Well, they don’t really have to worry, because, if things keep evolving in the direction they have this week, that term (RINO) will no longer have any meaning. That is because it presumes some set of political principles beyond fealty to a figurehead to which one could or could not conform. The Republican Party’s actions for a long time now have conveyed less and less real political principles outside of ‘we do what Trump says, or else,’ and I think these first few days of his term are a turning point, when that has become the only defining trait of the GOP (sans a few mavericks like Collins and Murkowski) at all. Thus it makes no sense to speak of ‘Republicans vs RINOs’; it only makes sense to speak of ‘those who follow Trump and his delegates faithfully regardless of what he does’ vs ‘those who follow some other set of political ideals’. That may work for awhile—but beware, it is not a sound long-term basis for any political organization.
Are you really *that* sanguine about the richest man in the world, who financed the current president’s election campaign, being given (along with his top tech developers) access to the treasury payments system—containing social security numbers, tax data, government accounts and currency homdings—and threatening to halt payments he is legally bound by Congress to make? Just imagine it was President Harris handing Bezos your tax info, and brushing aside congressional law to essentially do as he pleases? You’re really gonna shrug your shoulders at *that*? Sounds more like a ‘pro-oligarch’ mentality than a pro-working class one.
It also means 'rule by oligarchs'--and Musk is undeniably an oligarch. (Wikipedia provides further definitional clarity on the matter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_oligarch) Elon Musk is a private individual--he has not been confirmed to any formal office, nor given any authority by a democratically-elected body that grants him (or his private team of developers) access to the extremely sensitive public infrastructure of the treasury; which, as the nation's purse strings, is a locus of immense power. Being given authority via democratically elected bodies, which work on behalf of the people of the nation, is one of the central characteristics differentiating democracy from oligarchy. Musk being given access to the strings of state financial power on the scale of someone in an office sanctioned by the democratic state is a usurpation of democratic approval that defines the behavior of oligarchic societies. You might have a point were he working for some kind of agency created and approved by Congress; but he is not the employee of any such agency, as Congress has not gone through the legal procedures for making DOGE a part of the state.
And you are quite naive to believe an oligarch like Musk is interested in combating the accumulation of power by individuals--that is simply not what oligarchs do. They could not sustain oligarch status if they took such a view of the world, because it would dissuade them from effectively playing the game all oligarchs play, which centers around differential accumulation--to acquire more power than your rivals, and beat the average rate of return. That president Trump is attempting to *augment* this process in the case of Musk is also quite the opposite of what someone interested in liberal democracy would aim to do.
Provide me with a concrete example of Biden granting immense formal state power to a person with no congressional authority to have it and you'll have an apt comparison. Until then, that's very low-grade whataboutism.
"I'm not worried about Musk at all."
Then you are being very gullible, and I pray it does not blow up in you or the nation's face, and recommend you look more closely at the world's various species of mafia state, and their sordid history, and learn what they have to teach you about what happens when you let billionaires become bureaucratic appendages of the state. It never ends well.
I get what’s happening, no one wants to be a part of a sinking ship, but turning to Trump is ludicrous. We had had high inflation for a year. We didn’t get a recession or even the highest inflation as most of the world. So they turn to a clown for guidance?
Let’s face it, in the grand scheme of things, I would think trans kids are at the bottom of the list, yet here we are; Trump is elected president! Republicans have always been responsible for gutting all the entitlement programs. Trump increased the debt by $8 trillion in four years; it took Obama eight years, and he inherited the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. And still Obama reduced the Account deficit to $536 billion from almost $2 trillion that Bush left him. And Trump increases the deficit to $1.88 trillion. Oh, and when it comes to healthcare, it was democrats who passed the Affordable Care Act; Trump tried to repeal it; four times!
This isn’t about social programs or supporting trans youth. And it’s not about immigration because Biden put forth a conservative plan that was nixed by Trump!
This is about social engineering and nefarious AI algorithms manipulating people’s emotions. Ten million fewer people voted in 2024. Trump won the popular vote with 48% of voters, less than a majority. Not to mention, we have 225 million registered voters and only two thirds showed up. Hence, Trump one only a third of the actual registered voters. Hardly a mandate.
Yet here we are? Musk is illegally taking control of $6 trillion of our taxpayer funds, and Trump is taking a sledgehammer to our Constitution; yet democrats can gladly pat themselves on the back for managing a smooth transition of ultimate power (immunity), to a clown.
And as the adage goes, “hire a clown, you get a circus, hire the anointed clown and you get a FREAK SHOW”: Mission accomplished!…:)
I am not sure adding RINOs is a winning strategy for Republicans.
Well, they don’t really have to worry, because, if things keep evolving in the direction they have this week, that term (RINO) will no longer have any meaning. That is because it presumes some set of political principles beyond fealty to a figurehead to which one could or could not conform. The Republican Party’s actions for a long time now have conveyed less and less real political principles outside of ‘we do what Trump says, or else,’ and I think these first few days of his term are a turning point, when that has become the only defining trait of the GOP (sans a few mavericks like Collins and Murkowski) at all. Thus it makes no sense to speak of ‘Republicans vs RINOs’; it only makes sense to speak of ‘those who follow Trump and his delegates faithfully regardless of what he does’ vs ‘those who follow some other set of political ideals’. That may work for awhile—but beware, it is not a sound long-term basis for any political organization.
We had had high inflation for a year - ????
trans kids are at the bottom of the list - ????
Republicans have always been responsible for guttiing 'all' entitlement programs - ????
Biden put forth a conservative immigration plan - ????
Musk is illegally taking control of $6 trillion of our taxpayer funds - ????
Is this really how you view things?
Are you really *that* sanguine about the richest man in the world, who financed the current president’s election campaign, being given (along with his top tech developers) access to the treasury payments system—containing social security numbers, tax data, government accounts and currency homdings—and threatening to halt payments he is legally bound by Congress to make? Just imagine it was President Harris handing Bezos your tax info, and brushing aside congressional law to essentially do as he pleases? You’re really gonna shrug your shoulders at *that*? Sounds more like a ‘pro-oligarch’ mentality than a pro-working class one.
Somebody does not know the actual definition of oligarchy "a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution."
In other words, what Musk is combating and you seem to support.
It also means 'rule by oligarchs'--and Musk is undeniably an oligarch. (Wikipedia provides further definitional clarity on the matter: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_oligarch) Elon Musk is a private individual--he has not been confirmed to any formal office, nor given any authority by a democratically-elected body that grants him (or his private team of developers) access to the extremely sensitive public infrastructure of the treasury; which, as the nation's purse strings, is a locus of immense power. Being given authority via democratically elected bodies, which work on behalf of the people of the nation, is one of the central characteristics differentiating democracy from oligarchy. Musk being given access to the strings of state financial power on the scale of someone in an office sanctioned by the democratic state is a usurpation of democratic approval that defines the behavior of oligarchic societies. You might have a point were he working for some kind of agency created and approved by Congress; but he is not the employee of any such agency, as Congress has not gone through the legal procedures for making DOGE a part of the state.
And you are quite naive to believe an oligarch like Musk is interested in combating the accumulation of power by individuals--that is simply not what oligarchs do. They could not sustain oligarch status if they took such a view of the world, because it would dissuade them from effectively playing the game all oligarchs play, which centers around differential accumulation--to acquire more power than your rivals, and beat the average rate of return. That president Trump is attempting to *augment* this process in the case of Musk is also quite the opposite of what someone interested in liberal democracy would aim to do.
Where was your concern these past four years about unelected people running the country? Hint: It wasn't Biden.
I'm not worried about Musk at all. After reading about what's been going on with USAID how could things get worse??
Provide me with a concrete example of Biden granting immense formal state power to a person with no congressional authority to have it and you'll have an apt comparison. Until then, that's very low-grade whataboutism.
"I'm not worried about Musk at all."
Then you are being very gullible, and I pray it does not blow up in you or the nation's face, and recommend you look more closely at the world's various species of mafia state, and their sordid history, and learn what they have to teach you about what happens when you let billionaires become bureaucratic appendages of the state. It never ends well.
Time and stupidity of the party in power always has a way of making corrections wether liberal or conservative
I get what’s happening, no one wants to be a part of a sinking ship, but turning to Trump is ludicrous. We had had high inflation for a year. We didn’t get a recession or even the highest inflation as most of the world. So they turn to a clown for guidance?
Let’s face it, in the grand scheme of things, I would think trans kids are at the bottom of the list, yet here we are; Trump is elected president! Republicans have always been responsible for gutting all the entitlement programs. Trump increased the debt by $8 trillion in four years; it took Obama eight years, and he inherited the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. And still Obama reduced the Account deficit to $536 billion from almost $2 trillion that Bush left him. And Trump increases the deficit to $1.88 trillion. Oh, and when it comes to healthcare, it was democrats who passed the Affordable Care Act; Trump tried to repeal it; four times!
This isn’t about social programs or supporting trans youth. And it’s not about immigration because Biden put forth a conservative plan that was nixed by Trump!
This is about social engineering and nefarious AI algorithms manipulating people’s emotions. Ten million fewer people voted in 2024. Trump won the popular vote with 48% of voters, less than a majority. Not to mention, we have 225 million registered voters and only two thirds showed up. Hence, Trump one only a third of the actual registered voters. Hardly a mandate.
Yet here we are? Musk is illegally taking control of $6 trillion of our taxpayer funds, and Trump is taking a sledgehammer to our Constitution; yet democrats can gladly pat themselves on the back for managing a smooth transition of ultimate power (immunity), to a clown.
And as the adage goes, “hire a clown, you get a circus, hire the anointed clown and you get a FREAK SHOW”: Mission accomplished!…:)