Elon Musk Press Conference Defiled the Country
The Elon Musk-dominated Oval Office press conference this week fundamentally disrespected the Office of the Presidency.
While the world's richest man spoke in generalities about his illegal efforts to remove whole sections of government, weakening American security, trampling civil liberties, and eliminating resources to aid the world's poverty and disease-stricken nations, while empowering the world's billionaire class, President Donald Trump sat in the background and said very little.
We can debate government bureaucracy and assess the merits of this or that program, but to entrust Musk with the rejection of USAid sans Congressional oversight represents more than merely a clear and present danger to America.
We reject Elon Musk in black and a baseball cap undertaking this role on behalf of a president who began his tenure by firing eight independent nonpartisan inspectors general. In a suit announced this week, those former IGs claim Trump broke the law "when he attempted to terminate them without justifying their removal or giving Congress 30-day notices." If Trump were serious about reforming government for average people, he would not eliminate inspector generals and allow the invasive presence of a billionaire eccentric to oversee the overhaul of government.
Not only does Musk disrespect the average working guy out there who ultimately depends on some forms of government control to regulate the Musks of the world. But he disrespected the office of the presidency itself, degrading the Oval Office and clearly overshadowing the nation's chief executive.
While the unelected Musk ponders the fate of the U.S. Department of Education and pulls the plug on aid to Africa, the President appoints himself, effective immediately, chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts board. The former reality TV star seems strangely relegated to entertainment, even as a blandly acquiescent Congress ramrods his cabinet picks, among them vaccine-skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr. as - of all things - secretary of health.
The sight of Musk on his feet and Trump scrunched to one side does not bode well for our great country, which requires strong executive leadership to ensure the protection of real people by the federal government, real Americans, not investor class interlopers who can't even pretend well to have our interest at heart without obviously and painfully defiling the White House, finally a symbol of our collective power in this republic.
Malarkey.
Left-wing low-information Marxist Democrats that comment here are the real existential threat to democracy (actually the Constitutional Republic, but Democrats don't have the education in American history to understand that). I guess investigating and uncovering taxpayer fraud by our government is not a priority for Democrats. It's funny watching the low-information Democrats in this comment section and around the nation screaming about uncovering TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS in fraud, waste and abuse, when those TRILLIONS will help EVERYONE by increasing their net worth. But, then again, low-information Democrats are only worried about Trump Derangement Syndrome and now Musk Derangement Syndrome. The stupidity of Democrat commenters here is astounding. You'd think they would want these TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS ($4.7 TRILLION) of fraud, waste and abuse, clawed back to reduce our tax burdens and put more money in our paychecks and wallets. But, the are too mentally deficient to understand that, and would rather attack the messengers bringing this fraud, waste and abuse to light.
Right-on-point, terrific column that sums up the terrifying absurdity of the nation’s current “leadership.”
Can someone please explain to me why two of the Democratic Party candidates for Governor have not returned campaign contributions that were given to them by Elon Musk . Why are Sherrill and Gottheimer getting a free pass on this. THOSE DONATIONS MUST BE RETURNED!
Edit: Douglass
The problem is a lot bigger than just Musk. Trump is at a minimum an authoritarian who is deploying clearly fascist tactics. Trump's Executive Orders have arrogated Congress' legislative and budget powers. Trump is in violation of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits insurrectionists from serving in government office. He violated the Emoluments Clause many times and is using his office to enrich himself and his family and his cronies. He violated the 14th amendment birth right citizenship clause. He stripped Constitutional due process rights of migrants, asylum seekers, and federal employees. He's gagged and fired scientists and experts and denies the climate emergency. The man is a fascist tyrant that must be Impeached, Convicted, and Removed. Lawsuits are not sufficient - people of good will need to take to the streets and shut it down until he is gone.
Edit: *the unfortunate thing is that it was ….
The expansion of high - impact tutoring is a good Act. The unfortunate thing is that was merely co-introduced two weeks ago. It needed to be implemented years ago. The money was there yet, the sense of urgency was not. New Jersey needs a governor that is thinking two steps ahead not four steps behind. One could argue that the clearest danger to our security is illiteracy .
Elon Musk is a clear and present danger to the security of the United States. He should be treated as an enemy combatant.
You mean like the bi-partisan Expanding Access to High Impact Tutoring Act that our next Governor, Congressman Mickie Sherrill co- introduced less than two weeks ago?
Today we celebrate the birthday of Frederick Douglas. At an early age, he realized there was a connection between literacy and freedom. On his birthday today , the news that New Jersey ranks # 43 in math and # 24 in reading recovery is no cause for a celebration. The grim realization that New Jersey schools are not #1, but rather in a crisis. The learning gap keeps growing and more students are falling further behind. New Jersey has the sixth most segregated school system in the nation for Black students. Many talented students of color are locked in failing schools because of New Jersey’s zip code rule. Governor Murphy was lagging in signing some type of a literacy bill , which many states have accomplished years ago. The lack of urgency and foresight of our legislators to get a high impact tutoring initiative up and running , left many students with the life sentence of never catching up; as admitted by some of our most prominent legislative leaders. In a sense , their freedom was taken away. I wonder what Frederick Douglas would do if he were living today. Probably, demanding change.
Just a few words of thanks to Max Pizarro and insidernj.com for fearlessly printing the Truth. I just had to get these words in before the usual suspects “Thomas Jefferson” and “Henry” get their malarkey points in. I doubt either of them served in our military. I did. Elon Musk, the guy that flipped worse than the bird, the guy that shoved two quick NAZI salutes at the Arena where the Capitols skate on Innauguration Night down the throats of the crowd ( or did most enjoy it?) has already begun cutting jobs at the VA. Trump NEVER wore a uniform, except for his tenure at a private military prep high school in Cornwall, NY, where he bullied at least one other student. If enough good people of all political stripes do not wake up to what Trump and Nazi man Musk is doing, we will soon lose the Country that we know and love, irrespective of ideology.