The Wall Street Journal endorsed billionaire venture capitalist Tom Perkins' inflammatory suggestion that a "[p]rogressive Kristallnacht" may be soon be directed against the rich and dubbed subsequent criticism of the Nazi comparison “Perkinsnacht.”

In a January 24 letter to the editor, Perkins hyped a supposed “progressive war on the American one percent” and compared it to Nazi Germany's Kristallnacht, asking: “Kristallnacht was unthinkable in 1930; is its descendant 'progressive' radicalism unthinkable now?” In the following days, Perkins' letter received widespread criticism.

A January 29 Journal editorial -- headlined “Perkinsnacht” -- dismissed criticism of Perkins' Nazi reference as “unfortunate, albeit provocative,” and claimed that Perkins' critics had proved his point: “the vituperation is making our friend's point about liberal intolerance -- maybe better than he did.”

The Wall Street Journal isn't the first right-wing media source to throw support behind Perkins. On January 29, conservative columnist Michelle Malkin characterized the reaction to Perkin's letter as evidence of a “bullying epidemic” and “wealth-shaming” by “the grievance industry.” Fox Business contributor Charles Payne went further, arguing that Perkins “may be a couple of years ahead of the curve.”