AI transcript
0:00:02 – Okay, business leaders, are you here to play
0:00:04 or are you playing to win?
0:00:07 If you’re in it to win, meet your next MVP.
0:00:08 NetSuite by Oracle.
0:00:10 NetSuite is your full business management system
0:00:12 in one convenient suite.
0:00:13 With NetSuite, you’re running your accounting,
0:00:15 your finance, your HR, your e-commerce,
0:00:18 and more all from your online dashboard.
0:00:20 Upgrade your playbook and make the switch to NetSuite,
0:00:23 the number one cloud ERP.
0:00:25 Get the CFO’s guide to AI and machine learning
0:00:30 at netsuite.com/vox. NetSuite.com/vox.
0:00:34 – If you know this sound, I have some good news for you.
0:00:36 The 2026 lineup is here.
0:00:40 And if you don’t know this sound, it’s all right.
0:00:41 You have a good day.
0:00:45 Discover the new Skidoo models now.
0:00:47 (upbeat music)
0:00:51 – It’s a busy week in the tech world.
0:00:52 There’s a new iPhone.
0:00:56 The most hyped gadget of 2024 is already dead
0:00:58 and it’s only February of 2025.
0:00:59 Meta is up to stuff.
0:01:01 Elon Musk is up to stuff.
0:01:03 There’s a new Alexa coming out next week.
0:01:05 It’s early in the year,
0:01:07 but there’s an awful lot going on in tech.
0:01:10 And we’re talking about all of that and much more,
0:01:12 including a lot of thoughts about speakers
0:01:15 on The Vergecast, wherever you get podcasts.
0:01:22 – I’m Scott Galloway and this is No Mercy, No Malice.
0:01:24 We are in the midst, in my view,
0:01:27 of a digital coup of the US government.
0:01:30 Some thoughts on fighting back.
0:01:33 What can be done as read by George Hahn.
0:01:45 – I’ve struggled my entire career
0:01:48 to discern the difference between being right
0:01:50 and being effective.
0:01:54 A recent poll shows many moderates favor effective,
0:01:58 move fast, break things, overwrite checks and balances.
0:02:01 Autocracies are seductive.
0:02:04 In the short term, they seem effective.
0:02:06 A third of Americans on both sides
0:02:09 of the political spectrum favor an autocrat
0:02:13 as long as he, let’s be honest, it’s always a he,
0:02:16 is aligned with their views.
0:02:19 Many or most Americans thus far
0:02:20 don’t feel life is any different
0:02:22 under the new administration.
0:02:25 And they like the idea of taking swift action
0:02:28 against problems they believe have spiraled out of control.
0:02:33 Border crossings, government largesse, woke ideology.
0:02:37 The blitzkrieg of threatening to invade allies,
0:02:40 renaming bodies of water and surrendering to Putin
0:02:43 has left many Americans, especially Democrats,
0:02:46 flat footed, waiting for the outrage.
0:02:50 If you believe that democracy should not surrender
0:02:52 as Trump is urging Ukraine to do,
0:02:55 then the seminal question is what to do?
0:02:58 Honest answer, I don’t know.
0:03:01 However, I do have some ideas.
0:03:06 Nobody had Elon Musk as master of coin
0:03:09 on their 2024 election bingo card.
0:03:12 Seizing the levers of the federal payment system
0:03:14 was strategic and elegant
0:03:17 as it gave the White House a single point of control
0:03:20 with influence over government priorities and policies
0:03:23 via control of money flows.
0:03:27 I do something similar when my sons are misbehaving.
0:03:30 Rather than attempting to parent hard,
0:03:33 I just remotely shut off their phone’s internet access.
0:03:36 Department of dad energy, dode.
0:03:42 With the seizure of power and money is power,
0:03:45 Musk can reward friends, punish enemies,
0:03:47 impose his political will,
0:03:51 and effectively delete government agencies and departments
0:03:53 by shutting off funding without worrying
0:03:55 about pesky constitutional oversight.
0:03:59 This is techno authoritarianism.
0:04:03 Musk’s dominion encompasses the public and private sectors,
0:04:07 physical and digital realms, and even space.
0:04:14 In a 2007 essay, Musk ally and doge co-architect Peter Thiel
0:04:18 argued for a new Alexander the Great,
0:04:20 i.e. a king or dictator
0:04:24 to cut the Gordian knot of our age.
0:04:27 The chief obstacle according to Thiel,
0:04:31 America’s constitutional machinery.
0:04:36 Thiel wrote, quote, by setting ambition against ambition
0:04:39 with an elaborate system of checks and balances,
0:04:41 it prevents any single ambitious person
0:04:44 from restructuring the old republic, unquote.
0:04:47 My pivot co-star, Kara Swisher,
0:04:50 described this mentality as, quote,
0:04:52 let’s wipe the slate clean,
0:04:56 then we’ll build the civilization we want, unquote.
0:04:59 The problem, a plurality of American citizens
0:05:04 did not vote for this vision, much less these individuals.
0:05:07 Trump won.
0:05:10 In our system, the ideas he campaigned on
0:05:12 can now become policy,
0:05:15 assuming he has the votes in Congress.
0:05:19 Musk is the most powerful vice president in history,
0:05:22 and he wasn’t even elected.
0:05:25 See the time cover of Musk behind the Resolute Desk,
0:05:28 followed by that surreal Oval Office press conference
0:05:31 where Trump played the role of geriatric bystander
0:05:33 to Musk’s policy Blitzkrieg.
0:05:36 I believe when their giddiness
0:05:39 regarding owning the libtards subsides,
0:05:41 Republicans in Congress will realize
0:05:44 they have created a monster they can no longer control.
0:05:50 Musk’s digital coup subjugates the right as much as the left.
0:05:53 His attempt to hijack the government
0:05:55 also hijacks the MAGA agenda.
0:05:58 By the way, at some point,
0:06:02 Americans will realize the conservative progressive battle
0:06:04 is a misdirect.
0:06:07 The real fulcrum where the battle is being waged
0:06:11 is up down, rich versus not rich.
0:06:16 The wealthy in corporations whom Trump and Musk listen to
0:06:19 will put up largely symbolic resistance
0:06:22 to an emerging autocracy.
0:06:24 They aren’t going to suffer
0:06:27 as the world now offers civil rights for sale.
0:06:30 The 1% can move anywhere by influence
0:06:33 and ensure everybody in their circle
0:06:35 has access to myth or pristone.
0:06:40 The savings from Doge are again a misdirect
0:06:43 from an enormous tax increase on today’s youth
0:06:45 via the deficits we’ll register
0:06:47 if Trump’s tax cuts go through.
0:06:53 I know a lot of very wealthy tech executives and financiers.
0:06:57 The key to their wealth, yes, much of it is luck,
0:07:00 not their fault, and much of it is talent.
0:07:05 However, the real secret sauce is a focus.
0:07:09 The acquisition of wealth is an obsession
0:07:12 for the, wait for it, wealthy.
0:07:16 Pro tip, anybody speaking at a university who claims
0:07:21 they never thought much about money is obsessed with it.
0:07:24 The rights defense of Musk
0:07:29 that Doge is some patriotic gesture is laughable.
0:07:34 His focus and his only focus is becoming a trillionaire.
0:07:39 His volunteerism is an attempt to clear the obstacles
0:07:41 between him and greater wealth,
0:07:45 specifically regulators and fair play.
0:07:49 Musk cultists often offer the same aw shucks
0:07:52 he can’t help himself, he’s so authentic rap,
0:07:54 when he says or tweets weird, reckless,
0:07:56 and just plain stupid things.
0:08:00 However, his id is always in check
0:08:04 when it comes to saying anything about China,
0:08:08 where officials likely feel they have leverage over Musk.
0:08:12 So measured, so thoughtful, so disciplined,
0:08:15 so obsessed with money.
0:08:20 He recognizes he doesn’t enjoy the umbrella protection
0:08:22 of the First Amendment in China,
0:08:24 and accusing a member of the CCP
0:08:27 of being a sex criminal, his go-to,
0:08:30 would likely result in swift economic retribution.
0:08:34 He may or may not suffer from Asperger’s,
0:08:38 but he definitely suffers from being an asshole.
0:08:40 And by the way, for those of you bots
0:08:42 waiting to fill the comments section
0:08:47 with cries of TDS or an obsession with Musk, you’re wrong.
0:08:50 I’ve been clinically diagnosed with DAS,
0:08:53 Democracy Addiction Syndrome,
0:08:56 and bitches, after four weeks of this nonsense,
0:09:00 incompetence, surrender, my affliction is spreading.
0:09:04 If it’s possible to hold our government hostage
0:09:06 by capturing the federal payment system,
0:09:10 then we need to work upstream of Musk’s choke point.
0:09:12 Already, the Treasury Department
0:09:16 has exhausted roughly 60% of the extraordinary measures
0:09:21 at its disposal to delay a default on our bonds.
0:09:24 The rates on the 10-year Treasury bill, however,
0:09:28 indicate that Congress will raise the debt ceiling
0:09:32 as both parties have done 78 times since 1960.
0:09:36 But what if Democrats refuse?
0:09:42 A dozen GOP senators and 49 House Republicans,
0:09:44 more than 20% of each conference,
0:09:49 have never previously voted to raise the debt ceiling.
0:09:52 Democrats have a strong stand here.
0:09:55 If they credibly threaten default,
0:09:58 rates on the 10-year T bill will increase
0:10:01 and equities will likely suffer.
0:10:04 This will be painful, but the pain
0:10:08 will primarily fall on the 1% in corporations,
0:10:11 i.e. those who own 90% of assets
0:10:14 and have influence over Trump.
0:10:18 In effect, the markets could do what Congress won’t.
0:10:22 Rain in Trump, kick Musk to the curb,
0:10:27 and demand the U.S. remain a nation of laws.
0:10:31 In March, the government will run out of money
0:10:33 unless Congress acts.
0:10:35 If the government shuts down,
0:10:37 roughly three million federal workers
0:10:39 will stop receiving paychecks.
0:10:44 Stiffing the military, air traffic controllers,
0:10:48 and people who keep our food and water safe is stupid.
0:10:51 It hurts them and us.
0:10:54 At the moment, however, a sleep-deprived,
0:10:58 alleged ketamine abuser who makes Nazi salutes
0:11:00 is cutting off funding for programs he dislikes
0:11:04 and promising buyouts to federal workers
0:11:06 with money that isn’t there.
0:11:09 Hakim Jeffries is correct when he says
0:11:12 there’s little Democrats can do legislatively
0:11:15 to stop President Musk.
0:11:17 But Democrats shouldn’t do anything legislatively
0:11:20 to enable him either.
0:11:24 Here again, Democrats have a decent hand
0:11:27 to extract concessions as a shutdown
0:11:30 is upstream of Musk’s power.
0:11:33 Musk’s wealth is the source of his power
0:11:36 and his main point of vulnerability.
0:11:39 One third of his wealth is tied up in Tesla stock,
0:11:42 which briefly rose after the election
0:11:45 as the market priced in kleptocracy,
0:11:49 but has plunged 30% since December.
0:11:52 I sold my Tesla a few years ago.
0:11:55 I’m not down with accusing innocence of sex crimes.
0:11:57 Note, Musk won his defamation case,
0:12:00 but there is no dispute over what he said.
0:12:04 And making Nazi salutes, call me a reactionary.
0:12:08 Protests at Tesla locations across the U.S.
0:12:10 indicate that others feel similarly.
0:12:15 Tesla’s brand value dropped 26% year over year,
0:12:19 due primarily to Musk entering the political arena.
0:12:20 His behavior in Europe,
0:12:24 where he endorsed Germany’s far-right neo-Nazi party,
0:12:26 stoked a race ride in the U.K.
0:12:29 and stands accused of manipulating algorithms on X
0:12:33 to influence public discourse in France,
0:12:35 has hurt Tesla sales.
0:12:39 In China, Tesla’s second largest market,
0:12:42 sales are down 11% year over year,
0:12:45 while last month BYD sold four times
0:12:48 the number of EVs Tesla did.
0:12:52 Musk’s politics are bad for America.
0:12:54 We need to make them bad for his business.
0:12:59 Musk once tweeted, quote,
0:13:02 “Between Tesla, Starlink, and Twitter,
0:13:05 I may have more real-time global economic data
0:13:10 in one head than anyone ever,” unquote.
0:13:16 Question, is it in America’s best interest for one man
0:13:19 to have the combined power of Henry Ford,
0:13:22 NASA, and William Randolph Hearst?
0:13:25 Starlink is a great product,
0:13:27 but the growing leverage it gives Musk
0:13:30 over global communications is alarming.
0:13:35 Already, Musk controls half the satellites in orbit.
0:13:39 He plans to launch up to 58,000 more in the next five years
0:13:41 and proposes to eventually increase
0:13:44 that number to 500,000.
0:13:48 In politics, the pendulum always swings back.
0:13:52 Democrats should be clear that when they retake Congress,
0:13:55 they will assess Musk’s dominance in satellites
0:13:57 and instruct regulators to act
0:14:00 in the interest of national security.
0:14:02 Note, this is also good politics
0:14:07 as Musk’s popularity is dropping, even among Republicans.
0:14:09 Think of it as threatening to invade Greenland
0:14:11 if Greenland was space.
0:14:14 In the meantime, Senate Democrats
0:14:19 can block government contracts Musk companies rely on
0:14:21 by filibustering funding legislation
0:14:25 as Republicans do not have a filibuster-proof majority.
0:14:31 When I interviewed historian Nile Ferguson on my podcast,
0:14:34 he said British politics is a game of cricket
0:14:37 between people who went to Oxford,
0:14:40 whereas American politics is a blood sport.
0:14:43 I’d argue Nile misses some nuance.
0:14:46 Recently, Democratic politics have felt like a stern game
0:14:48 of bridge at the rest home.
0:14:51 For MAGA, the coarseness of our discourse
0:14:53 is a feature, not a bug.
0:14:56 Musk and Trump understand this.
0:14:59 They spew violent rhetoric and leverage political violence
0:15:03 like January 6th because fear is a useful tool
0:15:06 for keeping followers and opponents in line.
0:15:10 Yesterday, a DOJ official began falsely accusing people
0:15:13 of threats to Musk and his team
0:15:14 and sending letters to officials
0:15:19 to clarify their comments, i.e. intimidate them.
0:15:22 Yeah, free speech, unless it’s our guys.
0:15:28 This is an attempt to cast a chill on opposing speech
0:15:32 and what can be described as the fascist hymn.
0:15:35 Speaking of fascist hymns,
0:15:37 The Wall Street Journal reported on February 19th
0:15:41 that Linda Jacarino is now a brick in the fascist wall,
0:15:44 threatening to leverage her dear leader’s influence
0:15:47 to block the IPG Omnicom merger
0:15:50 if they do not advertise on her platform.
0:15:53 Despite credible threats,
0:15:56 Trump has removed security details
0:16:00 protecting his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
0:16:05 General Mark Milley, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, to name a few.
0:16:09 In response, Democrats marched to a federal building
0:16:12 and did their best impression of a senior’s facility
0:16:14 when jello nights been canceled.
0:16:17 Democrats should make it clear
0:16:20 that when they return to power, Trump,
0:16:23 and anyone also engaging in the digital coup
0:16:26 will also lose their security detail.
0:16:28 It’s about incentives.
0:16:32 We need to move beyond the strongly worded letter.
0:16:38 What I’ve outlined above is slow and incomplete
0:16:40 compared to the speed and destructive force
0:16:43 of a 19-year-old computer engineer high on Mountain Dew.
0:16:48 My concern is for America, but I’ll be fine.
0:16:51 The people who will pay a far greater price
0:16:56 are Trump voters who believe this fight is for them.
0:16:59 It’s not, it’s against them.
0:17:01 Red states receive more federal funding
0:17:04 than they pay in taxes.
0:17:07 Republican leaders who are under the delusion
0:17:10 they control the power of the purse and won
0:17:13 are instead quietly expressing concerns
0:17:16 over what doge cuts mean for their constituents.
0:17:21 Dismantling USAID hurts Kansans
0:17:23 who sell their crops to a government program
0:17:25 that fights hunger abroad.
0:17:29 NIH cuts threatened jobs in Alabama, Florida,
0:17:33 Nebraska, and other red states.
0:17:35 One of Louisiana’s Republican senators
0:17:39 believes plans to gut the FBI will hurt his state.
0:17:45 Cuts to the VA fall on a key Trump constituency
0:17:48 as veterans skew Republican by two to one.
0:17:52 Delete the Department of Education.
0:17:55 Trump carried four of the top five states
0:17:59 that received Title I funding for low income students,
0:18:04 Louisiana, Mississippi, Arizona, and Alabama.
0:18:08 Amid a chaotic transition,
0:18:13 the White House mistakenly elevated the wrong person
0:18:15 to acting FBI director.
0:18:17 In any other administration,
0:18:20 this kind of fuckup would have been endless fodder
0:18:24 for comedians and congressional investigations.
0:18:27 In this administration, it barely gets a footnote.
0:18:33 Brian Driscoll, aka Driz, will likely be fired soon,
0:18:37 but the G-Man’s response to an attack on his colleagues
0:18:41 and the rule of law is a lesson in leadership
0:18:46 and masculinity, defaulting to protection.
0:18:49 By refusing to comply with an unlawful order
0:18:52 to name the 6,000 plus FBI agents
0:18:55 who worked on January 6th cases,
0:18:58 Driz may have only delayed the inevitable,
0:19:03 but he succeeded in sounding the alarm
0:19:06 and stiffening the resolve of his peers.
0:19:10 The lesson submitting to a second insurrection
0:19:14 without a fight will only make the insurrectionist bolder,
0:19:17 but fighting, even if we lose,
0:19:21 weakens him as it inspires others to do the same.
0:19:26 Think about this, a man who makes Nazi gestures
0:19:30 owns the majority of satellites and space launch capacity
0:19:34 and has usurped the power of the purse and Congress.
0:19:38 The same man is openly threatening other companies
0:19:40 with government retribution
0:19:43 if they don’t spend money on his companies.
0:19:49 Democrats and Republicans, this isn’t a time to come together,
0:19:51 but to the rescue.
0:19:56 Life is so rich.
0:19:59 (gentle music)
0:20:01 (gentle music)
0:20:04 (gentle music)
0:20:06 (soft music)
0:20:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]
0:00:04 or are you playing to win?
0:00:07 If you’re in it to win, meet your next MVP.
0:00:08 NetSuite by Oracle.
0:00:10 NetSuite is your full business management system
0:00:12 in one convenient suite.
0:00:13 With NetSuite, you’re running your accounting,
0:00:15 your finance, your HR, your e-commerce,
0:00:18 and more all from your online dashboard.
0:00:20 Upgrade your playbook and make the switch to NetSuite,
0:00:23 the number one cloud ERP.
0:00:25 Get the CFO’s guide to AI and machine learning
0:00:30 at netsuite.com/vox. NetSuite.com/vox.
0:00:34 – If you know this sound, I have some good news for you.
0:00:36 The 2026 lineup is here.
0:00:40 And if you don’t know this sound, it’s all right.
0:00:41 You have a good day.
0:00:45 Discover the new Skidoo models now.
0:00:47 (upbeat music)
0:00:51 – It’s a busy week in the tech world.
0:00:52 There’s a new iPhone.
0:00:56 The most hyped gadget of 2024 is already dead
0:00:58 and it’s only February of 2025.
0:00:59 Meta is up to stuff.
0:01:01 Elon Musk is up to stuff.
0:01:03 There’s a new Alexa coming out next week.
0:01:05 It’s early in the year,
0:01:07 but there’s an awful lot going on in tech.
0:01:10 And we’re talking about all of that and much more,
0:01:12 including a lot of thoughts about speakers
0:01:15 on The Vergecast, wherever you get podcasts.
0:01:22 – I’m Scott Galloway and this is No Mercy, No Malice.
0:01:24 We are in the midst, in my view,
0:01:27 of a digital coup of the US government.
0:01:30 Some thoughts on fighting back.
0:01:33 What can be done as read by George Hahn.
0:01:45 – I’ve struggled my entire career
0:01:48 to discern the difference between being right
0:01:50 and being effective.
0:01:54 A recent poll shows many moderates favor effective,
0:01:58 move fast, break things, overwrite checks and balances.
0:02:01 Autocracies are seductive.
0:02:04 In the short term, they seem effective.
0:02:06 A third of Americans on both sides
0:02:09 of the political spectrum favor an autocrat
0:02:13 as long as he, let’s be honest, it’s always a he,
0:02:16 is aligned with their views.
0:02:19 Many or most Americans thus far
0:02:20 don’t feel life is any different
0:02:22 under the new administration.
0:02:25 And they like the idea of taking swift action
0:02:28 against problems they believe have spiraled out of control.
0:02:33 Border crossings, government largesse, woke ideology.
0:02:37 The blitzkrieg of threatening to invade allies,
0:02:40 renaming bodies of water and surrendering to Putin
0:02:43 has left many Americans, especially Democrats,
0:02:46 flat footed, waiting for the outrage.
0:02:50 If you believe that democracy should not surrender
0:02:52 as Trump is urging Ukraine to do,
0:02:55 then the seminal question is what to do?
0:02:58 Honest answer, I don’t know.
0:03:01 However, I do have some ideas.
0:03:06 Nobody had Elon Musk as master of coin
0:03:09 on their 2024 election bingo card.
0:03:12 Seizing the levers of the federal payment system
0:03:14 was strategic and elegant
0:03:17 as it gave the White House a single point of control
0:03:20 with influence over government priorities and policies
0:03:23 via control of money flows.
0:03:27 I do something similar when my sons are misbehaving.
0:03:30 Rather than attempting to parent hard,
0:03:33 I just remotely shut off their phone’s internet access.
0:03:36 Department of dad energy, dode.
0:03:42 With the seizure of power and money is power,
0:03:45 Musk can reward friends, punish enemies,
0:03:47 impose his political will,
0:03:51 and effectively delete government agencies and departments
0:03:53 by shutting off funding without worrying
0:03:55 about pesky constitutional oversight.
0:03:59 This is techno authoritarianism.
0:04:03 Musk’s dominion encompasses the public and private sectors,
0:04:07 physical and digital realms, and even space.
0:04:14 In a 2007 essay, Musk ally and doge co-architect Peter Thiel
0:04:18 argued for a new Alexander the Great,
0:04:20 i.e. a king or dictator
0:04:24 to cut the Gordian knot of our age.
0:04:27 The chief obstacle according to Thiel,
0:04:31 America’s constitutional machinery.
0:04:36 Thiel wrote, quote, by setting ambition against ambition
0:04:39 with an elaborate system of checks and balances,
0:04:41 it prevents any single ambitious person
0:04:44 from restructuring the old republic, unquote.
0:04:47 My pivot co-star, Kara Swisher,
0:04:50 described this mentality as, quote,
0:04:52 let’s wipe the slate clean,
0:04:56 then we’ll build the civilization we want, unquote.
0:04:59 The problem, a plurality of American citizens
0:05:04 did not vote for this vision, much less these individuals.
0:05:07 Trump won.
0:05:10 In our system, the ideas he campaigned on
0:05:12 can now become policy,
0:05:15 assuming he has the votes in Congress.
0:05:19 Musk is the most powerful vice president in history,
0:05:22 and he wasn’t even elected.
0:05:25 See the time cover of Musk behind the Resolute Desk,
0:05:28 followed by that surreal Oval Office press conference
0:05:31 where Trump played the role of geriatric bystander
0:05:33 to Musk’s policy Blitzkrieg.
0:05:36 I believe when their giddiness
0:05:39 regarding owning the libtards subsides,
0:05:41 Republicans in Congress will realize
0:05:44 they have created a monster they can no longer control.
0:05:50 Musk’s digital coup subjugates the right as much as the left.
0:05:53 His attempt to hijack the government
0:05:55 also hijacks the MAGA agenda.
0:05:58 By the way, at some point,
0:06:02 Americans will realize the conservative progressive battle
0:06:04 is a misdirect.
0:06:07 The real fulcrum where the battle is being waged
0:06:11 is up down, rich versus not rich.
0:06:16 The wealthy in corporations whom Trump and Musk listen to
0:06:19 will put up largely symbolic resistance
0:06:22 to an emerging autocracy.
0:06:24 They aren’t going to suffer
0:06:27 as the world now offers civil rights for sale.
0:06:30 The 1% can move anywhere by influence
0:06:33 and ensure everybody in their circle
0:06:35 has access to myth or pristone.
0:06:40 The savings from Doge are again a misdirect
0:06:43 from an enormous tax increase on today’s youth
0:06:45 via the deficits we’ll register
0:06:47 if Trump’s tax cuts go through.
0:06:53 I know a lot of very wealthy tech executives and financiers.
0:06:57 The key to their wealth, yes, much of it is luck,
0:07:00 not their fault, and much of it is talent.
0:07:05 However, the real secret sauce is a focus.
0:07:09 The acquisition of wealth is an obsession
0:07:12 for the, wait for it, wealthy.
0:07:16 Pro tip, anybody speaking at a university who claims
0:07:21 they never thought much about money is obsessed with it.
0:07:24 The rights defense of Musk
0:07:29 that Doge is some patriotic gesture is laughable.
0:07:34 His focus and his only focus is becoming a trillionaire.
0:07:39 His volunteerism is an attempt to clear the obstacles
0:07:41 between him and greater wealth,
0:07:45 specifically regulators and fair play.
0:07:49 Musk cultists often offer the same aw shucks
0:07:52 he can’t help himself, he’s so authentic rap,
0:07:54 when he says or tweets weird, reckless,
0:07:56 and just plain stupid things.
0:08:00 However, his id is always in check
0:08:04 when it comes to saying anything about China,
0:08:08 where officials likely feel they have leverage over Musk.
0:08:12 So measured, so thoughtful, so disciplined,
0:08:15 so obsessed with money.
0:08:20 He recognizes he doesn’t enjoy the umbrella protection
0:08:22 of the First Amendment in China,
0:08:24 and accusing a member of the CCP
0:08:27 of being a sex criminal, his go-to,
0:08:30 would likely result in swift economic retribution.
0:08:34 He may or may not suffer from Asperger’s,
0:08:38 but he definitely suffers from being an asshole.
0:08:40 And by the way, for those of you bots
0:08:42 waiting to fill the comments section
0:08:47 with cries of TDS or an obsession with Musk, you’re wrong.
0:08:50 I’ve been clinically diagnosed with DAS,
0:08:53 Democracy Addiction Syndrome,
0:08:56 and bitches, after four weeks of this nonsense,
0:09:00 incompetence, surrender, my affliction is spreading.
0:09:04 If it’s possible to hold our government hostage
0:09:06 by capturing the federal payment system,
0:09:10 then we need to work upstream of Musk’s choke point.
0:09:12 Already, the Treasury Department
0:09:16 has exhausted roughly 60% of the extraordinary measures
0:09:21 at its disposal to delay a default on our bonds.
0:09:24 The rates on the 10-year Treasury bill, however,
0:09:28 indicate that Congress will raise the debt ceiling
0:09:32 as both parties have done 78 times since 1960.
0:09:36 But what if Democrats refuse?
0:09:42 A dozen GOP senators and 49 House Republicans,
0:09:44 more than 20% of each conference,
0:09:49 have never previously voted to raise the debt ceiling.
0:09:52 Democrats have a strong stand here.
0:09:55 If they credibly threaten default,
0:09:58 rates on the 10-year T bill will increase
0:10:01 and equities will likely suffer.
0:10:04 This will be painful, but the pain
0:10:08 will primarily fall on the 1% in corporations,
0:10:11 i.e. those who own 90% of assets
0:10:14 and have influence over Trump.
0:10:18 In effect, the markets could do what Congress won’t.
0:10:22 Rain in Trump, kick Musk to the curb,
0:10:27 and demand the U.S. remain a nation of laws.
0:10:31 In March, the government will run out of money
0:10:33 unless Congress acts.
0:10:35 If the government shuts down,
0:10:37 roughly three million federal workers
0:10:39 will stop receiving paychecks.
0:10:44 Stiffing the military, air traffic controllers,
0:10:48 and people who keep our food and water safe is stupid.
0:10:51 It hurts them and us.
0:10:54 At the moment, however, a sleep-deprived,
0:10:58 alleged ketamine abuser who makes Nazi salutes
0:11:00 is cutting off funding for programs he dislikes
0:11:04 and promising buyouts to federal workers
0:11:06 with money that isn’t there.
0:11:09 Hakim Jeffries is correct when he says
0:11:12 there’s little Democrats can do legislatively
0:11:15 to stop President Musk.
0:11:17 But Democrats shouldn’t do anything legislatively
0:11:20 to enable him either.
0:11:24 Here again, Democrats have a decent hand
0:11:27 to extract concessions as a shutdown
0:11:30 is upstream of Musk’s power.
0:11:33 Musk’s wealth is the source of his power
0:11:36 and his main point of vulnerability.
0:11:39 One third of his wealth is tied up in Tesla stock,
0:11:42 which briefly rose after the election
0:11:45 as the market priced in kleptocracy,
0:11:49 but has plunged 30% since December.
0:11:52 I sold my Tesla a few years ago.
0:11:55 I’m not down with accusing innocence of sex crimes.
0:11:57 Note, Musk won his defamation case,
0:12:00 but there is no dispute over what he said.
0:12:04 And making Nazi salutes, call me a reactionary.
0:12:08 Protests at Tesla locations across the U.S.
0:12:10 indicate that others feel similarly.
0:12:15 Tesla’s brand value dropped 26% year over year,
0:12:19 due primarily to Musk entering the political arena.
0:12:20 His behavior in Europe,
0:12:24 where he endorsed Germany’s far-right neo-Nazi party,
0:12:26 stoked a race ride in the U.K.
0:12:29 and stands accused of manipulating algorithms on X
0:12:33 to influence public discourse in France,
0:12:35 has hurt Tesla sales.
0:12:39 In China, Tesla’s second largest market,
0:12:42 sales are down 11% year over year,
0:12:45 while last month BYD sold four times
0:12:48 the number of EVs Tesla did.
0:12:52 Musk’s politics are bad for America.
0:12:54 We need to make them bad for his business.
0:12:59 Musk once tweeted, quote,
0:13:02 “Between Tesla, Starlink, and Twitter,
0:13:05 I may have more real-time global economic data
0:13:10 in one head than anyone ever,” unquote.
0:13:16 Question, is it in America’s best interest for one man
0:13:19 to have the combined power of Henry Ford,
0:13:22 NASA, and William Randolph Hearst?
0:13:25 Starlink is a great product,
0:13:27 but the growing leverage it gives Musk
0:13:30 over global communications is alarming.
0:13:35 Already, Musk controls half the satellites in orbit.
0:13:39 He plans to launch up to 58,000 more in the next five years
0:13:41 and proposes to eventually increase
0:13:44 that number to 500,000.
0:13:48 In politics, the pendulum always swings back.
0:13:52 Democrats should be clear that when they retake Congress,
0:13:55 they will assess Musk’s dominance in satellites
0:13:57 and instruct regulators to act
0:14:00 in the interest of national security.
0:14:02 Note, this is also good politics
0:14:07 as Musk’s popularity is dropping, even among Republicans.
0:14:09 Think of it as threatening to invade Greenland
0:14:11 if Greenland was space.
0:14:14 In the meantime, Senate Democrats
0:14:19 can block government contracts Musk companies rely on
0:14:21 by filibustering funding legislation
0:14:25 as Republicans do not have a filibuster-proof majority.
0:14:31 When I interviewed historian Nile Ferguson on my podcast,
0:14:34 he said British politics is a game of cricket
0:14:37 between people who went to Oxford,
0:14:40 whereas American politics is a blood sport.
0:14:43 I’d argue Nile misses some nuance.
0:14:46 Recently, Democratic politics have felt like a stern game
0:14:48 of bridge at the rest home.
0:14:51 For MAGA, the coarseness of our discourse
0:14:53 is a feature, not a bug.
0:14:56 Musk and Trump understand this.
0:14:59 They spew violent rhetoric and leverage political violence
0:15:03 like January 6th because fear is a useful tool
0:15:06 for keeping followers and opponents in line.
0:15:10 Yesterday, a DOJ official began falsely accusing people
0:15:13 of threats to Musk and his team
0:15:14 and sending letters to officials
0:15:19 to clarify their comments, i.e. intimidate them.
0:15:22 Yeah, free speech, unless it’s our guys.
0:15:28 This is an attempt to cast a chill on opposing speech
0:15:32 and what can be described as the fascist hymn.
0:15:35 Speaking of fascist hymns,
0:15:37 The Wall Street Journal reported on February 19th
0:15:41 that Linda Jacarino is now a brick in the fascist wall,
0:15:44 threatening to leverage her dear leader’s influence
0:15:47 to block the IPG Omnicom merger
0:15:50 if they do not advertise on her platform.
0:15:53 Despite credible threats,
0:15:56 Trump has removed security details
0:16:00 protecting his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo,
0:16:05 General Mark Milley, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, to name a few.
0:16:09 In response, Democrats marched to a federal building
0:16:12 and did their best impression of a senior’s facility
0:16:14 when jello nights been canceled.
0:16:17 Democrats should make it clear
0:16:20 that when they return to power, Trump,
0:16:23 and anyone also engaging in the digital coup
0:16:26 will also lose their security detail.
0:16:28 It’s about incentives.
0:16:32 We need to move beyond the strongly worded letter.
0:16:38 What I’ve outlined above is slow and incomplete
0:16:40 compared to the speed and destructive force
0:16:43 of a 19-year-old computer engineer high on Mountain Dew.
0:16:48 My concern is for America, but I’ll be fine.
0:16:51 The people who will pay a far greater price
0:16:56 are Trump voters who believe this fight is for them.
0:16:59 It’s not, it’s against them.
0:17:01 Red states receive more federal funding
0:17:04 than they pay in taxes.
0:17:07 Republican leaders who are under the delusion
0:17:10 they control the power of the purse and won
0:17:13 are instead quietly expressing concerns
0:17:16 over what doge cuts mean for their constituents.
0:17:21 Dismantling USAID hurts Kansans
0:17:23 who sell their crops to a government program
0:17:25 that fights hunger abroad.
0:17:29 NIH cuts threatened jobs in Alabama, Florida,
0:17:33 Nebraska, and other red states.
0:17:35 One of Louisiana’s Republican senators
0:17:39 believes plans to gut the FBI will hurt his state.
0:17:45 Cuts to the VA fall on a key Trump constituency
0:17:48 as veterans skew Republican by two to one.
0:17:52 Delete the Department of Education.
0:17:55 Trump carried four of the top five states
0:17:59 that received Title I funding for low income students,
0:18:04 Louisiana, Mississippi, Arizona, and Alabama.
0:18:08 Amid a chaotic transition,
0:18:13 the White House mistakenly elevated the wrong person
0:18:15 to acting FBI director.
0:18:17 In any other administration,
0:18:20 this kind of fuckup would have been endless fodder
0:18:24 for comedians and congressional investigations.
0:18:27 In this administration, it barely gets a footnote.
0:18:33 Brian Driscoll, aka Driz, will likely be fired soon,
0:18:37 but the G-Man’s response to an attack on his colleagues
0:18:41 and the rule of law is a lesson in leadership
0:18:46 and masculinity, defaulting to protection.
0:18:49 By refusing to comply with an unlawful order
0:18:52 to name the 6,000 plus FBI agents
0:18:55 who worked on January 6th cases,
0:18:58 Driz may have only delayed the inevitable,
0:19:03 but he succeeded in sounding the alarm
0:19:06 and stiffening the resolve of his peers.
0:19:10 The lesson submitting to a second insurrection
0:19:14 without a fight will only make the insurrectionist bolder,
0:19:17 but fighting, even if we lose,
0:19:21 weakens him as it inspires others to do the same.
0:19:26 Think about this, a man who makes Nazi gestures
0:19:30 owns the majority of satellites and space launch capacity
0:19:34 and has usurped the power of the purse and Congress.
0:19:38 The same man is openly threatening other companies
0:19:40 with government retribution
0:19:43 if they don’t spend money on his companies.
0:19:49 Democrats and Republicans, this isn’t a time to come together,
0:19:51 but to the rescue.
0:19:56 Life is so rich.
0:19:59 (gentle music)
0:20:01 (gentle music)
0:20:04 (gentle music)
0:20:06 (soft music)
0:20:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]
As read by George Hahn.
DOGE: What Can Be Done?
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