Elon Musk delivers hope and change for Democrats

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Elon Musk delivers hope and change for Democrats
A victory in a tight Wisconsin race boosts Democrats in their quest to defeat the billionaire's DOGE plans

By Heather Digby Parton
Columnist
Published April 2, 2025 9:48AM (EDT)


(Salon) There is so much bad news happening in politics daily that sometimes you feel like you've been physically pummeled by it. The Trump administration's "shock and awe" campaign to overwhelm the country with one extreme policy after another, dismantling most of the government institutions that make the United States a global leader, is extraordinarily punishing. You can't blame people for opting to tune out a bit and care for their emotional well-being.

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I made a promise to myself that I was not going to get my hopes up about elections after all that. No more hopium for me. I said that I would certainly root for Democrats to win wherever possible and would do what I could to make that happen. But I just couldn't let myself pore over polling and racehorse analysis anymore or allow myself to put too much stock in any individual victories.

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On Monday evening, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker began a marathon floor speech to break the record that the odious Dixiecrat Strom Thurman set when he filibustered the Civil Rights Act on 1957 for 24 hours and 17 minutes. The symbolism of Booker, a Black senator, doing that was obvious and excellent under our current circumstances, where the Trump administration is doing everything it can to erase the story of racial minorities in American life. But I had no idea how thrilling it would be to see him stand there for what turned out to be 25 hours and 4 minutes and lay out the case against what Trump and the Republicans are doing. He opened his speech by saying:

“These are not normal times in our nation. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate. The threats to the American people and American democracy are grave and urgent, and we all must do more to stand against them."

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And then came Tuesday's election returns. The two Florida races were won by Republicans as expected — but by about 15 points, half the margin Trump received last November. The big one in Wisconsin was a banger. I'd certainly paid attention in recent days to Elon Musk's antics there, where he poured more than $20 million into the right-wing candidate's campaign and handed out million-dollar checks along with other cash goodies. He made the race a referendum on himself, even turning up in person on Sunday to tell people that it would be the end of America if the liberal won. ...............(more)

https://www.salon.com/2025/04/02/elon-musk-delivers-hope-and-change-for-democrats/