Althouse: What if you gave a party and nobody came?

July 6, 2025

What if you gave a party and nobody came?

When & where should we hold the inaugural American Party congress?

This will be super fun! https://t.co/zMaELCiXjU
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2025

96 comments:

boatbuilder said...: Mars.; 7/6/25, 6:49 AM
Leland said...: Has he heard of Independence Hall? Been done. The last guy that tried to hold another party there ended up looking like Hitler.; 7/6/25, 6:49 AM
Quaestor said...: I hope Elon doesn't spend too much on noisemakers and those conical hats.

That would be silly.; 7/6/25, 6:49 AM
Old and slow said...: His time would be better spent on his many companies. Politics is a sewer, and he is a national treasure. Stick with what you are good at Elon.; 7/6/25, 6:54 AM
WisRich said...: This is so cynical on Elons part. This is about more than "the debt" for him and all the possible reasons are petty and self serving.; 7/6/25, 6:54 AM
Mr. Forward said...: In the backseat of a Tesla.; 7/6/25, 6:54 AM
Quaestor said...: "The last guy that tried to hold another party there ended up looking like Hitler."

Hold on... I've got an idea... It's coming... *BING!* Busch Gardens. We'll hold the foundational meeting in a beer garden. Nobody has done that before!; 7/6/25, 6:54 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: Musk and Dunham. Two people no one is begging to hear from. Bummer about your loss of Federal subsidies for Tesla but the people who supported the Green Nude Eel are the least interested in an “America Party” and the people who are most patriotic are firmly committed to Trump now more than ever.; 7/6/25, 6:56 AM
Quaestor said...: "In the backseat of a Tesla."

Not me. I've already got too many financial commitments.; 7/6/25, 6:56 AM
Mary E. Glynn said...: Get your nose off the glass, professor.
It's unbecoming.; 7/6/25, 6:56 AM
traditionalguy said...: Uh oh. It’s Ross Perot 2.0.

The last time there was a viable third party the Clintons won with 43% of the vote.; 7/6/25, 6:57 AM
WisRich said...: Hmm, so he's worried about our debt. I'm worried too. But shouldn't the new party name be the "Cut Entitlements Party".; 7/6/25, 6:58 AM
rehajm said...: If the mainstream don’t want to fuck it up yet again get your shit together so the third option doesn’t happen is the message. In your court, really…; 7/6/25, 7:02 AM
planetgeo said...: Why is everyone assuming that this would drain the Republican Party? It's the Democrat Party that is in a death spiral. And the AOC/Mamdani wing are not going to let classic liberals ever retake it from them. So where are they going to go?

No. This is going to be a "reverse Perot" move that seriously reduces the Democrat Party to its 20% natural nutcase level.; 7/6/25, 7:08 AM
wild chicken said...: Ah, the Reform Party. Making a difference! Is it still around?; 7/6/25, 7:09 AM
Leland said...: In that case, Quaestor, why not Grant's Farm?; 7/6/25, 7:10 AM
rehajm said...: Why is everyone assuming that this would drain the Republican Party?

There really isn’t a place for left leaning technocrats anymore though the current left leaders have called for the extermination of so many cultures I would have thought there’d be more pushback by now. Perhaps they’ll always be satisfied with abstention?; 7/6/25, 7:13 AM
Larry J said...: “ Politics is a sewer.”

No, politics is what sewers convey. Actual sewers provide an essential public heath service. Politics contaminates and corrupts everything it touches.; 7/6/25, 7:14 AM
WisRich said...: I don't know if it's a Perot or a Reverse Perot, all I do know is Elon just wants to play spoiler which he has admitted.; 7/6/25, 7:16 AM
rhhardin said...: Wherever Ross Perot held his party would be good.; 7/6/25, 7:24 AM
Mike (MJB Wolf) said...: People who come from or fetishize the Parliamentary System are often shocked at how strongly Americans reject third fourth and fifth parties.; 7/6/25, 7:26 AM
Eric the Fruit Bat said...: Any chance Elon Musk is promising a flat tax?; 7/6/25, 7:29 AM
Jimmy said...: Oh good, let us become like Canada or England. Great idea. worked out well the last time Ross tried.
will the platform be AI, which makes everyone less intelligent, or will it be importing another couple hundred thousand Indians to take over, after American companies fire American workers.
Musk got his ass handed to him when he brought up those points last winter.
He also is a big fan of Universal basic income. Welfare on steroids, so none of us plebeians will have to work, we can just lay about and watch state approved TV.
He is a brilliant guy, but not fit to lead a country he clearly doesn't understand.
He helped Trump, a lot, during the election. But he also was doing it to survive- the left would have deported him, or hung him.; 7/6/25, 7:31 AM
Dude1394 said...: Do you ever get the feeling that as seemingly impossible it could be that Elon just gets bored.; 7/6/25, 7:36 AM
Mary E. Glynn said...: Dude1394 said...
Do you ever get the feeling that as seemingly impossible it could be that Elon just gets bored.
----------
He's on expensive heavy medications, you know.
Drugged up 24/7. It can be a help to him, I am sure, but... I suspect it catches up in time. HEAVY drugs. The best money can buy... lol; 7/6/25, 7:37 AM
Wilbur said...: "This is going to be a "reverse Perot" move that seriously reduces the Democrat Party to its 20% natural nutcase level."

Let's think about this. Let's imagine who are the Democrats put off by the AOC/Mandami Leftist insanity and looking for an alternative. Public figures might include Bill Maher, Clintonistas, even some Obamaites. Throw in Schumer, Pelosi and their supporters.

Is this crew going to gravitate to Elon Musk's political party? Would they even be allowed membership in the American Party, the party of George Wallace and Curtis LeMay?; 7/6/25, 7:44 AM
tim maguire said...: planetgeo said...Why is everyone assuming that this would drain the Republican Party?

Because the recent Trump surge comes from people who want to vote Democrat but are repulsed by its recent anti-worker hard left turn. These new, reluctant Republican voters are the most fertile ground for Musk’s vanity project.; 7/6/25, 7:45 AM
WisRich said...: Getting to Jimmy's point, what exactly is Musks party platform.; 7/6/25, 7:49 AM
Kakistocracy said...: Twenty American families control $2.7 tn in wealth ($130 bn average per family) while the overall cohort of 813 billionaire families control $6.72 tn ($8 bn average per family). A national-wide presidential campaign is about a $1.5 bn affair; therefore there are hundreds of American oligarchic families who can easily finance an entire presidential-level campaign. That is extraordinarily concentrated political power.

For America's oligarchic families, the central issue is how best to express this concentrated political power? Through an existing political party or through a new political party? Or issue by issue? Or by banding together into issues complexes such as managed by the Koch brothers, arguably the creators of today's American plutocratic power system.

The golden rule is that money is the decisive outcome determiner in a representative governing system based on popular suffrage. Money swamps other factors

There is an article in the FT today on settlers displacing Palestinians is one of a much larger number of stories covering Gaza, the West Bank, other Arab and Moslem countries and the role of American foreign policy. Summing up all these stories since the end of the Obama administration, one can say that a century's worth of foreign policy from President Wilson's Fourteen Points through the Roosevelt-Truman era's UN Charter, Declaration of Universal Human Rights, various Geneva Agreements -- this entire edifice is now a smoking ruin. In particular, the Democratic party's beliefs are just broken remnants being thrown in the back of those Palestinians' truck and heading out for the fields of failure. The sole overriding takeaway from Biden's presidency was that it was the first Democratic presidency since the 19th century solely shaped by campaign contributions and driven by the donor class. No one should dispute the role of Big Money in destroying the legitimacy of the Democratic party.

What comes next? What of the people? What role of money?; 7/6/25, 7:50 AM
Eva Marie said...: “ . . . where should we hold the inaugural American Party congress?”
On Mars.; 7/6/25, 7:57 AM
Breezy said...: Musk wants to shrink government faster than what MAGA is doing. DOGE result so far has disappointed him. MAGA understands that this is a long play. Democrats don’t want smaller more efficient govt.; 7/6/25, 7:59 AM
David53 said...: “It’s Ross Perot 2.0.” That’s what a lot of people of a certain age think.; 7/6/25, 8:09 AM
Big Mike said...: I agree with boatbuilder. Get humans safely to Mars, Elon, and hold your party there.; 7/6/25, 8:10 AM
FormerLawClerk said...: Any chance Elon Musk is promising a flat tax?

The top comment by Elon Musk on X today is this doozy:

"The only action needed to solve climate change is is a carbon tax."

More government. More taxes. To solve a non-existent problem that if it were real, would be compounded by his thousands and thousands of rockets flying around.

Grok: "A person would need to drive an average car for approximately 73 years to produce the same amount of CO2 (336.5 metric tons) as one Falcon 9 rocket launch."

Elon Musk is a child, having a temper tantrum because Tesla's $7,000/car subsidy is being removed.; 7/6/25, 8:18 AM
Maynard said...: Once Trump is off the stage, Republicans will likely revert to Bushies and differ very little from Democrats. That may be when we need Elon to start a new party.; 7/6/25, 8:19 AM
FormerLawClerk said...: I agree with all of you: We need to put Elon Musk in a rocket and shoot him to Mars.; 7/6/25, 8:19 AM
Sebastian said...: Might be useful for Elon to study the physics of American politics. Example: how Perot gave Clinton the presidency vs. Bush. A post-Newtonian three-body problem, but easily calculated.; 7/6/25, 8:33 AM
Mr. D said...: The Tesla subsidies are the story. Elon is more than happy to cut everyone else's subsidies, but his are sacrosanct. If you operate under the assumption that people almost always act in their own self-interest, or at least what they perceive to be their self-interest, it coheres.; 7/6/25, 8:43 AM
planetgeo said...: tim maguire: "These new, reluctant Republican voters are the most fertile ground for Musk’s vanity project."

No it's not. The most fertile ground by far is the 48.3% of the country that still voted Democrat in 2024, even though the party polls on the wrong end of the 80-20 split on many core issues. Trump's 49.9% of the vote certainly did get a portion of reluctant Democrat voters, but not that much compared to his 2016 and 2020 numbers. In 2028, with Trump no longer the issue, the Musk's new party would most likely attract the "traditional Democrat" or "classic liberal" voters, given the even farther left move of the Democrat leadership.; 7/6/25, 8:43 AM
Kakistocracy said...: Interesting comments. I wonder where all the « who-are-you-to criticize-the-most-successful-and-visionary-entrepreneur-of-all-times » comments have gone. Now it seems mere mortals can dare disparage the gods with impunity.; 7/6/25, 8:45 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Elon ought to try reforming the GOP first. Ross Perot had a great run pulling the same levers with the Reform Party. It helped Bill Clinton get elected.
Newt Gingrich worked on getting the GOP to stand for things Americans wanted. He got GOP control of the House for the first time in 40 years.; 7/6/25, 8:45 AM
Christopher B said...: Having a Ross Perot on the ballot is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the kind of boomerang effect that elected Bill Clinton with a bare plurality of the popular vote. Remember that GHWB was also in pretty deep trouble with the GOP base for reneging on his 'no new taxes' stance, and Bill Clinton did a pretty good job of presenting himself as a moderate Democrat (Sister Souljah, anyone?). It also can cut both ways. Giving disaffected Democrats the option to vote for liberal Republican John Anderson in 1980 may have actually put Regan over the top rather than pulling enough GOP votes from him to re-elect Carter.

I just don't see the Democrats nominating a plausible moderate in '28 or that there are really that many 'held my nose and voted Trump' voters left out there, and since Trump won't be on the ballot the GOP candidate won't be directly responsible for defending problematic decisions the way GHWB and Carter were.; 7/6/25, 8:49 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: We already have a losertarian party and no one votes for it. What is Musk's party position on immigration? If its between the D's and the R's - it means he's for 1/2 open borders.; 7/6/25, 8:52 AM
bagoh20 said...: A new party has the luxury of no history of betrayal. Peeling off voters will be easy, but only enough to hurt not help. A lot of people vote on principle knowing well that they cannot win. Understandable, but foolish.; 7/6/25, 8:55 AM
bagoh20 said...: The Republicans can fight this by cleaning out the RINOS and claiming the new party's platform while adding "but we can win".; 7/6/25, 8:56 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: Perot got 17 percent of the vote in 1992, but he mostly took independents and Republicans that had voted for Reagan in 84 and Bush in 88. Most of the D's stayed with their party, especially the black, almost none of whom voted for Perot.

People didn't want more taxes, NAFTA, or social liberalism. So of course, Bush gave us more of it. Typical moderate Republican. Campaigned as Reagan, ruled as Jerry Ford.; 7/6/25, 8:57 AM
RCOCEAN II said...: From what I can tell Musk's big beef is the deficit. And nobody has ever gotten elected POTUS or gotten a large number of Senators elected with a platform of raising taxes and cutting social security and medicare.; 7/6/25, 9:00 AM
Aggie said...: Why doesn't he just fund an NGO? Musk's focus on his various businesses is all in service of getting to Mars. The cash flows and emerging technologies all support the 'Mars' efforts. Starting a new political movement is not as directly supportive, and it will rob cash flow. My prediction is, this will die on the vine before fruit is set.; 7/6/25, 9:00 AM
Wince said...: Is this Party project part of a presidential, congressional or local strategy?; 7/6/25, 9:00 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Trump's plan is pretty clear: get the current tax rates on the books permanently to provide certainty and maintain incentives. Debt reduction will be dealt with through tax receipts from economic growth, tariff revenues, and government spending reductions as economic growth kicks in. Address the USA's huge internal market by increasing domestic production behind modest tariff walls. Light touch federal regulation to increase domestic production. Keep unemployment down and wages up through enforcing immigration laws. If wage pressure gets too high he can always open immigration in an orderly way.
Will it work?; 7/6/25, 9:06 AM
Howard said...: He's attempting to exploit the cost:benefit of asymmetrical leverage. ~5% is his threshold to succeed; 7/6/25, 9:11 AM
FredSays said...: For Republicans it seems it’s always been one step forward and two steps back. Here we go again.; 7/6/25, 9:16 AM
David53 said...: Starting smoking, marrying my first wife, and voting for Perot are 3 of my top regrets.

I stopped smoking and divorced my starter wife, but I couldn’t take my vote back from Perot.; 7/6/25, 9:21 AM
Leland said...: I concur Aggie. Musk could fund a thinktank that pays for scientific research to support his understanding of economics. This would help recapture that field of academia from Marxism, which would go a long way in achieving his goals.; 7/6/25, 9:26 AM
Gunner said...: There was already an American Party about 200 years ago. Despite a few victories, it didn't work out that well.; 7/6/25, 9:49 AM
Original Mike said...: I thought Musk was smarter than this.; 7/6/25, 9:49 AM
bagoh20 said...: The Democrat donors would be smart to support this, and they probably will behind the scenes. Will the media advertise for Musk? Hard to say which way they will go, but they want the GOP to lose more than anyone.; 7/6/25, 9:57 AM
John henry said...: It sounds like it is going to be more about a platform than people or left right.

If it is organized for the purpose of combat ting spending and pledged to support whatever candidates pledge to that, I am in with both feet.

If it is going to run candidates under its own banner, probably, though not necessarily opposed

John Henry; 7/6/25, 10:03 AM
Kai Akker said...: Trump's plan is pretty clear: ... Address the USA's huge internal market by increasing domestic production behind modest tariff walls. ... Will it work? [Amadeus48]

How do the higher costs of US production, esp labor, get addressed? Although the Trump idea sounds like it could work someday, between today and someday lies a giant consumer-led recession as higher prices eat up purchasing power. The municipal and corporate responses to such a recession, and the loss of wealth that it would entail, make that someday look like a beach mirage.; 7/6/25, 10:24 AM
FormerLawClerk said...: Where?

Lexington, MA ... with instructions to bring long guns and leave your cell phones at home.; 7/6/25, 10:27 AM
Jamie said...: I wonder where all the « who-are-you-to criticize-the-most-successful-and-visionary-entrepreneur-of-all-times » comments have gone. Now it seems mere mortals can dare disparage the gods with impunity.

Is anyone here arguing that Musk is wrong about the scope of the deficit problem? ISTM that the critical comments are mostly more akin to criticizing Einstein's commentary on things outside physics: success and brilliance in one area don't imply incisive understanding in all areas, though genius can (can) allow someone to develop deeper understanding of more areas than most people, if the genius is inclined to apply her intelligence in that way. Here, most comments critical of Musk seem to be saying that he has not chosen to apply his intelligence to the question of the politically possible - which makes sense, personality-wise, as his approach in everything else seems to be to start from what people say is impossible and figure out how to do it. But politics is not rocket science.

Furthermore: on this side of the aisle, we like the fact that we can disparage the gods with impunity. It's kind of our thing.; 7/6/25, 10:54 AM
Original Mike said...: "I wonder where all the « who-are-you-to criticize-the-most-successful-and-visionary-entrepreneur-of-all-times » comments have gone. "

Who said this? Rich. It figures.
Take your straw man and go home.; 7/6/25, 11:02 AM
Randomizer said...: It's a shame about Elon Musk. He is so good at the things he's good at. He doesn't understand what he is not good at. DOGE should have taught him that he is not a good front man for non-technical projects.

Musk needs to retain a political genius to advance his interest in cutting waste and graft in government. Financially support think tanks, primary candidates and anyone on X who exposing waste and corruption.

What's Newt Gingrich doing now? No one else comes to mind to manage his influence campaign.; 7/6/25, 11:17 AM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: “Uh oh. It’s Ross Perot 2.0.”

Not really. Like the legions of social media-captured women in 2016, my sense is that Musk is relatively new to feeling he has a stake in American politics. Consequently, he doesn’t know the backstory, hasn’t spent decades watching, learning, and understanding what’s actually going on. He reminds me of nothing so much as an intelligent 20 year-old college sophomore who knows the Democrats are fascists, the GOPe is icky, and so embraces the Libertarians. He's not necessarily wrong, he’s just not very informed or realistic. And, likely, not particularly politically relevant in the long run. It’s a commitment to opting out, really.; 7/6/25, 11:40 AM
Jimmy said...: Re: my earlier point about replacing Americans with Indians. Elon Musk hired an Indian, to be treasurer of the new party. Vaibhav Taneja. This according to a post on X.
So yeah, let us support and fund a party that wants to replace us. Pretty much the same as Democrats and most of the GOP.
Trump already saw all this happening, and decided to take over the GOP himself. It is slow, but working; 7/6/25, 11:52 AM
loudogblog said...: Andrew Yang will probably be there.; 7/6/25, 11:55 AM
Lazarus said...: A real American would probably know that we talk about political "conventions" rather than "party congresses."

What are the chances the Musk Party will just go the way of the "No Labels" movement?; 7/6/25, 12:14 PM
boatbuilder said...: I am a huge admirer of Musk. His commitment to making X a free and open space for the expression of ideas and information may be the single most important development of the 21st century.
But politically he commands about as many voters as Rand Paul. And his platform is the same.; 7/6/25, 12:25 PM
Viva Maria said...: Elon Kahn,
And his brother Don,
Could not keep on keeping on.; 7/6/25, 12:35 PM
mikee said...: Ross Perot redux. A rich man with a valid gripe, using that gripe - however inadvertently - to push the cause of his anger further along, by weakening his only real allies in the nation. Elon would have more impact promoting Constitutional amendments limiting government spending.; 7/6/25, 1:07 PM
ga6 said...: In answer to his question; khartoum.; 7/6/25, 1:22 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Musk is going to start looking like a Will Smith, if he doesn’t stop.; 7/6/25, 1:27 PM
Achilles said...: Kakistocracy said...
Interesting comments. I wonder where all the « who-are-you-to criticize-the-most-successful-and-visionary-entrepreneur-of-all-times » comments have gone. Now it seems mere mortals can dare disparage the gods with impunity.

Just because you are too stupid to understand what we are actually saying doesn't mean your straw men are useful arguments.

But if you weren't so stupid you wouldn't be so spectacularly wrong all of the time.; 7/6/25, 1:31 PM
Dogma and Pony Show said...: "The golden rule is that money is the decisive outcome determiner in a representative governing system based on popular suffrage. Money swamps other factors"

If that were true, Kamala would have beat Trump.; 7/6/25, 1:41 PM
Dogma and Pony Show said...: Considering the current "right track" numbers, I don't see much of an opening for Musk. People may SAY they like the idea of a third party, but ultimately they're only going to vote for a new party if they're comfortable with that party's policies and leaders. Who are the supposed leaders of the American Party and what does it stand for?; 7/6/25, 1:47 PM
Jim said...: Mars.; 7/6/25, 1:53 PM
Mark said...: I wonder who the candidates will be since he's not eligible to run.; 7/6/25, 1:59 PM
Imja Rek said...: Wasn't the immigrant hating Know Nothing party of the 1850's known officially called "The American Party"? The party is usually not Well remembered in the history books. Musk should have known this. He is a naturalized citizen, and they have to pass a knowledge test to become citizens.; 7/6/25, 2:26 PM
Biff said...: I came across a video of Perot speaking at one of the Bush-Clinton debates. It was frankly shocking how reasonable and practical he sounded when judged by today's political standards.

A 1992 Ross Perot would have a legitimate chance to win the presidency in 2028.; 7/6/25, 2:29 PM
John Marzan said...: Elmo was paying people to attend his rallies for trump. Between October 17 and November 5, 2024, Musk’s PAC offered $1 million each day to a randomly selected registered voter from a swing state who signed an online “First & Second Amendment” petition .; 7/6/25, 2:58 PM
GRW3 said...: If Trumps policies work as planned this will amount to nothing. If they fail the Dems will win in '26 if they just show breath of normality. I do understand, he stood hard for what's right. Unfortunately, what's right is not possible. Trump moves to what's possible (and just barely at that).; 7/6/25, 3:53 PM
Jim at said...: Again, Musk is doing himself no favors by going down this road.; 7/6/25, 3:59 PM
narciso said...: there is a strong risk, he could split the vote enough, to bring the democrats back in, and we know what that would mean for him; 7/6/25, 4:18 PM
Bunkypotatohead said...: In a couple months he'll be on some new hobbyhorse.
The future of earth is China. He should set up his America Party there.; 7/6/25, 5:35 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: People will come if Musk is handing out $1 million checks again. I think he’s made clear his focus will be on the House and Senate. If his goal is to win enough seats to be a necessary partner for the Republicans or Democrats to govern, that may be attainable.

It’s unclear if he intends to run candidates under his American Party banner, or to endorse candidates in Republican or Democratic primaries.; 7/6/25, 7:36 PM
Achilles said...: Jim at said...
Again, Musk is doing himself no favors by going down this road.

Every single person in politics underestimated Trump.

Musk is underestimating Trump now.

I think Trump is giving way too much leeway to the corrupt politicians and moving too slow to purge them from the party. I agree with Musk's sentiments.

But broadly Trump's strategy to clean up the deficit is the right one. And he is not going to go too hard against the hornet's nest. He was never going to really tear shit down. He was always a deal maker and soft in general.

Musk should have realized by now that he cannot go up against Trump in this realm. He already got crushed once.

On the other hand if Musk's goal is to be a bad cop and let Trump look like the reasonable one to be the good cop then he is doing us a favor.; 7/6/25, 7:49 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Great opportunity for political consultants to get rich. Hopefully, it attracts some of the more mercenary elements of Never Trump-world and the Democratic Party's consulting class, because those figures have done a bang-up job shifting power to the right. In political terms, the impact will be marginal. It will take billions of dollars on an annual basis to build up a national operation, and presumably the platform will be determined almost exclusively by the biggest funder, i.e. Elon.

Historically, there is a parallel for this with the Koch brothers and the Libertarian Party in 1980. What they ended up realizing was that it was a more efficient use of time and resources to finance think-tanks, educational institutions, and to coordinate with other billionaires. Additionally, the Kochs and their allies were able to exert significant influence within both major parties. The whole project still took around 25-30 years to reach maturity, and Trump's election -- something they didn't want -- ended up being a major consequence of their political activity.; 7/6/25, 7:50 PM
JIM said...: From Democrat to Republican to America Party in 2 years. Quite the ride. Is he considering running for President in 2028? That would be the only office a 3rd Party would be able to muster any effect on policy. What good would it do for a 3rd party to flip a few seats in Congress?
This seems like an attempt to distance himself from Trump, at least in a superficial way.; 7/6/25, 9:11 PM
Achilles said...: Kai Akker said...

How do the higher costs of US production, esp labor, get addressed? Although the Trump idea sounds like it could work someday, between today and someday lies a giant consumer-led recession as higher prices eat up purchasing power. The municipal and corporate responses to such a recession, and the loss of wealth that it would entail, make that someday look like a beach mirage.

American workers might be paid more than most. But they are by far the most productive and more than make up for that.

You are missing the steps where regulations are cut back and everyone else has the same tariffs or higher than we do. The globalists had to use a 3 pronged trident to kill the US economy.

Not quite sure where people got the idea that cheap semi-slave labor was automatically more efficient than our labor.; 7/6/25, 9:26 PM
Achilles said...: Kakistocracy said...
Great opportunity for political consultants to get rich. Hopefully, it attracts some of the more mercenary elements of Never Trump-world and the Democratic Party's consulting class, because those figures have done a bang-up job shifting power to the right.

Musk isn't as stupid as you are.

I know you don't actually think about things much but you might go back and look at what Musk does with his companies.

He doesn't pay stupid people like you to hang around.; 7/6/25, 9:28 PM
Michael said...: Actions must be judged on the basis of their likely consequences, not on the intentions or motivations of the actors. Unless this is some kind of charade, it can only achieve the opposite of what Musk intends.; 7/6/25, 9:31 PM
Eva Marie said...: Kakistocracy makes a good point:
“Historically, there is a parallel for this with the Koch brothers and the Libertarian Party in 1980. What they ended up realizing was that it was a more efficient use of time and resources to finance think-tanks, educational institutions, and to coordinate with other billionaires. Additionally, the Kochs and their allies were able to exert significant influence within both major parties. The whole project still took around 25-30 years to reach maturity, and Trump's election -- something they didn't want -- ended up being a major consequence of their political activity.”
If not Musk then some other billionaires will set something like this up.; 7/6/25, 10:45 PM
Eva Marie said...: I read quite a few of the comments on the NYT story on immigration by Times readers. The take away was that even very liberal voters are strongly anti immigration - legal as well as illegal. This is where Musk will lose support. As soon as he starts talking immigration reform - and he will - he will lose all his supporters.; 7/6/25, 11:12 PM
gadfly said...: Elmo misspelled the name his new political party. It is properly spelled A-F-R-I-K-A-N-E-R, but he might want to rename it "Boring" since he already owns he rights to the name.; 7/7/25, 1:46 AM
Eva Marie said...: This is the thing with liberals. They say they love immigrants. But as soon as they encounter someone whose opinions they disagree with they throw that person’s native background into their face. They pretend to be accepting but they are not - unless that person marches in lock step with them.; 7/7/25, 2:13 AM
Kakistocracy said...: Tesla shares sink after Elon Musk says he will launch new US political party ~ WSJ

1) The cars are increasingly uncompetitive and the brand is tarnished.

2) The robotaxis don’t work.

3) The robots ain’t gonna work.

4) Musk doesn’t work at Tesla anymore and is indeed a “TRAIN WRECK”.

Sell.

5. Trump is nixing the environmental credit legislation, according to the WSJ these Federal and state laws account for 39% of Tesla’s revenue.

Very sell.

Musk has lost some key people recently and is failing to deliver product on all fronts but that does matter to investors who belive that as long as Musk is in control things will turn out fine. I think there's a lot of retail investment in Tesla which has been made on the basis of faith in Musk. When the faith breaks there may be panic.

But Musk will always have Achilles…; 7/7/25, 11:14 AM

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