E. Floyd
Kvamme, senior partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufeld &
Byers
On Arizona Sen. John McCain: "He been unpredictable in
a lot of our issues, and that concerns me. I think it's good to be
unpredictable as a senator. I'm not so sure it's good to be
unpredictable as president. He wasn't with us on the Uniform
National Standards [the bill to reduce securities litigation]. In
the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill, I don't know why
he would single out unions as having a special power in campaign
finance where corporations didn't. In today's environment,
particularly in the areas where intellectual property and
educational background are far more important than these workers vs.
management kind of structures, I think our team structure with high
competition is a better way to operate."
Why he's voting for Bush: "Education, R&D tax credits, and so
on. The two Democratic candidates have been much less clear about
where they stand."
Wade Randlett, vice president of business development, Red
Gorilla
On Texas Gov. George W. Bush: "The Valley is a
meritocracy; it's all about brains. What person would least fit that
profile? I think the Valley is going to see right through him.
On Vice President Al Gore: Look at Seattle [and the anti-World
Trade Organization protests]: That's a harbinger of the fight to
come. There's real potential for rioting over globalization. It's
only one guy you go to to fix global politics, and he's sitting in
the West Wing. The people who know Gore know he's going to make
these decisions."
Ted Schlein, general partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield &
Byers
On Former New Jersey Sen. Bill Bradley: "When the
economics are great, you can ask what kind of chief executive do you
want, who's the best CEO for the world. Bradley is intelligence with
integrity, policy without partisanship. He's one of the smartest
people we've had run for president. He's as squeaky clean as he
appears to be."
The Quiet Democrats
Although the three leading
candidates share similar views on how to help the high-tech
community, Texas Gov. George W. Bush seems to be the most plugged in
to Silicon Valley. Of the trio, he has offered the most detailed
descriptions of a technology agenda, and he has a hefty number of
supporters eager to praise his commitment to the tech community.
The voice of the Democrats, on the other hand, has been muted
despite Vice President Al Gore's early presence and support for the
Internet back in the late 1970s, and former New Jersey Sen. Bill
Bradley's stint at Stanford University in 1998. Despite countless
attempts by Upside over a three-month period to get information on
their views, neither campaign could provide any significant
information on the Democrats' positions on high-tech issues.
Nor could TechNet, the nonpartisan Silicon Valley lobbying group
designed to link candidates to high-tech leaders -- though it had no
trouble getting information on Bush's views and supporters. Bradley
has not used TechNet to reach supporters in Silicon Valley, though
Gore has. TechNet denies any favoritism for Bush, noting that its
staff has been without a Democratic political director for several
months.
