go out shopping with her daughters for a press event to get people buying things and getting this economy moving again, and she said, “Great idea. Go tell Barack—go tell the President that.” So I did. He looked across at her and smiled. I think we have a great President.
Also, Draper wants to hire former Florida governor Jeb Bush as a venture capitalist. It sounds like it was a lovely time. Except for all those same insiders who are destroying our country from the inside:
My conclusion there: I think our capital should move out of DC. The people there are too insulated from their country. They become a cancer for the people who come to Washington trying to make a difference. Not many of them made any real connection between our business environment and our economy. Even my limo driver there was trying to get more money out of government, not realizing where that money was actually coming from. The NYC drivers know.
Given Draper's political background, perhaps his lurching between hero-worshipping and backstabbing isn't that surprising. Draper, a Republican, chaired three fundraisers in Silicon Valley for George W. Bush, then declared himself for Barack Obama in 2008. He gave no money to John McCain, but wrote that he was "the nicest man ever" when he met him at the Alfalfa Club event. (McCain must be, for not snubbing Draper after that financial diss!)
Then again, Valley insiders know not to expect consistent behavior from Draper, an excitable sort who's known to strip off his shirt and burst into song to celebrate companies he's funded (as in the clip above). But his bizarre persona likely won't play as well outside the fruits-nuts-and-flakes atmosphere of northern California.