A full-page ad in the Sunday editions of the Washington Post and The New York Times urged Tesla CEO Elon Musk to "dump Trump."
The ads were paid for by a startup investor named Doug Derwin. The longtime Silicon Valley resident told CNNMoney he shelled out $400,000 to run ads in the Times and the Post, as well as the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News.
It's the latest step in Derwin's $1 million bid to convince Musk he's failing environmentalists. He calls it "Elon Dump Trump."
Derwin said he didn't want to launch the campaign at first. Back in January, he was eagerly awaiting the arrival of his Tesla (TSLA) Model S electric car.
But as his Tesla was about to be delivered, Derwin said he caught wind of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick's decision to walk away from Trump's business advisory council, which Kalanick served on with Musk. Kalanick had previously defended his working relationship with President Trump, but public pressure mounted in the wake of the president's immigration order.
That's a lot of money allocated to deprive Trump of ostensibly good advice.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @05:41AM (10 children)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:30AM (4 children)
What's wrong with being a prop for the president's photo-ops?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:48AM (3 children)
1. Waste of time. Musk didn't get where he is by, e.g., posting on SN.
2. Creates an image of support/endorsement. As it can turn either way, being wrong can't be excluded.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @08:33AM (2 children)
wooooosh!
Dude, when has anyone ever considered being someone's prop a good thing?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @09:26AM (1 child)
I don't know... when nothing else as a job is available?
Besides, after seeing how "selfies with celebs" and the "planking" took off, I can't say I'll be surprised to hear about a "propping craze". Can you?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:05PM
propping craze
mad props, you might say
(Score: 2) by driverless on Tuesday April 25 2017, @07:24AM (3 children)
So you tailor your advice to be whatever the president wants to do. Once you've made yourself into an echo chamber, you quickly become one of his most trusted advisors.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @08:37AM (2 children)
How do you know he tailors his advice?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @03:38PM (1 child)
Right. He could be advising his tailor.
(Score: 3, Funny) by JNCF on Tuesday April 25 2017, @07:38PM
Or tailing his advisor.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:23PM
Ah, but haven't you noticed that he does appear to change his mind about lots of stuff? For example he now doesn't think NATO is obsolete.
You can change his mind if you frame things the right way. He's not exactly a hard working, hard thinking president, so you should be able to get much of what you want if you do most of the work for him and "turn the force" instead of being stupid and opposing him directly.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @05:51AM (2 children)
What an ass. This guy puts the mental in environmentalist.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:36AM
You call that mental? Take this:
I swear that, if Elon doesn't dump Trump, I'll vote with my wallet: I'll buy and drive a Chinese electric bus [soylentnews.org] instead a Tesla car
(yuuuuge grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @08:24AM
Environassalist.
A word totally needed in our future Idiocracy ;-)
The problem is that some environmentalists are blind to other systematic effects and insight into objectives of others.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:22AM (10 children)
Just like the Dixie Chicks dumped Bush. Really worked out well for the Dixie Chicks. They enjoyed that hiatus after the boycotts.
As a matter of fact, dumping Bush worked really well for me too. I met fellow protesters at my trial, the prosecutor wanted to make examples of all of us dirty terrorists. Too bad the judge didn't give a shit and let us go free.
Dumping Obama was a great idea too. Dissidents got branded as racists forever for dumping Obama. Lost their jobs in the middle of the Great Recession, never worked again. I've met folks who Dumped Obama and they eat dog food for dinner now.
So Yes. Musk should Dump Trump. And then Musk should fucking kill himself.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:44AM (8 children)
And? You really think Elon's success is linked to whether or not he supports Trump?
1. wadda hell has politics to do with the job? I never discuss politics at the office, that's like debating on the matters of religion or sport
2. I can guarantee you, Elon Musk is not gong to eat dog food if he dumps support for whatever political figure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:57AM (3 children)
Good thing a Trumper boycott of Tesla is meaningless because Trumpers don't drive gay cars. Musk is safe!
On a related note I strolled across the tracks today and saw both sides of American exceptionalism. On one side, Asians tending shops and Blacks begging for change. On the other side, White hipsters buying condos and Gay Lesbians walking dogs.
I want Elon Musk to eat dog food on the wrong side of the tracks.
(Score: 1, Troll) by c0lo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @07:33AM (2 children)
Only one thing out of the norma... errr, American exceptional I mean.
That is... Blacks are still begging for change? That's utterly preposterous.
Look, they - along with everybody else - had 8 years of Obama's change (the hopey type of change, according to some insignificant politician). Then Trumps comes in and he gets busy changing the Obama's changes. With the chance of boredly winning ominously looming ahead.
And Blacks are still begging for more? Adrenaline junkies, I tell yea, there can be no other rational explanation
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @07:45AM (1 child)
Yes they're still begging and they're still talking mushmouthed as ever. Spring is in the air and my ears are filling with wax so I had to ask the kind gentleman to say again when I wasn't quite sure whether he was asking for directions or asking for change. It was change he wanted so I emptied my pockets and gave all that I had for the good lord said give all that you have to the poor.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @09:20AM
Well, for a change, they could start begging for higher denominations - makes the transfer process more capita... umm, efficient, that's the word, yes.
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:07PM
NASA is SpaceX's biggest customer.
http://observer.com/2016/10/spacex-responds-to-president-obamas-call-for-a-human-mission-to-mars/ [observer.com]
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2017/0121/Barack-Obama-s-last-bill-A-bridge-for-Trump-to-Silicon-Valley-and-Elon-Musk [csmonitor.com] (read this one if nothing else)
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/02/13/president-barack-obama-elon-musk-dinner-spruce-presidio-heights-san-francisco-fundraiser-dinner/ [cbslocal.com]
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/obama_tour.html [nasa.gov]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 25 2017, @03:00PM (2 children)
"1. wadda hell has politics to do with the job?"
You serious? You are well and truly serious? Let me give you a couple hints. What was happening, in politics, specifically, when the "Great Recession" hit? It was an important time in American politics. Do you really think that the political scene was totally unrelated to the economic scene?
In France and Germany, there are political decisions being made right now. And, the stock markets are responsive to the perceived political climate.
In Great Britain, Brexit. Brexit is powered, in part, by the European economic picture. And, in turn, Brexit is affecting European economics. And, in turn, the UK's economic outlook is being painted in different colors by the various political interests, inside and outside of the UK.
Right here, at home, today, economics and politics are tied in knots over that $15 minimum wage thing. Oh, but, I've pointed out in the past that food service workers are exempt from minimum wage laws because - politics. Food service, farm workers, and others were squeezed right out of wage protections from the very beginning of the idea of minimum wages because the rich bastards who employed those people had a lot of clout in Washington.
To sum that all up - the assholes in Washington have a big impact on your job opportunities. Another set of assholes in your state capital has another impact, possibly bigger than those in Washington. And, your city and/or county government can determine how easy or how hard it is to find a job within commuting distance. Economics and politics are closely tied together.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Wednesday April 26 2017, @10:51AM (1 child)
Let me quote and emphasize from the parent what made me ask that question:
Is the context clearer now?
My question again: why the hell those dissidents felt the need of displaying their dissenting opinion at the job?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @02:04PM
Ahhhh - got it. Good point. In the best of times, no one really wants a trouble maker in their establishment. During a recession, the boss can give you the boot for any reason, or no reason. Dissidents, show yourselves to the door, before I get Big Eddie to help you out the door!
(Score: 2) by LoRdTAW on Tuesday April 25 2017, @12:34PM
Your mental issues seem to stem from your particular eating habits. Might I suggest you switch dog food brands?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:48AM (3 children)
Elon no longer needs a boyfriend in the White house, he's hangin' wid the Amber! WooHooo! All fun and games, until someone throws a Manhattan glass at the hyperloop vacuum enclosure. http://www.businessinsider.com/it-looks-like-amber-heard-and-elon-musk-are-in-a-relationship-2017-4 [businessinsider.com] And there was also something about Kim Kardash's butt, but I really do not pay any attention to this ridiculous stuff. Used to only see it in the grocery store check-out. But now I look at google news. Why, oh why, is any of this news?
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:53AM (1 child)
Pray do tell: is indeed Kim Kardash's butt so ridiculous?
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @10:28AM
It is redonkadonk.
/Oh god you made me say it.
//I don't actually know, I'm sure I'd recognize them but I don't consume pop culture so this is an assumption based on people writing about her butt repeatedly, as in the example above
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday April 25 2017, @12:56PM
Thanks for the Amber Heard post so I didn't have to.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @07:12AM
Doug Derwin born 1957 in Hollywood. 1980 University of California with Bachelor of Arts. 1983 Harvard University with Juris Doctor. Phi Beta Kappa. 1983 Began practicing law in Silicon Valley, concentrating on high technology intellectual property issues.
So what we got here is a honest lawyer that wants to tell a highly successful engineer what to do? There's are many reasons why Trump is President and not anyone else. The media picture gives you a faulty map on what's going on. And besides if he's clueless then it might be a very good idea with good advice. Campaigns that tell others what to think and do won't do. Better start with addressing issues directly.
As long as these issues are not addressed by others. He's likely to be re-elected too.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @08:07AM (3 children)
You don't make the world a better place by sitting around huddling in safe spaces with approved people with approved views. That's how you create wars as you become more radicalized and your 'opposition', now devoid of neutralizing forces comparably radicalizes themselves. If you want positive change you do exactly what Musk is doing or what an astronaut recently did [youtu.be] (5:44) in Trump's call to the ISS. He, out of nowhere, started emphasized international cooperation and gave some great examples of all the things we're doing together that make us greater as a people and even as a nation.
This isn't going to make Trump suddenly go about face, and it shouldn't. It's okay for people to disagree. The role people like Musk, or the astronaut, play is to present information and ideas that help prevent Trump from being surrounded by an echo chamber of insiders and sycophants. You know, diversity of thought instead of just diversity of looks. I think it's sad people are breaking themselves up into echo chambers so much. Post 'inconvenient' data or facts that lean against the groupthink on e.g. Reddit and you're likely to be banned from discussion, be it of conservative or liberal bias. People need to understand that the way we start to work together is working together, even when we continue to disagree with one another.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:19PM (2 children)
Nope, sorry, your side went too far when it started religious objectioning to providing health care.
Not all of us are lesbians who sleep with guys for kids and have sympathetic stories that make great fake news.
Some of us are SOL when you go "religious objection" out of the blue when 2 YEARS AGO YOU HAD NO GODDAMNED PROBLEM WITH TAKING MY MONEY AND PROVIDING HEALTHCARE.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @03:22PM
Case in point. Because my views aren't the standard groupthink, I'm immediately labeled as the 'other side.' You seemingly can't even conceive of somebody wanting to work with Trump or thinking what Reddit is doing is bad unless I'm a Alex Jones listening, Fox News watching, bible thumping 'good ole boy.' Get out of the echo chambers and, more importantly, grow up. This sort of political insularity is the reason Trump is president today and we're likely looking at 8 years of him.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:10PM
Fertility is not a disease. Birth control is not medical care. Get your own damn birth control, have a kid, or just stop fucking.
Pregnancy is not a disease. You're a sick fuck if you want to kill your own baby. The least you can do is pay the hit-man (murderous supposed "doctor") yourself.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @10:09AM (1 child)
$SUBJ. Either that or I need more coffee today.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday April 25 2017, @12:53PM
Tell that to the guy who spent $400k on a letter entitled "Elon: Dump Trump".
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Insightful) by its_gonna_be_yuge! on Tuesday April 25 2017, @12:16PM (2 children)
What I admire about Elon Musk is that he rarely gets caught up in petty politics and just focuses on the deliverables.
As much as I dislike Trump, telling people not to talk to him just puts him further into his mirrored bubble. So good on Elon Musk for putting up with the OvalOffice Turdy.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:01PM (1 child)
Abandoning Trump would be short sited. (Even for a political enemy.)
The man is the President.
If he is lacking, it's especially useful the he get good advice.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Tuesday April 25 2017, @08:41PM
Is Elon giving Trump advice? Or is Elon getting advice from Trump?
To transfer files: right-click on file, pick Copy. Unplug mouse, plug mouse into other computer. Right-click, paste.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @12:56PM
From what I've heard about how Kalanick operates, I wouldn't be surprised if it was a case of "walk away or we'll kick you out".
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:12PM (3 children)
What are the odds that these ads will work, and if they do, that it matters? If the odds of either are low, it seems an awful waste of $400K.
I've known for some time that the super rich don't live in the same world as the rest of us. I cut coupons, watch and wait for sales, make sure I get correct change, shop at thrift stores, used book stores, and discount stores, try to sell online or in garage sales things I no longer need, haggle with the ISP every year when they end their "promotional" rate, again, and switch electric companies, etc. Live with minor irritants like a crack in the windshield of my 16 year old car, as I'm planning to switch to electric when recharge times are short enough and range long enough to make a road trip practical, and battery life ls reasonably long, say 20 years. Actually, I don't shop much at any bricks and mortar bookstore any more, have been moving to digital. Don't have room to spare for a collection of dead tree books.
And in one short ad blitz, this guys spends more money than anyone can save in a lifetime of penny pinching.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:41PM
I can live very comfortably for 30 years with that amount, assuming no health care.
$400,000 to waste everybody's goddamn time with his poisonous idea. Kill me now.
(Score: 2) by arulatas on Tuesday April 25 2017, @04:13PM
I think the ad had the desired effect. Did you know who this guy was before this ad campaign? I didn't.
----- 10 turns around
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @10:32AM
Lobbyists give 220:1 returns, recently claimed.
400k is a small investment to influence major market influencers. The ad itself is not intended to make Musk do anything. It's intended to make Musk look bad or distract him.
This guy (or more likely others in a consortium) have shorted Musk and will make more than $400k from the small fluctuation that the ads will cause.
(Score: 2, Disagree) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 25 2017, @01:51PM (15 children)
8 years ago, we had our first black president elected. There WAS some crazy shit happening then. Some idiots said they would move to Canada if the black guy was elected - but they didn't move. Other assholes predicted all sorts of stupid stuff. The black guy was going to destroy the country, blah, blah, blah. Additionally, the liberals were going to destroy the country, more blah blah blah. And, the birthers.
You folk on the left mocked and made fun of all those on the right, because most of them were idiots. Given some time, the righties didn't learn to like Obama, but they did learn to kinda work with him, some.
WTF are you lefties doing this time around? Seriously - collectively, you are acting worse than the righties did 8 years ago. Having been on the receiving end of that nonsense, I would expect you to know better. But, no, you've taken the rightie's full retard bullshit, and doubled down on it before handing it back.
Fuck that mantra - diversity, inclusiveness, tolerance, and all the rest of it. Your left-leaning representatives are intentionally more divisive than to most callous, ignorant, and hateful of right wing redneck types.
If you deserve any respect at all, if you WANT any respect, it's about time you began muzzling these idiot talking heads.
Some among you presume to know what "presidential" means. Some among you pretend that Hillary knew how to be presidential. But, she remains silent, she doesn't condemn all this moronic crap?
Just try to grow up, FFS. Come on, grow up. Sure, you can probably win the full retard contest, but WHY?
Show YOUR president the minimum of respect, if you insist - but let's end this blatant disrespect. It's childish bullshit, and you know it.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @02:56PM
Except that the president keeps spouting childish bullshit, so it's just speaking to his level.
I'd hoped that Obama would actually be a liberal, and he wasn't, but he never lowered the tone of the conversation.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @03:26PM (1 child)
I think I'll save this to repost in 8 years when Democrats are in power.
"It's fine when I do it, but when you do it, you need to grow up."
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 25 2017, @04:08PM
Just so you know, I've been making fun of presidents from both parties, for over 30 years. But, no matter which one was in charge, he was MY president.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @03:29PM (6 children)
The "president" is acting like an emperor, saying and doing stupid shit, and you want us to give him respect? Ha! He doesn't deserve the slightest bit of it. Just because he is president?? How about we go back in time and see all the shit you talked about obama? You authoritarian side is peeking out again.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by Runaway1956 on Tuesday April 25 2017, @04:37PM (4 children)
Fine - go back in time. Dredge up all the shit I've talked about Obama. Or, O'Bummer. But, be sure to use that time machine to go back to when I was badmouthing Herr Bush. You will find few people who argued harder AGAINST invading Iraq. You will find that I laughed maniacally at some of the pictures comparing Bush to chimpanzees.
BTW - I argued long and loud in Obama's corner against the birthers. Search for phrases like, "An American mother naturally gives birth to an American baby."
Further, my hatred of the Clinton clan precedes Hillary's political career by a long shot. Search for comments such as "Clinton should have been impeached for treason, not for getting a blowjob." Only a treasonous bastard would have sold military secrets to China, while at the same time, making China a "most favored trading partner". Bill sold the US down the river with his deals.
Bush Senior? I don't remember saying a whole lot about him. I guess he was a pretty good president, in that he didn't fuck up every third day so badly that he needed to be skewered. He did inspire that song about a kinder gentler machinegun hand.
Reagan? I often referred to him as "The Acting President". He really wasn't much of a president, but at least he knew how to act the part. We needed at least an actor after Carter screwed the pooch, and made the US the laughingstock of the world.
Ford? WTF was Ford? Oh yeah - he's the clown they stuck in office after his boss resigned in disgrace.
Nixon - disgrace. Need I say more?
LBJ. Hell, I was just a snotnosed kid when Kennedy was assassinated. It took years before I began to understand what Johnson was all about. I have nothing good to say about the man - he was part of the military industrial complex, and he insisted on building up Vietnam, despite the fact that Vietnam couldn't threaten us in any way, shape or form. God damned Democratic warmonger - probably HRC's inspiration.
Kennedy. A man old enough to be my dad. Little John-John was my age. The president with the best looking wife, until Trump came along. Still close though. Kennedy. The man who went nose-to-nose with Kruschev. Pretty bad-assed, if you think about it. I don't think Kennedy was really a Democrat. Of course, he was no Republican, either. Kennedy should have made his own party. It's a fucking shame that John Kennedy was shot in Dallas. It would have been great if Ted Kennedy had been shot in Dallas instead. Ted was a fucking pig, no matter how you look at him.
Get that time machine running, and go back to verify all of my above comments. I've made those or similar comments many times, online, verbally, and in writing. If you haven't noticed yet, I don't have a party.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @12:50AM (3 children)
I've made those or similar comments many times, online, verbally, and in writing. If you haven't noticed yet, I don't have a
partybrain.FTFY! So, Runaway, old man, what did you think of Eisenhower's presidency? Can you make some more comments, just so we can read them? Have you ever thought about writing a book, or replacing O'Reilly on Fox News?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @02:25AM (2 children)
Reading comprehension - visit a community college near you. I was a suckling baby when Ike was president. I didn't have an opinion about Eisenhower, until much later in life.
Have you ever thought of putting Runaway on ignore, so that you don't have to read his opinions? Oh - sorry - you have that reading comprehension problem, so you don't know how to ignore me. You don't use the forum, the forum uses you. Oh well, useful idiots are useful! You may not be the sharpest, but you are a tool!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @07:40AM (1 child)
Thank you, Runaway, thank you! The merest derogatory response from you fills me with insight and stuff! I am so amazed that people could ignore you! How is that even possible? I know people who log in from the other side of the world just to read your latest comments. They really enjoy the ones about how you are not a Trump supporter, or how you despise SJWs, or how you think women should be forced into chattel slavery if they get pregnant. And yes, you probably guessed it: there is an entire Runaway1956-2926 fan club in Saudi Arabia! Comment on, dude!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @02:12PM
"women should be forced into chattel slavery"
That, from a lying sack.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @04:41PM
Huh. Where have I heard that "the president is acting like an emperor" before?
http://www.solidprinciples.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/RAMclr_110214_amnesty_IBD_COLOR_FINAL_147_gif.gif [solidprinciples.com]
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/26/28/08/2628081d47c057a514fb0151c28752c7.jpg [pinimg.com]
http://media.caglecartoons.com/media/cartoons/91/2012/06/29/114311_600.jpg [caglecartoons.com]
It seems like there might have been both sides doing it...
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by julian on Tuesday April 25 2017, @05:24PM (3 children)
False equivalence. Trump isn't a legitimate President, just technically a legal one--for now.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @02:21AM (2 children)
It might be argued that he didn't win the popular vote. But, he did win the electoral college vote - that old "representative" part of "representative democracy". Both parties have been happy enough with the process by which presidents are elected, for a long long time. Both parties have had their candidates elected since they became parties, using the same process. When your party wins, you're happy with the process. When your party loses, then the process is broken? Come on, man. Trump is as legitimate as any other president you can point out.
Bush beating Gore at the Supreme Court is the only instance in which the same process was possibly undermined. I didn't much like that election. But, point your fingers at Florida, and that stupid assed "hanging chad" thing. If their voting process hadn't been screwed up, maybe the decision wouldn't have gone to the Supremes. Maybe Gore would have won. And, maybe not. And, maybe Gore would have been a worse president than Bush was.
Most thinking people know damned well that Clinton would have been a worse president than - just about anybody.
(Score: 2) by julian on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:22AM (1 child)
If you voted for Trump, apologize, promise never to vote for a charlatan game show host again, admit Clinton was the better choice, and this convo can continue. Otherwise I'm not interested in someone disconnected from reality and decent morality.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @02:11PM
I posted here, on election day. I voted for Johnson, and, as near to a straight party ticket for Libertarians as it has ever been possible to do.
Clinton MIGHT have been a better choice than someone like Ayatollah Khoumeini. Or, maybe better than Kruschev. Maybe better than that Baby Doc asshole who made headlines for child soldiers a couple years back. WTF did Hillary have to offer? She offered you money for your vote? Oh - silly me. Hillary rakes money in by the billions, but she never gives any of it away, unless to family. Don't even tell me about her "charitable works". The people who needed that "charity" money never saw a dime of it - it was all handed over to her family members, to dispose of as they saw fit.
I don't know though - for certain definitions of "better", maybe Hillary really is better than those people I named.
Charlatans? Find me a politician who is certifiably not a charlatan, and I'll consider voting for him.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by linkdude64 on Wednesday April 26 2017, @01:40AM
Let them have their fun - their Weimar Republic they so desire.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @02:34PM
Elonikous Koward Clickbaitus.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @03:43PM (1 child)
Do we assume that this would necessarily be good advice because we like Musk, being the modern-age Howard Hughes? What about the very rich and successful Goldman Sachs people Trump is surrounded by? They are very successful and motivated people, but we assume they give bad, self-serving advice because we don't like them. Why is it a given that Musk's advice will be altruistic and not self-serving of him and his various enterprises?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 26 2017, @05:31AM
Because for going on two decades Musk has been shown himself, over and over, willing to risk it all for endeavors that aren't about maximizing profit but about maximal benefit to society.
If you want to actually make money then starting an electric car company and an aerospace company are not exactly your top picks. And Musk wasn't just collecting the big venture capital bucks back then. He put literally everything he had on the line to keep these two companies going even when it looked like there was a very good chance both would collapse. There's even a nice joke about it. How do you become a millionaire in the aerospace industry? Start out a billionaire. Lots of really smart guys, including for instance John Carmack, gave a go of the aerospace industry, and they all simply failed. Non-combustion vehicles have an even worse progeny.
Banks, by contrast, have shown themselves over and over more than happy to screw every single person in the world if that's what it takes to increase their margin 1%.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Uncle_Al on Tuesday April 25 2017, @03:57PM
There was a "Elon: Dump Trump" billboard cycling through the Clear Channel board at 880 and Dixon Landing Road
heading towards the Tesla factory for a few months. I haven't seen it recently. I had wondered who ponied up the
coin for that.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 25 2017, @06:07PM
(Score: 3, Insightful) by martyb on Wednesday April 26 2017, @01:28PM
Wit is intellect, dancing.