The perfect post to write on a drizzly, overcast day.
I woke up grumpy this morning and have seen no reason to change.
From Citizens United to Citizen Musk.
I think there’s an obvious line to draw between the first, and the second.
If you step back from it, Musk effectively bought (partial) control of the Federal government for a mere quarter-billion dollars. Which, when all is said and done, is pocket change for a guy with a net worth in the hundreds of billions.
So … if that’s now OK … aren’t there a whole lot of other similarly-well-off people for whom that amount might likewise seem like a trivial investment? If nothing else, you can’t take it with you. No shortage of uber-rich old people in this world.
And so, this morning, my bet is that the current odd regime — Trump/Musk whatever-it-is — is just the first.
Eventually, I think the Supreme Court will figure out that what they did, not in theory, but now in actual practice. They put the Government of the United States up for sale. Not just to the current whatever-it-is Trump/Musk thing. But the likely string of similar ones that will now replace it, as ownership of the Federal government changes hands.
The technology has been proven, so to speak. Do you have a strong personal interest in the direction of Federal government? Is that direction radically different from the direction it is taking now? (Answer: Yes, because if not, you’d work through the existing government, not remake it.) Do you have a spare quarter-billion to spend? Do you have a Dr. Strangelove-ian uncontrollable Hail Victory! urge?
I think a lot of people might qualify, based on the first three questions, anyway.
And, like America’s Cup, it only takes one or a few of the super-rich, every four years or so, to keep the game going.
So, just at a time when AI has supercharged the effectiveness of propaganda, where disinformation is already rife in an America stupid enough to get its “real” news from social networks …
The Supreme Court opened and allows this pathway to control of the Federal government.
And … yeah, that’s going to turn out to be a bad thing.
But we’re stuck with it. With Trump/Musk, and its similar successors — until Citizens United is reversed. As I see it.
Until that time, anybody who thinks he can fill Musk’s shoes seems legally welcome to take a shot at it.
So, I say, think of Musk not as the interloper, but as the pioneer.
And have a nice day.
