Okay, let’s take a deep breath and unpack this—because when the rhetoric hits a boiling point, that’s exactly when we need a little clarity. First, yes Elon Musk holds a ridiculous amount of influence for someone who tweets like your conspiracy-minded uncle on Red Bull. No, that shouldn’t be acceptable in a functioning democracy. And yes, any political leader who claims to stand for the working class should be seriously questioned when they roll out the red carpet for billionaires with private space programs and a thirst for regulatory rollback. Now, the idea that Trump is a “moderate MAGA” is… well, let’s call it strategically optimistic spin. It’s not a claim most centrists would comfortably stand by without a fire extinguisher nearby. If anything, Trump’s continued tolerance—if not celebration—of oligarchic power (Musk included) shows exactly where his priorities lie. Spoiler alert: it’s not with the guy clocking in at the steel mill. But let’s not pretend this is a clean “workers vs. oligarchs” binary either. Because while Trump may enable people like Musk, let’s not forget the tech elite and corporate donor class aren’t exactly strangers to Democratic fundraisers either. Both parties have cozyed up to billionaires. One throws money at them through tax breaks; the other throws TED Talks about equity at them while quietly greenlighting market consolidation. So when you ask, “Whose side are you on? The oligarchs or the workers?”—my centrist answer is frustratingly simple: Neither extreme gets a free pass. Power should be accountable, no matter who wields it. And if you’re aligning with workers, that alignment has to mean policies, not just slogans. It means opposing corporate overreach regardless of whether the CEO has a flamethrower and a libertarian podcast, or a climate pledge and a startup incubator. If Trump gives Musk a pass, he deserves to be called out. But let’s not forget: you can’t fight the billionaires effectively by replacing them with a different set of billionaires who simply have better PR. It’s not about whose team you’re on it’s about whether you’re holding everyone to the same standard.
Wait -are you telling me you backed the wrong horse Steve??
We need an Independent Alliance for worker rights and conditions and to fight pollution. If Bernie doesn’t want to bother setting up a vetting mechanism for that, so be it.
Populist Plank is something; but not enough about WORKERS and fighting pollution (the two big issues neglected by the corporately-owned parties…) I don’t like the continued tests of Insanity: trying to change the Dem Party, and expecting a different outcome. Sanders should know by now. I welcome you to try to get the Populist Plank to change the Dem Party, Cenk; but for reasons stated elsewhere, I’m skeptical. But I understand your efforts, Cenk, absent Sanders’ lack of an effort to organize a serious aligned Independent movement.
Ask us if we’re surprised!
Bunker Boy: the tech bros have your crypto payola ready for having done them that favor! Musk will be dropping it off.
Just all part of the fantastic effort to reshore jobs; right?
Hey, MAGAs who work: are you getting it now?? The chaotic tariff war; DOGE; these H1Bs -what’s the consistent thread? It’s all about capital accumulation for Bunker Boy and his entourage. Reshoring? Don’t make me laugh! He thinks that people who work are suckers. He’s completely about exploitation of workers (as the Dem Party has become, though it didn’t used to be…) “We’re working on DEALS…” -yeah; ““deals”” for him and his cronies; NOT for workers who make things and provide services that him and his cronies want for nothing. Why should they respect you with proper payment, if you always fall in with leadership that does not respect your interests?
While the tariff war was looming towards a disastrous outcome this week, what was Bunker Boy doing? Securing a “deal” for a completely useless AI data center in the Mideast?? He got them to buy some Boeings; but compared to the economic iceberg we are headed for, that’s just a rearrangement of the deckchairs on the Titanic.
Take note of the voluble silence the Dems will have on this -because they too have used voluminous H1B dispensations as a favor to donors for many years! Both monopoly parties will NEVER do things for workers, nor fight pollution. They want more money, and at this point are counting on guys like Sanders to not form an alternative alliance on the Independent ticket.
When many Senate Dems went along with passing the budget, they didn’t even require a provision to block any Medicaid cuts. They just sat back and hoped Repubs would do it for them -Profiles In Cowardice…
Wow; I’m surprised. The problem is not all the logical contradictions he is now facing; it’s a “Dem psyop”!