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COPYRIGHT 2004 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com
Byline: Karen Breslau
The heady days are long gone when silver-haired pols would do anything to rub shoulders (and collect a check) from apple-cheeked millionaires in the backyard of some Palo Alto mansion with no furniture and big speakers. The fortunes these days are far smaller, and the wunderkinder a bit more seasoned. Despite the shrunken portfolios and the inhabitants' lingering reputation for "deep pockets and short arms," Silicon Valley, like Wall Street and Hollywood, has become a key source of campaign cash, ideas and contacts. In 2000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, techies donated $40 million to individual candidates and political-action committees, a little more than half of that to Democrats.
Like Hollywood, the Valley is home to its share of strong-willed moguls nursing their pet causes. Want a donation from philanthropist and Democratic activist Steve Kirsch, who made his fortune at Infoseek? Not until you deliver a top-10 list of what your goals would be in office. "If a company came to me looking for an investment, I'd ask for a business plan," says Kirsch. "Why should politics be any different?" (Hint to John Kerry: Kirsch is obsessed with finding a way to protect the Earth from asteroids.)
As fortunes have changed, so have the issues and the players. Four years ago star venture capitalist John Doerr was so involved in the Gore campaign that gearheads joked about "Gore-Doerr in '04." These days he's focused on his funds while continuing to work behind the scenes for education reform--the passion of nearly...
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