Who knew that the black swan - or rather "red elephant" - that could destroy Tesla was not its staggering cash burn rate, which last quarter went through $12 million every day, would be the "shocking" discovery that the opportunistic self-proclaimed "socialist" CEO with a penchant for taxpayer subsidies was in fact... a closet republican.
Earlier today, ProPublica published filings which revealed that Elon Musk is a top donor to a Republican PAC named Protect the House and aimed at keeping control of Congress. The PAC raised over $8 million in in the second quarter for Republican lawmakers hoping to fend off Democratic challengers.
The top donors of the PAC include casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and Houston Texans owner Robert McNair. Although Adelson and McNair's contributions far outweighed Musk's — Adelson and McNair each gave $371,500 respectively, while Musk gave $33,900 — Musk was one of the top 50 donors of the PAC, just below Ken Griffin and Hank Paulson and above the Bass family and Stephen Schwarzman.
While Musk has a history of donating to both parties, his contributions to the Republican Party was particularly startling in light of his recent disclosure that he was a "socialist" of the kind that seeks greatest good for all.
By the way, I am actually a socialist. Just not the kind that shifts resources from most productive to least productive, pretending to do good, while actually causing harm. True socialism seeks greatest good for all.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
June 16, 2018
“Climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI,” Musk said in an interview with Rolling Stone late last year. “I keep telling people this. I hate to be Cassandra here, but it’s all fun and games until somebody loses a $#@!ing eye. This view [of climate change] is shared by almost everyone who’s not crazy in the scientific community.”
Well, everyone except most republicans, and as Salon notes, "that Musk believes this yet insists on helping the Republican Party win elections does not compute with reality. Some of the most influential climate-change deniers are members of the GOP; not to mention that the Trump administration's policies have curbed Obama-era efforts to fight global warming."
Even more hypocritical, Musk himself has lashed out at the harm President Donald Trump and his party has done to the environment. Shortly after Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement, Musk announced that he would quit two of the White House's business advisory councils.
"Am departing presidential councils. Climate change is real. Leaving Paris is not good for America or the world," Musk said on Twitter at the time. What he forgot to add is that one year later he would secretly help the Republican Party maintain Congress. Or, as Salon continues its lashing, "the reports on Musk's political contributions is just another data point marking Musk's nonsense."
Following the news, Musk urgently engaged in damage control, and when asked "why the $#@! are u donating to ppl that don’t believe in climate change and are separating kids from their families then", his response was amusing: "So that they are willing to listen when I call to object about issues that negatively affect humanity."
So that they are willing to listen when I call to object about issues that negatively affect humanity
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
July 14, 2018
He then decided to pull another ideological chameleon, and "explained" that "to To be clear, I am not a conservative. Am registered independent & politically moderate. Doesn’t mean I’m moderate about all issues. Humanitarian issues are extremely important to me & I don’t understand why they are not important to everyone."
It was unclear at press time how donations to keep the GOP in power by a "registered independent", "politically moderate" "socialist" would promote humanitarian issues.
But it was hist most recent statement that was also the punchline (at least so far) with Musk close to pleading ignorance over what had happened, tweeting that "I do not actually see the checks (changed that policy today). A nominal annual amount goes out automatically to both parties to maintain dialogue."
That said, I do not actually see the checks (changed that policy today). A nominal annual amount goes out automatically to both parties to maintain dialogue. I have given vastly more to humanitarian causes.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk)
July 15, 2018
In any case, dialogue was the last thing that took place on twitter, where liberals - until now enamored with their ideological white knight and "real-world Tony Stark" - had their ideals shattered in a heartbeat.
The result was an unprecedented pouring out of anger, outrage, and fury aimed at Musk, and more importantly, at Tesla, with most vowing they would either return their "green" cars or never buy one, effectively making Tesla the car of the republican party. Some of the more notable examples below:
Nice to know the person responsible for making electric cars is able to divorce himself from climate change by donating to the very people who deny its existence. I traded my Tesla in last week after my friend’s Tesla caught on fire, so I saved a trip
https://t.co/rDqiERd8qt
— Chelsea Handler (@chelseahandler)
July 14, 2018 Elon Musk, a billionaire who is hostile to the press and sat on Trump’s advisory council until the publicity proved untenable, unmasked as top donor to House Republican PAC.
https://t.co/2nYHFxv0cX via
@thedailybeast
— Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports)
July 14, 2018 Guess I won't be buying a Tesla. Oh, well.
— Laurie Antonioli (@IntrinsicMusic)
July 14, 2018 If you buy a
@Tesla car or home battery but the profits go to
@elonmusk who then donates to the
@GOP Coalsheviks, you’ve helped make the problem worse - well done
— cameron tonkinwise (@camerontw)
July 14, 2018 Electric cars becoming the official vehicle of the
@GOP is an exciting plot twist.
— tamer abouras (@tamer_abouras)
July 14, 2018 Kinda explain the “I’ll Help Flint...”. Guess Who Won’t be buying a Tesla, EVER!
— Larnell B. Exum (@lbexum)
July 15, 2018 How do I return my Tesla??? Sickening. "Elon Musk revealed as one of the largest donors for a House GOP PAC."
— chloe (@kmthcc)
July 15, 2018 @elonmusk cancelling my order for Tesla. One of many today for you I'm sure. You're funding people caging children and colluding with Russians.
— jon snowglobe (@jonsnowglobe)
July 15, 2018 I can’t believe I told people I’d $#@! Elon Musk for a Tesla and then he turned out to be a republican, like I trusted u, Elon, and now I look like a fool smh
— Karishma (@kjoshee)
July 15, 2018 I think today is my favorite Twitter day in some time. Lying to investors, having the personal carbon footprint of a small town, getting richer exacerbating income inequality via regressive EV tax credits...all ok. Until today, I guess. And then I see this 🤣
@elonmusk https://t.co/fZV59jW3ES
— Uncle Brian (@UncleBrianRsrch)
July 15, 2018 Yes , Elon Musk doesnt know where the checks go.
Its not like Climate change denier Kevin McCarthy is his personal friend and they meet often in Silicon Valley. Musk doesnt know anything folks.
$TSLA pic.twitter.com/c84qKL9XUm
— Deepak CFO (@TezzlaCFO)
July 15, 2018 I have seriously considered purchasing both Tesla and SolarCity products in the past. Based on this information, Musk will never see a single penny of my money.
https://t.co/EI4QRQAbx3
— cereal eyes jason (@obfuscurity)
July 14, 2018 He’s trash! Hollywood needs to start returning their
@Tesla TODAY!
— Ivonne ♏️ 🌊 (@ShopGirl1597)
July 14, 2018 Damn straight! Before that donation I was pretty sure that despite the G650ER and five connected mansions in Bel Air and one mansion in London he was just a 10-percenter, or maybe a 5-percenter at worst!
https://t.co/LVCultuMBH
— Mark B. Spiegel (@markbspiegel)
July 15, 2018 Okay, who wants to bet Subsidy Fraud-Boy DOESN'T wire 50 mil to the Dems first thing Monday morning!
— Mark B. Spiegel (@markbspiegel)
July 14, 2018 Q: What do Elon Musk, Sheldon Adelson, and Robert McNair have in common?
A: None of them know how to manufacture a car profitably.
pic.twitter.com/w4pMsliDjt
— Lou Whiteman (@louwhiteman)
July 15, 2018 It’s quite amazing that after all the lies, ridiculous predictions and billions in losses, the Emperor is finally seen to have no clothes because of a political donation.
$TSLA https://t.co/KDfUaSaSao
— Diogenes (@WallStCynic)
July 14, 2018 Acceptable things for Elon Musk to do:
-bust unions
-break every labor law
-attack minority women on Twitter
-fraud
-market manipulation
-blame victims of car crashes
-call someone a "chimp"
-yell fake news
Unaceptable things for Elon Musk to do:
-lobby for government contracts
— I.C.O. 14001 (@eriz35)
July 15, 2018 Will this relentless Elon-bashing in the Fake News MSM never stop?! Thai children, Flint residents, the House GOP...Can’t you see he is just trying to help the afflicted?
$TSLA https://t.co/MPdNghffXM
— Diogenes (@WallStCynic)
July 15, 2018
More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-...top-republican
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Originally Posted by timosman
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