Remarkably, in a short time span, Musk has gone from hero to villain. In fact, he is so despised by his previous political allies that they want to put him in prison.
According to a new poll by Rasmussen Reports and The Heartland Institute, more than 70 percent of Democratic voters would “strongly” or “somewhat” support “a hypothetical law that would imprison Elon Musk for his role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).”
Remarkably, 80 percent of self-identified “liberals” support an unconstitutional law that would throw Musk in jail based solely upon his efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in the bloated federal budget.
This poll shows just how intellectually bankrupt the left has become. It also demonstrates that far too many leftists still believe that the (political) ends always justify the means.
By this, I am referring to the fact that the modern left, broadly speaking, has abandoned fundamental truths and core values in place of raw political power.
Instead of supporting Musk’s efforts to bring commonsense reforms to many programs and departments while saving taxpayers billions of dollars, Democrats and leftists automatically oppose this popular endeavor simply because Trump favors it.
You see, I do not believe that most Democrats and leftists think Elon is the source of the problem; rather, they are up in arms because he generally agrees with many of President Trump’s policy positions.
It all began when Musk, who was no fan of Trump during his first term, purchased Twitter with the express intention of making the digital global town square platform a bastion of free speech.
Like liberals and Democrats of years ago, Musk believes in freedom of speech. He has even referred to himself as a free speech “absolutist.”
Suffice to say, Musk’s decision to buy Twitter and transform it into a free speech fortress triggered liberals and Democrats, who came to view social media and the mainstream media as arms and instruments of their side, and their side only.
When Musk later announced that he would campaign and raise money for the Trump 2024 presidential run, liberals and Democrats went berserk.
How dare one of their former own switch sides and help Trump?
That is what the anti-Elon hysteria is really all about. Trump Derangement Syndrome is so potent that it is now being applied to everyone and everything associated with Trump.
However, this has put the Democrats in a political pickle.
By default, Democrats now oppose every single thing Trump and his administration do, no matter how popular the policy is among the vast majority of Americans.
Trump wants to deport illegal immigrant gang members who have committed heinous crimes in the United States. Therefore, Democrats must defend these people under the guise of due process.
Trump wants men to not compete against women in sports. Thus, the Democrats take the opposite position.
Trump wants Elon Musk to use his analytical skills and technological prowess to save taxpayers billions of dollars by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse from a $7 trillion federal budget. Naturally, Democrats must defend reckless spending.
This is short-sighted on behalf of the Democrats and leftists.
Instead of lazily opposing all things MAGA, it would behoove the country if the Democrats presented actual solutions to the problems that plague the United States.
It is always better when political parties offer competing visions of the future while addressing current problems.
Although you may not agree with the MAGA agenda in full, that is the approach that the GOP has undertaken under the Trump era.
The Democrats, on the other hand, have failed to present a compelling vision of the future.
Unless and until the left overcomes their acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, they will be left in the political wilderness. They will not be taken seriously by hard-working Americans who want to revive the American dream and ensure that their children and grandchildren don’t inherit a country saddled with debt.
Chris Talgo (ctalgo@heartland.org) is editorial director at The Heartland Institute.