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Elon Musk Can’t Buy the Swamp
American Thinker ^ | uly 10, 2025 | Shaun McCutcheon

Posted on 07/10/2025 6:04:49 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

Elon Musk just learned a hard political truth: that even the richest man in the world cannot buy influence in Washington, at least not when it matters most.

Musk can buy recognition in D.C., and he has, complete with a steady stream of free media every time he spars with Donald Trump. But despite pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into election-related causes, endorsing candidates, and even threatening to primary Republican lawmakers who supported the “Big Beautiful Bill,” Musk was left empty-handed. Congress passed the bloated spending package anyway. Republican members shrugged off his influence, ignored his warnings, and fell in line with business as usual.

The reality is that the political class in Washington is not interested in accountability. They are interested in self-preservation. And no amount of wealth, celebrity, or even genius is going to change that.

Over the weekend, Musk responded in the most Musk-like way possible, by launching a new political movement -- the America Party. On its face, it sounds exciting. Americans are exhausted by the status quo. The Republican establishment is stuck in the past, and the Democratic Party has become increasingly hostile to free thought, economic liberty, and even patriotism. So why not build something new?

Because we’ve seen this movie before -- and it rarely ends well.

Third parties in the United States almost always fail. They siphon votes, fracture coalitions, and often help elect the very candidates their supporters most oppose. Ross Perot split the conservative vote and helped elect Bill Clinton (twice) with less than 50 percent of the popular vote. Ralph Nader arguably handed the White House to George W. Bush in 2000. The result is leaders who lack clear mandates, elections that deepen national division, and voters who feel more alienated than ever. In 1860, the last time...

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: americanstinker; dumbingdownfr; nevertrump; nevertrumper; nevertrumpers; nevertrumpertrolls; shaunmccutcheon; trollfarm

1 posted on 07/10/2025 6:04:49 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

He can’t buy MAGA support if he thought he could.


2 posted on 07/10/2025 6:06:13 PM PDT by mass55th (“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ― John Wayne)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I hope he and Trump can fix things and I hope he abandons his third party idea. I fear that it will do little other than fracture the GOP and split the vote, allowing the Democrats a free walk in the park. That would be a disaster...


3 posted on 07/10/2025 6:10:51 PM PDT by econjack
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The best thing to the “all American” party is President Trump as a Republican. Unfortunately and ironically some things are not as MAGA as we voted for. Nevertheless Musk will not fill that void. Third parties are pathetic in reality behind the catchy rhetoric.


4 posted on 07/10/2025 6:11:47 PM PDT by shanover (...To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave e them.-S.Adams)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
The Swamp burns through at least a few trillion (declared on the books) a year, has the only collection agency which can use deadly force if needed to fund it , and self governs its accounting practices and credit limit.

The wealth of all of the world's billionaires and millionaires isn't enough to fund the government for a fraction of a fiscal year.

5 posted on 07/10/2025 6:25:12 PM PDT by SecondAmendment (The history of the present Federal Government is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations .)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Elon endorsed Trump after what happened in Butler PA he helped with certain things but Trump was winning that race regardless and quite frankly prior to 2024 was pretty much a democrat in every election.


6 posted on 07/10/2025 6:40:10 PM PDT by Lod881019
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Musk was left empty-handed.


Nonsense. He, with Donald Trump, saved the Republic, at least for now. He has a good chance of keeping his enterprises.

I wonder if the huff and puff between Musk and Trump is all for show...


7 posted on 07/10/2025 6:50:40 PM PDT by marktwain
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To: econjack

I don’t think Trump will befriend him again. He really betrayed him.


8 posted on 07/10/2025 6:51:17 PM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Musk hasn’t said the America party will run a presidential candidate. I wonder if he will.

I think he might just put politicians in place who are willing to fix the deficit. It’ll take a while.

The deficit is an existential threat, but almost all of our current legislators only worry about turning taxpayer money into votes so they can continue to enrich themselves.


9 posted on 07/10/2025 6:58:05 PM PDT by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
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To: MV=PY
The deficit is an existential threat...

The only way to fix it is to outgrow it with an exploding economy, which is what Trump is trying to do.

10 posted on 07/10/2025 7:00:38 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Democrats are the Party of racism, anger, hate and violence.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The problem is, Elon is looking at politics as an engineering problem. It’s broken, not working right, so he’ll design a better one.

That won’t work because politics is more about emotions and feels and quid-pro-quo favors, not to mention the quiet part (making a fortune while drawing a modest salary).

He’ll figure it out - eventually.


11 posted on 07/10/2025 7:04:04 PM PDT by bigbob (Yes. We ARE going back)
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To: SecondAmendment

“The Swamp burns through at least a few trillion (declared on the books) a year, has the only collection agency which can use deadly force if needed to fund it , and self governs its accounting practices and credit limit.

The wealth of all of the world’s billionaires and millionaires isn’t enough to fund the government for a fraction of a fiscal year.”
____________________________________________________________

Those costs come from being the predominate military and business leading nation in the world for the last 80 plus years. Why would you want that to change?


12 posted on 07/10/2025 7:33:21 PM PDT by Bob Wills is still the king
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yep, cutting spending is not enough. I hope he can grow the economy enough, so far so good.

I like John Mauldin’s analysis:

https://images.mauldineconomics.com/uploads/pdf/TFTF_Oct_16_2020.pdf

https://images.mauldineconomics.com/uploads/pdf/TFTF_Nov_2_2024b.pdf


13 posted on 07/10/2025 7:41:13 PM PDT by MV=PY (The Magic Question: Who's paying for it?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
If Musk was politically smart, he would target the top RINOs in the House and Senate in the primaries.
14 posted on 07/10/2025 8:00:53 PM PDT by FreeReign
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

His politics will
Pull votes from the D party

But still fail I think.


15 posted on 07/10/2025 8:19:48 PM PDT by faithhopecharity ("Politicians aren't born, they're excreted." Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
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To: Bob Wills is still the king
> Those costs come from being the predominate military and business leading nation in the world for the last 80 plus years.

That used to be true, but now only a trillion goes for that, every thing else is Social Security/Medicare/Medicaid (almost 2/3rds of the Federal Budget) and then servicing interest on the debt.

16 posted on 07/10/2025 9:05:01 PM PDT by SecondAmendment (The history of the present Federal Government is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations .)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum
Elon Musk Can’t Buy the Swamp
Or, more important, Trump
17 posted on 07/11/2025 9:33:57 AM PDT by lewislynn (If you think Elon Musk is a genius you havent seen his "truck".)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Cleaning up government waste is not rocket science. It is much much harder.


18 posted on 07/11/2025 9:37:59 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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