Left-wing personalities fumed on Twitter following Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s tweet calling to support Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in order to create a political balance that “curbs the worst excesses of both parties.”
New Twitter owner Elon Musk on Monday called on independent voters to back Republicans in today’s midterm elections to contain the “excesses” of the Democrat party.
“Shared power curbs the worst excesses of both parties, therefore I recommend voting for a Republican Congress, given that the Presidency is Democratic,” the billionaire wrote.
“Hardcore Democrats or Republicans never vote for the other side, so independent voters are the ones who actually decide who’s in charge!” he added in a follow-up tweet.
Though Musk merely called for “shared power,” that was enough to whip up a left-wing Twitterstorm.
MSNBC pundit Mehdi Hasan insisted Musk was either “out of his lane again, and doesn’t understand how Congress works,” or “these are his actual politics, and he is totally fine with climate deniers in charge of Congress and blocking action on climate change, and empowering Marjorie Taylor Greene in the process.”
“Hey Elon, go fuck yourself,” wrote longtime Democrat strategist and former DNC advisor, Adam Parkhomenko.
“Appears that Elon Musk bought Twitter to help the GOP win elections,” wrote left-wing radio host and CNN contributor Dean Obeidallah. “Given his deal was funded by banks from foreign nations, the purchase of Twitter was simply a vessel for foreign nations to influence our elections.”
“Need to DOJ to investigate!” he added, including a “#LockElonUp” hashtag.
“Translation: I want my taxes to be even lower,” wrote former labor secretary and UC Berkeley professor Robert Reich.
“Let me translate: ‘I really don’t give a $hit about the climate crisis. That’s why I’m happy to burn any recent climate progress to the ground,’” wrote renowned climate activist Michael E. Mann.
“To independent-minded voters: @elonmusk happily took taxpayer money, known as corporate welfare, to become a billionaire,” wrote journalist Roland S. Martin. “Reject his advice and vote against ALL @GOP candidates that stand with MAGA and Donald Trump.”
“Elon doesn’t care about democracy. WE DO,” he added.
“I guess this Tweet means that if the @GOP wins control of Congress tomorrow, the new owner of Twitter will automatically endorse the Democratic candidate for president in ’24,” wrote former Obama adviser David Axelrod.
“But, honestly, who KNOWS?!?” he added.
“In other words, guarantee nothing will be done to deal with climate change and reward a party that pushes a democracy-threatening big lie. Got it,” wrote Mother Jones Washington bureau chief David Corn.
“This is the parody you referred to?” wrote former ESPN commentator and outspoken liberal Keith Olbermann.
“To independent-minded voters: Don’t just listen to what one person says, that’s not very independent-minded,” wrote Hollywood actor George Takei.
“Vote for the party that will preserve democracy and isn’t steeped in election denialism and the desire to control our bodily autonomy,” he added. “Vote for a Democratic Congress.”
“Republicans will do to democracy what Elon did to Twitter,” tweeted the “Never Trump” Lincoln Project.
“Tell me you’re incapable of handling the vast amounts of influence you’ve purchased for yourself without telling me you’re incapable of handling the vast amounts of influence you’ve purchased for yourself,” wrote former President Donald Trump’s niece Mary Trump.
“I’m confused. I thought he said he wanted the site he owns to be politically neutral. Does he not understand the word neutral? Or was he just spouting BS?” wrote MSNBC contributor and former Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO).
“And any Republican? Anyone as long as they are Republican?” she added.
“Dear Americans, shared power in the market place curbs excesses. I recommend buying Mustang Mach E or Hyundai Ioniq over Tesla as we need to curb this maniac and his wealth who is trying to influence election outcomes,” wrote gun control activist Fred Guttenberg.
The reaction of many on the left was hardly surprising to those who immediately foresaw it.
“He’s right. But the woke blue checks are going to lose their minds over this Tweet,” wrote political commentator and Outkick founder Clay Travis.
“Elon musk exercises his free speech rights to persuade other Independents to vote for a check & balance on one-party control in Washington,” wrote former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway.
“This drives the blue checkmark blue party voters who think THEY own Twitter batty,” she added.
In April, many on the left took to Twitter in the wake of the then-potential sale of social media giant Twitter to Musk, deeming it a victory for “white power” and “white nationalism” that will “silence” progressive voices and amplify “racists” and others on the right, including former President Donald Trump.
Following reports of his nearing a deal with the Twitter board to buy the company, leftist “verified” accounts on the platform went into meltdown mode at the prospect of the self-described free speech absolutist’s taking over, with many declaring their intention to leave the site in the event of such a sale.
Last month, the billionaire CEO completed the $44 billion purchase of Twitter following months of back-and-forths and lawsuits that nearly erupted into a full-blown trial.
On Friday, President Joe Biden signaled his frustration that Musk had purchased Twitter.
“Now what are we all worried about: Elon Musk goes out and buys an outfit that sends – that spews lies all across the world,” he said during a fundraiser in Chicago.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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