McCain Claims Surrogate Meg Whitman 'Founded' eBay; Actual Founder Is Obama Supporter Pierre Omidyar

John McCain continued his string of gaffes this morning by claiming that Meg Whitman, a national co-chair for his campaign and potential pick for Treasury Secretary, had "founded" eBay with five employees.

In fact, Whitman joined eBay as CEO in 1998, three years after it was founded by Pierre Omidyar, a Barack Obama supporter.

Omidyar endorsed Obama on his blog in May:

"Barack Obama is showing a mirror to America, and despite the bad stuff we see in our reflection, we see that we are fundamentally good and strong and proud, and we can overcome our challenges by working together, across all sorts of lines, be they partisan, racial, cultural, religious, or whatever.

That's something unique about Barack Obama's America -- our America -- and that's the America I want to live in. "

Whitman has been lauded for turning the then-30 employee eBay into a multi-billion dollar auction site during her ten years as CEO. She now sits on its board. Recently eBay took drastic measures to spur growth by firing ten percent of its workforce. Days later, McCain suggested Whitman as a potential pick for Treasury Secretary.

Comments

[waitingtillthe5th]

I guess since McCain has never accessed the internet, ("the google), he is unaware that it is really really easy for people to LOOK UP THE FACTS. That being said, I can't imaging Whitman didn't say to somebody-"um, I didn't start ebay", and McCain wasn't told this little fact before he said it at least 10 times now. It goes to a strange arrogance that if you keep saying something long enough, people start to believe it.

[rich3324]

Think this will be on Countdown?

[dawlishgal]

Whitman also invented "Post-its.­"

[franklin opt]

Meg Whitman founded eBay... like Al Gore invented the Internet.

[dve2z]

Gore never said he "invented the Internet". He certainly promoted the broadband.

The dot-com catalyst (burst yes, but a catalyst nevertheless) was due to broadband.

Now Gore is at the helm of energy revolution.

Talking about a visionary.

[BuffnBlue]

Here's a bit of Obama trivia....­Obama and Omidyar went to the same school in Hawaii, Punahou School, though Omidyar did not graduate from Punahou as his family moved away. I'm sure that Obama will also solicit the advice of Steve Case (founder of AOL) as Steve is another Punahou graduate.

[hnealehcn]

MEG WHITMAN is not the founder of E-Bay. She is just an employee working for E-Bay. The actual founder of E-Bay is French Born Iranian PIERRE OMIDYAR and no one else.

[haval2]

This is terrible news...I'v­e told people that I invented ebay...one of us is lying. No both of us are lying!

[ExPatNLforObama]

Watch tomorrow as MacPalin will use the threat against Obama as their last card saying people should vote for them because they will live longer.

[hapiguy]

Meg took Ebay, along with many others, to another level,,,then left with big dollars ,,,and a few probs left behind,,,she would like to be Treasury Sec,,,,guess what,,keep looking Meg,,,

[cnick]

I was selling on Ebay long before I ever heard of her. I think she was working for Mitt Romney at that time. She should not allow this sham to continue, she had nothing to do with founding Ebay.

[BluePrideSMW]

it's all image. reagan taught 'em to lie, lie often, often enough for a percentage to believe it.

Sarita Palinista:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTj3kWzZn9o

The Ballad of Johnny McCain, 2008:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDceTz3UAgI

[SoCalAmerican]

Obama has Warren Buffet....­Meg Witman was an eBay employee answerable to the chairman and board of eBay.

Warren Buffet HAS CREATED a business and is one of America's strongest assets in the financial and business world.

There is no comparison. Talk about better judgement!

[renatam]

I was surprised Meg Whitman didn't correct John McCain -- when he repeatedly says variations of this mis-statement. Meg Whitman should have spoken to the PRESS and corrected this lie and the narrative/spin around it. She was recruited from Mattel when eBay was well along the path to success.

I am glad Pierre Omidyar is FINALLY being credited as who, what he is...and his relationship w/the Obama Campaign made clear. Pierre is a genius and leave it up to the Republicans to co-opt his brilliance for their purposes. We are ALL leveragable for their reality.

Turn the page, America.

[SoCalAmerican]

If she was seen correcting him on stage and on camera, it would have made it worse.

Remember when Lieberman had to correct McCain in front of reporters on camera in Iraq? Yea, that wasn't pretty. So I guess their policy is to just plow through the gaffes.

OBAMA / BIDEN 2008!!!!!!!

[renatam]

This is not the first or the fifth time John McCain has stated this lie. It should have been corrected and is not a gaffe. Since I know Pierre, I have noticed it every single time it has occurred. This morning McCain added new narrative spin -- making it clearly an intentional LIE.

Meg Whitman stood there and nodded affirmatively.

[littlebrowngirl]

Some people are dumb enough to believe it. If McCain has such good advisers, why is his financial plans so bad?

Give me a break.

[icemilkcoffee]

What's Meg Whitman going to do? Put the country up on Ebay?

[WildElf]

That's silly.

She'll take the necessary measures to bring this nation to profitability and get results the shareholders demand. Starting with laying off 10% of the workforce.­...

[openhand]

put the GOP on EBAY! with no reserve...

[KeepMeLearning]

Yes...pawn the country because we're in debt up to our eyeballs..­.

[PeaceOnEarth62]

I think that's already been decided. The only other decision that will need to be made is will it be Auction or Buy It Now????
lol

[dbawden]

We can change "paypal" to "paymyfriends" if McCain wins.