Twitter-Obsessed Billionaire Elon Musk

Elon Musk is trending today because after he criticized Twitter for enforcing its bans on misinformation, hateful and violent speech, and targeted harassment – which Elon characterized as “failing to adhere to free speech principles” – he bought enough Twitter stock to become the company’s largest shareholder and was promptly appointed to its Board of Directors.

Naturally, Republican jackaloons everywhere have taken this as an opening to beg Elon to allow their orange idol Donald Trump to come back to Twitter.

So, what does this mean for us Democrats?  

Well, before I get into that, let me start by saying I don't hate Elon Musk. Truth be told, I actually admire him in some ways. He is a revolutionary, he has changed the way we look at cars and space, and I respect him for that alone.

My biggest problem with Elon is less about him and more about a tax system that allows people like him to exploit it. Elon is a billionaire, with way too much power, and just like the rest of the billionaires in this country, he is not taxed anywhere near as much as he should be – and that’s the way he likes it.

So, back to the initial question I posed: What does Elon’s partial takeover of Twitter mean for us Democrats?

Frankly, I think it means Trump will be returning to Twitter. I do believe this is coordinated, and it is meant to set up Trump's disgraceful 2024 run for the White House.

You see, President Biden has made it clear that the free ride billionaires have had in this country for what seems like forever is over.  Do you really think it's a coincidence that Elon did this right after President Biden announced a billionaire tax? 

America’s billionaires benefit so much from the resources this country offers, yet they always seem to skate by without paying their fair share.

You know the number-one resource that benefits Elon and his fellow U.S. billionaires the most? It’s “human resources” – their employees.  Their diverse, American-educated, American-trained employees.

Without brilliant engineers, would Elon have been able to launch rockets into space and land them again for reuse? Without spectacular computer programmers and AI geniuses, would Tesla cars have self-driving capabilities?

Folks, these things were only possible for Elon Musk because he moved to America and built his companies in America. If he’d stayed in South Africa or even Canada, he wouldn’t have been nearly as successful.

But like too many billionaires, Elon thinks HE’S the only reason for his smashing success, and that he doesn’t owe anybody else a single thing.

Not his employees – whose union organizing attempts he busted, and who frequently complain about unsafe working conditions at his factories – and not the great country that helped him get rich with billions in taxpayer-funded contracts and subsidies.

The more money Elon makes, the more Republican he gets. All of his political donations since the 2020 elections have been to the Republican National Committee, and he has criticized President Biden’s administration for being too friendly to unions and the working-class.

But none of this should come as a surprise – as Democrats, we always have been and will continue to be the party of the working- and middle-class.

Democrats are the ones fighting to make sure our children get the education they need to stay competitive in an ever-advancing world.

Democrats want to make sure our environment is protected so that our grandchildren can breathe clean air, and drink fresh water.

Democrats want every American to be able to visit the doctor when they get sick without fear of losing their home and everything else to bankruptcy.

These are the things we need to stay focused on. Trump and Elon might make a lot of noise on Twitter, but their policies are broken.

Sappers clear the way, Airborne all the way!

--Richard