The Daily Populous Friday December 20th, 2024 night edition
Authored by rollingstone.com and submitted by rollingstone

Elon Musk has not been elected to any public office, but after tanking Republicans’ most recent attempt at a stopgap funding bill to avoid a shutdown, some right-wing lawmakers are entertaining the idea of installing him as speaker of the House. Democrats, by contrast, are pointing out that if the party — which claims to loathe the unelected bureaucracy — is going to let themselves be controlled by the social media posts of the world’s richest man, they may as well hand him the keys to the White House.

“The US Congress this week came to an agreement to fund our government,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) wrote on Wednesday. “Elon Musk, who became $200 BILLION richer since Trump was elected, objected. Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk? This is oligarchy at work.”

The “President Musk” messaging is by design, at least partially. This week, according to a source with direct knowledge of the matter and another person briefed on it, at senior levels of different Democratic congressional offices, and also within the Democratic National Committee, discussions have been had about having party leaders and elected officials actively portray Musk as effectively Trump’s boss, and to do so during television appearances that the president-elect is likely to see. The idea is that it’s a cost-free opportunity to potentially drive a petty wedge between the notably mercurial and ego-obsessed Trump and his similarly emotive pal Musk, and to sow some chaos in the upper ranks of the Republican Party.

“The dream is to get this narrative going on Fox [News],” says the first source. “Everybody knows how easy it is to get under Donald Trump’s skin, so why not give him something else to think over?”

The narrative is taking shape in the wake of Musk torpedoing the spending bill, with prominent Democrats — particularly progressive members of the party — taking jabs at Musk’s outsized influence on Republicans. Editor’s picks

Recently elected Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) wondered to reporters on Thursday: “If Elon Musk is kind of cosplaying co-president here, I don’t know why Trump doesn’t just hand him the Oval Office, or Speaker Johnson should maybe just hand Elon Musk the gavel if they just want that billionaire to run the country.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), meanwhile, repeatedly invoked “President Musk,” while speaking with reporters on Thursday, according to CBS News.

“Welcome to the Elon Musk presidency,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) wrote on X.

On Wednesday, Musk, who has been tapped to run Trump’s recently created (and not congressionally sanctioned) Department of Government Efficiency, began calling on Republicans to vote against a stopgap funding bill that would prevent the government from going into a partial shutdown ahead of the holidays. A bill must be passed before Friday at midnight, or tens of thousands of federal employees will be put on furlough without pay during one of the most taxing financial seasons on the calendar.

The current continuing resolution has plenty to criticize — including pay raises and expanded health care for elected members of Congress — but the Tesla billionaire took things much further. Falling back on misinformation about the contents of the legislation, Musk embarked on a posting spree demanding not only that the legislation be rejected, but that Republicans actually force a shutdown and boycott the passage of any legislation until Trump’s inauguration in late January.

“No bills should be passed [by] Congress until Jan 20, when @realDonaldTrump takes office. None. Zero,” Musk wrote Wednesday night. Related Content

Some Republicans are now calling for him to replace Mike Johnson (R-La.) as House speaker, a position that does not actually require its occupant to be a sitting member of Congress.

“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wrote on X. “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk … think about it … nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) echoed Rand’s comments, writing on X that “House Republicans should hire either [Musk] or [Vivek Ramaswamy] as their next speaker.”

House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene chimed in supporting the proposal, writing that she would be “open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House.”

“DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency,” she added. “The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.” Trending Stories Musk Kills Government Funding Deal, Demands Shutdown Until Trump Is Sworn In What the ‘I Slept With 100 Men in One Day’ Doc Gets Right About Sex Work How Coldplay Became Bigger, Happier, and More 'Coldplay' Than Ever Republicans Cut Child Cancer Research From Funding Bill After Musk’s Meddling

It’s not the first time the GOP has floated installing an unelected blowhard to serve as House speaker. In 2023, as Republicans battled among themselves to elect a leader after ousting Kevin McCarthy, many called on Donald Trump — then a recently convicted felon — to take up the mantle of House leadership.

Before the 2024 election brought solidified bromance between Trump and Musk, Trump openly mocked the billionaire, once bragging that he “could have said, ‘drop to your knees and beg,’ and he would have done it.” Trump loathes appearing like he’s under the thumb of his circle of influence and allies, and while Musk is clearly basking in the adoration of Republicans, his outsized influence could once again draw the disdain of the president-elect.

guttanzer on December 19th, 2024 at 18:17 UTC »

Trump got what he wanted, which was a get out of jail free card. He can play golf as a free man for the rest of his live.

And the MAGAs got what they voted for - they averted the "hell hole" that a second Democratic term would mean. Y'know, a stable economy, growing wages, growing manufacturing jobs, a sane HHS policy, inflation near the target 2%, relative stability in the world, and diminished Russian threat, and pressure on Israel to make peace with the Palestinian people. Oh, and a nation of laws bounded by the Constitution.

We aren't going to have any of that. They must be so proud.

Instead, we're getting a Russian style oligarchy complete with divisive propaganda bombs 70 times a day from the oligarchs busy consolidating their hold on the nation's wealth. Whoopeee!! /s

If any MAGA types are wondering why they are being shunned by their non-MAGA friends and family, it's this. Their hatred of everything non-MAGA was so great they decided to end America as we know it. That's not forgivable.

SatiricLoki on December 19th, 2024 at 17:25 UTC »

Is he not? If he’s not the real president then why does he get a say in whether or not the spending bill passes? Why are we letting an illegal immigrant hold our government hostage? Is Trump too much of a sissy to kick Musk to the curb?

o8Stu on December 19th, 2024 at 17:25 UTC »

This is great, because Trump seeing attention go to anyone but him will just hasten their inevitable falling out.