As Washington prepares for Donald Trump's second inauguration, Democrats are facing an increasingly powerful and popular political opponent, despite years of resistance and intrigue. Moreover, considering the fact that the Democratic Party has become a minority party, it is being shut out of the government.
But some see a glimmer of hope in a newer line of attack, one aimed not at the president-elect himself but at his wealthy friends who have flocked to support him.
They suggest that the world's richest man, Elon Musk, who is expected to run the so-called Ministry of Government Efficiency from an office in the White House complex, may actually be making the decisions. They plan to call on the president-elect's billionaire allies as they prepare for a fight over Trump's proposed tax cuts. And they say Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, three billionaire tech executives, could be on the front lines at President Trump's inauguration on Monday, further underscoring those connections. I hope it will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“We need to say to this administration and the 13 billionaires they have put in their cabinet, 'You work for the American people. “Is this what you intend to do?” he said. “Are you going to work with us to reduce costs, or are you going to build your own nest egg?”
This comes as President Biden's parting warning Wednesday night about a rising “oligarchy” and “high-tech industrial complex” comes as President Biden's parting warning, despite his low approval ratings and dwindling influence, suggests that the workforce will recover. This is a strategy that suggests it may have some resonance within the party, which desperately needs it. These are the voters who lost to Trump.
But it's not without risks, given the popularity of some billionaires. Mr. Musk may be considered a Bond villain to some, but to many others he is still Tony Stark.
“When you think about getting him involved, it's an absolute added benefit,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley told me this morning.
file a lawsuit against Mr. Musk
If Democrats pivot toward increased hostility toward certain billionaires, it would signal some change from the Obama-era approach. Then, in 2009, the party took a backseat when President Obama called Wall Street leaders “fat cat bankers.” He later said he had no interest in “defaming” anyone.
At least some Democrats are now intent on smearing certain billionaires, particularly Mr. Musk. They claim that they exercise undue influence over the levers of power at the expense of ordinary citizens. At a forum Politico held last night for candidates running for Democratic National Committee chairman, one of the leading candidates said he would not accept donations from Mr. Musk as DNC chairman.
“There are a lot of donors who are clearly working against the interests of the working class, and I don't want to take money from them,” said Ken Martin, who currently heads the Minnesota Democratic Party.
Democrats warned that the unelected billionaire was essentially acting like the president after Musk opposed the spending deal late last year, prompting Republicans to rework the bill. did. And progressives like Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts are trying to highlight potential conflicts of interest for Mr. Musk and other tech billionaires.
“At this time, it's important to connect how the Big Tech billionaires who control the Trump administration impact the lives of working people,” Warren said in a statement. He argued that the “tax benefits'' given to the wealthy come at the following cost: “Congress lowers child care and housing costs for families.”
A Democratic national strategist working on the party's House campaigns said Mr. Musk is expected to be a key focus as the party seeks to take back power. But not everyone is convinced that's the right strategy, especially those who say Musk, who said he voted for Biden in the 2020 election, regrets defecting from the Democratic Party in the first place.
not a surefire strategy
Musk poured money into Trump's re-election campaign and parked his car in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state that Trump won. As a result, some Democrats believe attacking billionaires like Musk could have downsides. The Harris campaign's attempt to attack Trump and Musk as “selfish rich people” appears to have fallen flat.
“He's very popular, especially with young men, and I think it would be wise to think about that,” Democratic Rep. Chris Deluzio (Pennsylvania), who won a tight seat in western Pennsylvania, told me. .
Mr. Delzio succeeded with a populist message that mocked, as he put it, corporate “Yagov,” but suggested that Democrats should emphasize systemic problems rather than individual personalities.
“I don't think the problem is with the really wealthy and powerful people, in this case Mr. Musk,” he said. “I think the problem is that because you are a rich and powerful man or woman, you have more power in our politics.”
Democrats now have two years to decide what to say, how to say it, and who to name. It's no wonder that the parties weighing their losses can't fully agree on whether the tech billionaire, who still has a huge following, is an effective enough foil.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, for example, was quick to blame the Democratic Party's defeat on a failure to come up with ideas to deal with the “oligarchy.” But contrarian Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania recently said he respects Musk and said the party's problems are cultural.
“Walk around Scranton and tell me what an oligarchy is,” he told me last November.
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