Another Billionaire Compares Populist Politics To Nazi Germany

[DonViejo]

CATHERINE THOMPSON – MARCH 18, 2014, 9:03 AM EDT

The billionaire founder of Home Depot just pulled a Tom Perkins.

Ken Langone, a major GOP donor, was among "the denizens of Wall Street and wealthy precincts around the nation" who spoke to Politico for a piece published Tuesday and titled "The rich strike back." Those wealthy Republicans, Politico wrote, "are still plenty worried about the shift in tone toward top earners and the popularity of class-based appeals" but "see signs that the political zeitgeist may be shifting back their way and hope the trend continues."

“I hope it’s not working,” Langone said of populist political appeals. “Because if you go back to 1933, with different words, this is what Hitler was saying in Germany. You don’t survive as a society if you encourage and thrive on envy or jealousy.”

Politico noted that Langone's comments would inevitably "draw ire from those who find such comparisons to Nazi Germany insensitive" and that he "showed no hesitancy" in invoking the Nazis.

more
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/ken-langone-populist-politics-nazi-germany

[Warren Stupidity]

1. These dingleberries are terrified of a

populist uprising that as far as I can tell is just not going to happen.

[ck4829]

2. It's the White Truffle, resisting the tyranny of the poor from their yachts and country clubs

And it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but by God, a billionaire will have some measure of power, the genocide ends here!

[brewens]

3. At one time I thought that guy must be pretty cool. I liked the business plan he had for

Home Depot. The "expert in every isle" strategy. His idea was to hire skilled contractors, pay them allright and give them benefits. Less per hour in most cases of course but for an aging painter or carpenter, getting out of the weather and actually having some benefits should have been attractive.

When they came to our town I was all over a painter buddy to get up there and apply. He's a master interior guy but just never managed the business end very well and didn't have much going for retirement. About that time a new CEO took over and "Wal-Marted" everything. Contractor types that may have liked the orriginal idea never got that chance here.

For a time I think the orriginal strategy paid off and Home Depot had a pretty good reputation. You go in there now where I live and an employees sees you hunting for something, you make eye contact and start to ask a question and they turn around and run! Okay, it's not quite that bad but close.

I hate going to Home Depot and the place I really liked shut down because of them