Below is my column in The Hill on the Musk mania now sweeping over the media with pundits and politicians unleashing unhinged attacks on the billionaire. In an Age of Rage, Musk is now eclipsing Donald Trump as Public Enemy No. 1. It began with his stance against censorship.
Here is the column:
This week, Elton John publicly renounced the Rocket Man — no, not the 1972 song, but Elon Musk, whom he called an “a**hole” in an awards ceremony.
Sir Elton, 77, is only the latest among celebrities and pundits to denounce Musk for his support of former president Donald Trump and his opposition to censorship. Musk-mania is so overwhelming that some are calling for his arrest, deportation and debarment from federal contracts.
This week, the California Coastal Commission rejected a request from the Air Force for additional launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base. It is not because the military agency did not need the launches. It was not because the nation and the community would not benefit from them. Rather, it was reportedly because, according to one commissioner, Musk has “aggressively injected himself into the presidential race.”
By a 6-4 vote, the California Coastal Commission rejected the military’s plan to let SpaceX launch up to 50 rockets per year from the base in Santa Barbara County.
Musk’s SpaceX is becoming a critical part of national security programs. It will even be launching a rescue mission for two astronauts stranded in space. The advances of SpaceX under Musk are legendary. The Air Force wanted to waive the requirement for separate permits for SpaceX in carrying out these critical missions.
To the disappointment of many, SpaceX is now valued at over $200 billion and just signed a new $1 billion contract with NASA. Yet neither the national security value nor the demands for SpaceX services appear to hold much interest for officials like Commissioner Gretchen Newsom (no relation to California’s governor, Gavin Newsom): “Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet.”
Newsom is the former political director for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 569. It did not seem to matter to her that increased launches meant more work for electrical workers and others. Rather, it’s all about politics.
Commission Chair Caryl Hart added “here we’re dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race and he’s managed a company in a way that was just described by Commissioner Newsom that I find to be very disturbing.”
In my book “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,” I discuss how Musk became persona non grata when he bought Twitter and announced that he was dismantling the company’s massive censorship apparatus.
He then outraged many on the left by releasing the Twitter Files, showing the extensive coordination of the company with the government in a censorship system described by a federal court as “Orwellian.”
After the purchase, former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called upon Europeans to force Musk to censor her fellow Americans under the notorious Digital Services Act. Clinton has even suggested the arrest of those responsible for views that she considers disinformation.
Silicon Valley investor Roger McNamee called for Musk’s arrest and said that, as a condition of getting government contracts, officials should “require him to moderate his speech in the interest of national security.”
Former Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich wants Musk arrested for simply refusing to censor other people.
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann called for Musk to be deported and all federal contracts cancelled with this company. As with many in the “Save Democracy” movement, Olbermann was unconcerned with the denial of free speech or constitutional protections. “If we can’t do that by conventional means, President Biden, you have presidential immunity. Get Elon Musk the F out of our country and do it now.”
Of course, none of these figures are even slightly bothered about other business leaders with political opinions, so long as, like McNamee, they are supporting Harris or at least denouncing Trump. Musk has failed to yield to a movement infamous for cancel campaigns and coercion. The usual alliance of media, academia, government and corporate forces hit Musk, his companies and even advertisers on X.
Other corporate officials collapsed like a house of cards to demands for censorship — see, for example, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. Musk, in contrast, responded by courageously releasing the Twitter Files and exposing the largest censorship system in our history.
That is why I describe Musk as arguably the single most important figure in this generation in defense of free speech. The intense hatred for Musk is due to the fact that he was the immovable object in the path of their formerly unstoppable force.
The left will now kill jobs, cancel national security programs and gut the Constitution in its unrelenting campaign to get Musk. His very existence undermines the power of the anti-free speech movement. In a culture of groupthink, Musk is viewed as a type of free-thought contagion that must be eliminated.
Their frustration became anger, which became rage. As Elton John put it in “Rocket Man,” he was supposed to be “burning out his fuse up here alone.”
Yet, here he remains.
George Bernard Shaw once said “a reasonable man adjusts himself to the world. An unreasonable man expects the world to adjust itself to him. Therefore, all progress is made by unreasonable people.”
With all of his idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, Elon Musk just might be that brilliantly unreasonable person.
Jonathan Turley is the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University and the author of “The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.”
“[S]ome are calling for [Musk’s] arrest, deportation and debarment from federal contracts.”
The Left used to throttle, control, loot the country’s prime movers.
Now it has sunk to a lower rung of hell.
Sam: True. They lust for themselves what they wish to take from others/perceived threat(s).
Anyone and/or anything that stands in their way must been seen as apostate. The cult of progressivism, like any other cult of belief, requires casting off of those not of the faith as a warning to other cult members to stay in line. Doesn’t this remind you, just a little, of the technique of jihadists who will destroy any who are not a “believer”?
Why have Leftsts lost their mind? Because the Regime controlling them knows the outcome of this election will either finalize their globalist objectives, or set them back decades.
Just think about it. The Biden/Harris administration has been such a nationwide unnatural disaster, that a Trump/Vance administration will have the opportunity to showcase conservative policies. And the contrast will be so remarkable that it will take the Regime a generation to make voters forget. Just like they did with Reagan.
OLLY,
I would like to think a Trump/Vance admin would have a positive affect on the country but the Obama/Biden/Harris admins have so many swamp dwellers to thwart any such efforts. I think it will take two or three Republican admins to counter any of the leftist woke policies. We need a Republican WH and Congress for a decade to fix the damage Obama/Biden/Harris have done to our country.
You’re absolutely correct. I have no doubt that Trump will be more on offense than he was in his first term. He better have a plan, because there will be fierce opposition. The #1 goal for them will be to prevent Vance from building a resume of success.
Olly
I believe that much of what you fear can be immediately cured with ending this failure of not prosecuting criminal acts by elected officials. Spying on Trump, fraudulent accusations, treasonous side steps of Congress, total disregard of our Constitution, money laundering, weaponized lawfare all or any could be immediately proven to the citizens of our country and the grand conspiracy could be revealed to the light of day. This would take out their haunches with full support of the public. I believe for America to survive and thrive, we’re going to have to revisit the basis of our economy diverting from growth and development and take a serious look at our current foreign policy, not some bureaucracy controlled black hole decided by the elites dollars.
Traveler, I agree with everything except the word “fear.”
I like that, it is their Waterloo and it’s coming and there is no stopping it.
I think that the word “plan” is too modest for what will be needed. Trump and Republicans will need a strategy for his term and (optimistically) for several consecutive Republican terms following. That strategy will need to begin, not with the ends that are sought, but by identifying all of the likely sources of obstruction, prioritizing them, and prescribing the most effective strategy or strategies to neutralize them. The biggest sticking point would almost certainly be Democrat lawfare in courts presided over by leftist Federal judges who enjoy lifetime tenure. That will be difficult to solve. Hopefully effective methods for removing useless and/or redundant and/or extra-Constitutional Federal departments employing bureaucrats whose positions are protected in some manner by legislation, but not by Constitutional guarantees, will prove easier to design and execute.
The biggest sticking point would almost certainly be Democrat lawfare in courts presided over by leftist Federal judges who enjoy lifetime tenure.
Yes Anonymous, strategic planning to be precise. I have confidence that he has already assembled his trusted team of advisors to develop a thorough SWOT analysis. Lawfare is going to be the first weapons deployed in this civil war. And the Democrats will prove for all to clearly see that they are the true enemy to the security and prosperity of the American people.
I totally agree, you need to disinfect our many bureaucracies before real swamp cleaning can begin. It took decades of somnambulist rinos ignoring this infiltration of socialist/communist progressivism into all fabrics of our culture. (I could lecture you on how fdr’s WPA gutted a growing American Art culture and replaced it with socialist/European modern art and allowed them to claimed control of our cultural institutions.)
When you think about it Olly, it was truly amazing that the Trump Administration achieved as much as it did in four years given the intense resistance they received from Obama with Operation Crossfire Hurricane before he was inaugurated and everything else that followed. Unprecedented in American history. Heels Up Harris (aka Berkeley Girl), George Soros, Knucklehead, and the Democrats will go hard in-the-paint to sabotage Trump before he is inaugurated this time droning on insufferably about “saving democracy”. Lawsuits will be filed by the hundreds in blue counties to “save democracy”. Our only hope is if the Republicans win the House and the Senate. It’s long past time to turn the Nimitz into the wind….
skyraider, you’re right. He wasn’t prepared in his first term. He won’t make the same mistake twice.
Olly, if only Leftists were confident in their own candidates and ideas, they wouldn’t need to lash out, thrash about, or otherwise insult their own voters, let alone their opponent’s.
(Someone’s earlier link if you haven’t has the chance to read it yet.) https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/the-party-that-cannot-tell-you-what
JAFO, that is such a refreshing article. It reads from top to bottom like a lesson on how to make a rational, commonsense point.
One thing we’ve seen about Democrats over the years is that when they can’t convince you to do something they begin to insult you.
The Biden/Harris administration exposed every weakness of the entire Democratic party playbook during their time in office. That middle 40% of voters that in previous election cycles might be persuaded by their progressive idealism, are realizing their suffering is due precisely because of that ideology. Smoke and mirrors won’t work on them. Gaslighting won’t work on them. Propaganda won’t work on them. And insults certainly won’t work on them. The only thing they have left in that playbook is to gets us in a hot war and declare martial law, or start trucking in illegal ballots and hope to be saved by the courts.
That 40%, Olly, are the spouses who’re just now realising the domestic abuse will never stop and are ready to leave the marriage. I think you’re onto something about sketchy ballots being trucked in the wee morning hours November 6th. They got away with it before, they’ll do it again. Hopefully, the courts will have enough interest to investigate the mostly one-sided shenanigans like this: https://simulationcommander.substack.com/p/8de221d3-12a7-4309-8caa-0e37284eaeea
So true
Is Elton John British? Why is he weighing in? And Keith Olberman–maybe he should be speaking about the relaxed vetting process at the borders.
Elon Musk is a creative, inventive, imaginative person. I have no concept of how he has thought and then put into use his ideas. The problem they have with him is that he is not marching in lock step, like others, Bill Gates?
I had heard to open a steel processing plant, we need talent. We don’t have enough of it here. But there are people from other countries, who would come here, but our visa laws require a certain education/degree for them to come here. I don’t know. Is this not allowing vetting, and some people coming across the border should not be here–rape, murder, …? I’ll take Elon Musk. I’m not in his financial class. I don’t have his creative mind or how it works. But he is a positive for our country. This administration is unhappy that he opened up the wounds when he released the Twitter Files.
Its 22 days. But I am willing to wait longer so that the people who have been affected by the hurricane get their right to vote.
“a reasonable man adjusts himself to the world. An unreasonable man expects the world to adjust itself to him. Therefore, all progress is made by unreasonable people.”
Brilliant professor! And spot on!
Our leftist friends have demonstrated time and time again how unreasonable they are with their comments. I thank them for it!
Musk literally holstered a returning rocket for reuse on future flights and continues to advance science. I wish those calling for his arrest and deportation would direct both those actions toward the illegals who have entered the country. Kinda like what they did when the illegals landed on Martha’s Vineyard.
“I wish those calling for his arrest and deportation would direct both those actions toward the illegals who have entered the country. ”
I wish that all those calling for his arrest and deportation would just take a long walk off of a short pier. Much easier to clean up after them as inert, bloated floaters than as strident, breathing, bleating ruminants.
What would expect: The Party That Cannot Tell You What A Woman is, Mad Men Will Not Vote For Them. https://torrancestephensphd.substack.com/p/the-party-that-cannot-tell-you-what
Turley’s full-throated defense of Elon Musk, citing successes with Space X and Tesla, does not excuse Elon’s hypocrisy on free speech. ‘X has engaged in censorship and still does, and Turley doesn’t like to mention it.
https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/x-formerly-twitter-cancels-content-deal-don-lemon/710234/
Also, Turley forgot that ‘X’ has agreed to pay the fine and abide by Brazil’s rules.
There are plenty of examples of ‘X’ censoring people that Musk does not like.
Thanks for that essay Jonathan! Spot on and brilliant.
Barry
It is Time for Republicans to cut 75% of Federal Spending…end all aid to cities, states, non-profits and colleges
To jail CRIMINAL democrats by the 1000’s for their crimes…and there are MANY
Democrats are FIGHTING A CIVIL WAR…importing Illegals help them! The USA has a DARK future if Democrats are allowed to continue
“Liberals” have already lost their minds, that happened with bill clinton when he required they mentally ignore the reality presented to them in order to confirm their bias that anyone with a D after their name was one of them. Since then, their minds have been twisted like that so many times, they have been lied to so many times, and any attempt to elect/promote non-authoritarian, neo-lib, war-monger candidates has been quashed so now they simply believe that any non-authoritarian is the enemy – so Musk is an enemy, Trump who is essentially a JFK-esque democrat is an enemy and people like dick cheney and john bolton are now among their ranks – unbelievable.
I am starting to believe that mediocre-intelligence, college grad white women completely lost their minds since bill clinton and now many similarly intelligent ‘men’ have gone too. It’d be interesting to track antidepressant use and political affiliation.
losing? Democrats have lost their minds…every voter…and TRULY hate America.
They are the MOST greedy, hate filled, violent, hypocrites on earth!
Excellent column. Elon Musk is not only that brilliantly unreasonable person, but he has become the “Essential American.” He is at once a visionary, a risk-taker, a corporate genius, and nearly the most recognizable person in the world. Not too shabby for someone of just 53 years.
gdonaldallen: Your quotation marks around the “Essential American” might represent a quoted term, the source for which I am not familiar with,– but it is perfect! Thanks!
Democrats are really just communists…
I’m a democrat. I’m not a communist.
Why do make such sweeping comments.
Wally, the way Democrats are acting today, they are fascists or communists.
Wally observed: I’m a democrat. I’m not a communist.
As President Reagan said: “There you go repeating yourself again”.
It identifies as a democrat…
Why make those comparisons? I dunno, is it the central authoritarianism or the deliberate destruction of religion or the deliberate destruction of the middle class or the required fealty to dogma or the picking of economic winners and loser or the raping of the state for the benefit of the politically favored or the (attempted (see musk)) ruination of political opponents or the economic hardship created or the military waste or the mantra that the state is there to benefit special groups (race groups, foreigners, illegals, degenerates,…) or is it the insistence that the courts be stacked politically or that the foundational documents are inhibiting its progress or is it the capture of the education systems or the destruction of non-dependent economic entities or is it the want to punish political opponents…are those democrat or communist policies – yep, both.
by any name, your party of choice is a cancer in the US and a subversive force against democracy. Unless of course I missed the part where the majority of the people wanted to be dependents and slaves.
Thank you, Jonathan for bringing the left jab punch to the aforementioned ignorant Philistines.
CORRECTION: Liberals are lost their minds over Karl Marx and his garbage spewing groupies, NOT Elon Musk.
The current rage by the likes Gretchen Newsom, Chair Caryl Hart, Hillary Clinton, Roger McNamee, Robert Reich, Keith Olbermann, etc,. demonstrates nothing more than the intolerance sycophants have for anything that threatens the safety of their parasitic existence.
American “Liberalism” (read socialists), where hoods too timid for communism hide.
democrats are fascists…. not socialists or communists
There is nothing liberal about those people. “Liberal” is an endonym, and is not, nor has it ever been, an accurate description.
Any immigrant who does not vote Democratic should be deported.
I am Hispanic and do not support open borders. And I don’t need s@@tlibs like you to save me or to tell me what I am allowed to believe. And no, I am not a “nazi” for noticing.
antonio
define immigrant? illegal democrat plantation dweller…or legal hard working person born somewhere else?
Don’t look now, but the left is about to have its butt kicked in the coming election. The Internet and free speech have set us free from the nonsense and gobbledygook of the left. Trump has said that he will appoint Musk to some position that recommends common sense answers for serious problems. Trump considers Musk a good businessman and coming from Trump, that’s a true compliment of gargantuan proportions.
JJC,
Well said.
There are a number of government workers, working redundant jobs, useless jobs, getting paid way too much that could be out of a job after this election.
America would be better off if they were out of work. Just look at FEMA.
I find the reaction to Musk to be amusing if not horrifying. Imagine the havoc they could bring down on someone not as wealthy or as influential.
This just reveals their true nature.
whig: Actually, they have brought down havoc on thousands of people without the wealth and resources of Trump and Musk. They did so by prosecuting thousands of people for serious felonies for trespassing misdemeanor crimes. They also prosecuted folks like Navarro and Banon for similar crimes that they overlooked when committed by Hunter Biden. And, of course, there are the anti-abortionists prosecuted as felons for praying in front of abortion mills. Thank goodness for the Trumps and Musks out there who have the financial resources to fight back not only on their own behalf but also for those less fortunate than them who have been caught up and prosecuted by the Biden-Harris cartel.
That of a vile, vicious, and vindictive people. True leftists.
Their true nature, that of a vile, vicious, vindictive people.
Were you amused at Hitler and Mussolini’s rise to power.
Democrats are THE SAME Type of Fascists!