EBay founder won't endorse Meg Whitman for governor

[cal04]

Source: LA Times

Pierre Omidyar, who created EBay and hired Meg Whitman as his company's chief executive, said Tuesday that he would not endorse her and would find it "difficult" to vote for her for governor if he still lived in California.

Omidyar praised Whitman's leadership skills and said she would do a "great job" if elected, but said he could not back her candidacy because of her stance on gay marriage and her alignment with former Gov. Pete Wilson.

Wilson, who is a co-chairman of Whitman's campaign, was a vocal supporter of taking away taxpayer-funded benefits from illegal immigrants.

"Now I have not endorsed her because we have some differences on some of the political issues," Omidyar, who is now based in Hawaii, told Bloomberg TV in an interview that will air Wednesday on "InBusiness with Margaret Brennan." "I was disappointed in her not-correct decision, in my view, to support Proposition 8 in California. I was disappointed in her alignment with former Governor Pete Wilson on immigration issues, who I think took some very extreme views years ago about denying benefits to illegal immigrants. And so because of those types of issues, I think we are a little bit apart, and I can't quite support her because of that."

Read more: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2010/09/ebay-creator-pierre-omidyar-wont-endorse-meg-whitman-for-governor.html

[CountAllVotes]

1. as an old time eBay user

neither would I! :puke:

:dem: :kick: & recommend.

[KamaAina]

2. Ready-made Brown ad

"Meg Whitman. Those who know her best (pause) like her least."

[karynnj]

17. Not a good idea - look at what he said - they disagree on political issues

He did not say anything that suggests that he thought poorly of her as a person. He also went out of his way to praise her as a CEO. That would mean that if Brown used this out of context, the likely result would be the founder would defend her personal and business behavior.

Things like this can happen. It is very possible for deep long term friendships to exist between a candidate and someone who has strong political views that are completely the opposite.

[grasswire]

3. known far and wide as the woman who ruined eBay

Many people were able to make a living by selling on eBay until she tweaked it. Some manager!

[Vinca]

4. She ruined the spirit of the place as well.

It went from a friendly gathering place to a sterile shopping mart.

[dimbear]

5. It never crossed my mind that my escalating ebay fees

would be spent in an attempt to enslave me. Should have had a toxic warning...............

[Heywood J]

13. As of the past few years, browsing Ebay listings feels like

looking through AliBaba.com or something similar. I feel like I'm looking at a list of south China manufacturers and their leaded, mass-market knockoff wares - and I am. Most of the small vendors of unique stuff are gone.

Thanks for pushing me to Amazon, Meg. Here's hoping you push California voters to Brown!

[bliss_eternal]

7. Exactly....!

....thank YOU for saying so! She ran that site in the ground. I recall the mass exodus from the site, when she increased fees for the third time...and all the complaint videos posted on youtube.com

[laundry_queen]

12. I remember that.

I also remember how many of my online friends, mostly moms just trying to sell their kids' clothes to recoup some of the money, were so disgusted. Many fled to try other sites or just stay on local swap sites. I hate how Ebay is now - I remember when you could find anything on ebay. Now when I look for things all I see are a zillion of what I just saw at the local department store, for roughly the same price, plus shipping. How that is working for them, I have no idea.

[bliss_eternal]

18. good points...

...so many moms, displaced with their fee raising insanity. i won't shop on ebay either. haven't in years. i used to do more selling on half.com--and they managed to ruin that site, too.

[corpseratemedia]

11. that would be my campaign slogan for her!

[Jefferson23]

6. GREAT news!!!!!!!! n/t

[TheDebbieDee]

8. Oh............snap!

Ouch. That's gotta hurt!

[Historic NY]

9. Ha ha..........

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

10. She has spent $119 MILLION of her own money so far on campaign

wonder what she will get out of it?


Meg Whitman Sets New Personal Spending Record - $119 Million

...
Forbes magazine placed Whitman's financial net worth at about $1.3 billion last March

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2010/09/15/129890179/meg-whitman-sets-new-personal-spending-record---119-million

[progressoid]

14. Jesus, that's just obscene.

$119 million and that's just a fraction of her wealth. :puke:

[LynneSin]

15. YOu know I was having a hard time using EBay because of Meg, but now I know it's ok

they aren't one in the same!

[David Zephyr]

16. K&R.

Thanks for posting this story.