Elon's Gambit: Musk's ego will destroy his legacy
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Being a billionaire is tough work . . .
Life is short and the story of your life is written out very publicly.
The arc of history, however, has a long tail and it frequently dips into the past; yet legacy is crafted in the moment; and the moment that matters most is the one most immediate.
As much as I disdain the attack on Democracy being waged by Elon Musk right now, and I fear it is much worse than any of us think, I can’t help but feel sad about how he is squandering his legacy.
Three years ago, we were enthralled with Space X and the capability of the company to harness the brilliance of NASA’s many years of scientific research and its own brainpower to deliver rocket boosters back to Earth after putting a payload into space. Musk’s persistence in the face of many early failures was particularly inspiring. Here was a billionaire using his wealth to further the cause of humanity’s ongoing quest for the secrets of the universe.
Three years ago, Tesla was on fire; innovating and bringing new products to market that made our heads turn every time we saw one on the road. Musk’s concern for the future of the planet itself seemed to be fueling his imagination for facing the climate crisis head-on.
Ironically, the value of Tesla stock today is lower than it was a year into the Biden administration, down more than 50% from its high under Biden. Ripe for shareholder action, one might suggest.
Three years ago, Starlink was leading the movement to extend the power of the Internet to every corner of the earth and the power of communication and conversation gave us hope that even the most humble of earth’s inhabitants would have an opportunity to improve their quality of life. Perhaps, we hoped, we might even see a re-flowering of democracy.
It seemed at the time that Elon Musk was a billionaire that many of us admired. He was trying to save the planet, its people, and explore the cosmos, the three things that most expressed what we (then?) believed about ourselves: restless explorers, nurturers of human potential, and protectors and cheerleaders for freedom and democracy.
To have transformed from our most admired living entrepreneur to “Elon, destroyer of Democracy” reflects the legacy that is very likely to characterize Elon Musk in the eyes of history.
However, there is another legacy that awaits.
It appears that Musk is far too arrogant to recognize the error of his ways. It is unlikely that he will have a “road to Damascus” moment.
The far more likely legacy lies with us: “Defenders of the sacred texts”.
Expecting Democracy to be saved by just “allowing Maga to fail” is not enough. We are already too deep in this unfolding constitutional crisis.
We must act in concert with the words and writings of Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Emerson, Thoreau, Vine Deloria Jr., Fredrick Douglass, de Tocqueville, John Dewey, Betty Friedan, Woody Guthrie, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr. , Eleanor Roosevelt, Ralph Nader, Richard Goodwin, Carl Sagan, and The Kennedy brothers to name only a few. Throw in George Carlin, Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut and Lenny Bruce just to keep things a bit lighter.
In short, it’s up to us folks . . . We the People.
The Republican party is irrelevant; The Democratic party is chicken shit or just plain devoid of ideas - and both are prisoners of their respective donor bases.
There are some hopeful signs despite the wrecking ball that Trump has thrown into the American system since his inauguration.
The Republicans have canceled all their “town meetings.” Apparently, the level of animus they have been experiencing has caused them to react by simply avoiding the difficult task of listening to their constituents. That means that the element of fear is on our side. Not fear of violence, fear of raw political and moral power.
The politicians may be inside the ramparts, but they are beginning to see that the crowd is growing outside the gates, and that crowd is prepared to push down those gates against the growing axis of evil that has developed between the billionaire class and the “Tech bros” who would control our future and our freedom.
The courts are showing signs that they will push back on the side of democracy as well. Lawsuits filed so far against Trump and Musk et al are being decided overwhelmingly on the side of a more rational approach.
Even the Supreme Court is showing some signs that they may be having second thoughts regarding their past directives - perhaps in light of JD Vance and others’ declarations that they are willing to ignore court decisions if they are inconvenient. Nothing is more likely to create a come-to-jesus-moment quite like having political leaders tell them that they will just ignore the court’s rulings. Just look at the recent decisions that have the “enlightened self-interest conservatives” Justice Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett voting in opposition to the administration.
Roberts, who is an admirer of Justice John Marshall, can not forget how Andrew Jackson defied the Marshall Court’s “Worcester v. Georgia” decision that led to the “Trail of Tears.” Nothing would destroy the authority of SCOTUS faster than to allow a precedent for ignoring Supreme Court decisions to become established.
Though I hold out little hope for the members of the court who are more interested in how their robes allow them to cover up their grifting, there are still some additional members of the court who may recognize that - unless SCOTUS is going to establish their own paramilitary, they need to protect the norms for which even conservatives like Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) seem to be willing to stand.
Perhaps Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh will show more than a passing interest in the “Project 2025” inspired threat from the Trump administration to defang the highest court in the land.
It is likely that we will have to take to the streets. Prepare yourself for that. You might even ask for help from an organization that teaches non-violent civil disobedience. I recently participated in just such a seminar.
Finally, remember, this is a family fight. Every opportunity for civil dialog that can lead to a changed mind is a risk worth taking. Every chance that we have to rebuild community from the ground up is an investment in our future.
Yes, of course, there are some hardcore MAGA folks who’s minds are closed but their real numbers are small compared to the many who are just plain scared about the future, yet, do not want to give up on the dreams of all those authors of sacred texts and their commitment to a diverse, pluralistic country where real opportunity exists for building a brighter future for our friends and neighbors, and especially our kids.
In the meantime, we also need to vote with our pocketbooks.
Obviously, make Twitter an “X”.
American Airlines just signed a deal with Starlink and United also has a contract with them - Pass them by when you next fly.
T-Mobile has just signed a deal with Starlink - Do not do business with them and change your provider as soon as possible if you are currently using them.
Don’t buy a Tesla.
Do NOT buy Neurolink products
Also Available in an Affordable Fine Art Poster Here
About Wayne King and Anamaki Chronicles Substack
Author, podcaster, artist, activist, social entrepreneur and recovering politician. A three-term State Senator, 1994 Democratic nominee for Governor. His art (WayneDKing.com) is exhibited nationally in galleries and he has published five books of his images, most recently, "New Hampshire - a Love Story”. His novel "Sacred Trust" - a vicarious, high-voltage adventure to stop a private power line - as well as the photographic books are available at most local bookstores or on Amazon.
Anamaki Chronicles Substack has no paywall, we exist through the generosity of subscribers and the purchase of art , books and merch from the Anamaki.com website and from Wayne’s gallery of images.
Wayne lives on the “Narrows” in Bath, NH at the confluence of the Connecticut and Ammonoosuc Rivers and proudly flies the American, Iroquois and Abenaki Flags, attesting to both his ancestry and his spiritual ties. Anamaki is a derivative of an Algonquin word meaning “abiding hope”.
Art, Columns and Podcasts are produced at Anamaki Productions, Winter Warrior Studios in Bath, NH.
Land Acknowledgement
This land lies in N’dakinna, the traditional ancestral homeland of the Abenaki, Sokoki, Koasek, Pemigewasset, Pennacook and Wabanaki Peoples past and present. We acknowledge and honor with gratitude those who have stewarded N’dakinna throughout the generations.
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