Let’s just say that another billionaire running the world isn’t anyone’s idea of a good move. Elon Musk has announced the formation of the America Party in response to Trump’s hideous bill which slithered through the House a few days ago.
The response to the new party has been pretty casual at best. A prepared statement was issued and duly recited by America’s “It wasn’t us” mainstream media. A third party is a longstanding myth in the US. None have succeeded.
It seems that Musk isn’t expecting much. He apparently just wants to destroy the Trump majority, if his “one way to execute on this would be to laser-focus on just 2 or 3 Senate seats and 8 to 10 House districts” quote is any indicator.
It would work, too. Doing that would give him a lot of leverage. He’d be the arbiter of what passes through Congress. Without a Congressional majority, Trump is nothing.
However – To get any political mileage at all, he’d have to fight his way upstream against the dead weight of conservative media. Market reach in American politics is defined more by how much noise you make than by substance.
Conservative US media is famous for its multi-decades-long ability to ignore just about anything. It has supported the Tea Party, QAnon, and MAGA with mindless enthusiasm and a lack of intellect that makes a house brick look like Einstein. It has broadcast babble on a colossal scale since pre-Obama days.
How does Musk get traction with this self-slaughtering pigsty of a sector? Money would probably help.
Let’s face it. A brain is a total liability in US politics. All you have to do is climb over a herd of sycophantic old nobodies and make a pitch. You hire a publicist or anyone else with no sense of smell. You get elected by people with a negative IQ.
Musk could put together a party of typical conservative clowns with small ads on Craigslist. Everyone wants a piece of this gangrenous pie. In US politics, the step from vacuous idiot to fanatic is really simple.
At the delivery end, getting votes, it’s still about the media. Will FOX suddenly convert to Muskism? Will success spoil the Mafia?
Musk needs to do more than just make noises. He needs backing. Let’s see if he gets it.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
