Bucky Badger sez

by liberal japonicus

Well, some good news.

Susan Crawford won the race for a seat on the Wisconsin supreme court on Tuesday, a major win for Democrats who had framed the race as a referendum on Elon Musk and Donald Trump’s popularity.

[...]

In remarks on Tuesday night, Schimel said he and his team “didn’t leave anything on the field” and announced that he had conceded the race in a call to his opponent before taking the stage. When his supporters began to boo, Schimel stopped them. “No, you gotta accept the results,” he said, adding: “The numbers aren’t gonna turn around. They’re too bad, and we’re not gonna pull this off.”

Gotta admit, I'm surprised they aren't trying to stolen election routine.

Unfortunately, Florida man is alive and well. Have at it.

Comments

[hairshirthedonist]

At least the margins swung significantly toward the Democrats in deep-red Florida, even if the Republicans still won. You can't expect the whole country to swing comparably toward Democrats, but it's fun to think about the midterms going that way.

[russell]

Folks better cash those $1 million dollar checks ASAP.

[GftNC]

Folks better cash those $1 million dollar checks ASAP.

LOL

Meanwhile, the news is reporting that Musk is about to be "out of government"(!), in order to "save Tesla". Myself, I don't see that Musk's involvement will be any help at all to Tesla, or indeed to anywhere else unless funded by the USG under the Trump administration.

[CaseyL]

Musk is "out of government," having completed his mission of reducing the federal government to a pile of smoking cinders, throwing tens of thousands of people out of work, dismantling the US public health system, and cratering US-funded science/medicine research.

[russell]

Some good comments on TPM about Musk "stepping back". They're subscription only content, so I haven't linked to it, but if you're a subscriber it's worth reading.

Josh Marshall is a better writer than me but I'll try to briefly summarize his points:

This have gone too far already for Musk to "step back". A lot of damage has been done, as time goes on we'll know more and more about what a stupid clusterf*ck it's been. And there will need to be an accounting, both for Musk and for all of his enablers.

It's a long-ish piece but here's the last paragraph:

As Musk himself said with characteristic grandiosity: “This is a revolution.” And so it is. You don’t step back from them. They drive to their conclusion or they fail. They may sometimes break down into stalemate. But no one steps back. That’s not how it works. They can’t even if they try. Not just Musk but everyone who enabled him, justified him – they all remain on the line for it. DOGE was always about a blitzkrieg, creating facts on the ground before people could find out fully what was happening, before even the full impacts were felt, before people entered the buildings after the firing squads had moved on. We’re moving into the finding out stage so of course he wants to step back. But it’s all beyond job titles. Too much business is unfinished.

And I think Marshall's take is correct. This isn't going to be an "oopsie, my bad" situation.

Were I on the board of Tesla, I'd probably not want Musk anywhere near the brand at this point.

I'd also suggest that the feds should have a long think about whether they want so much of our national security infrastructure wrapped up with Elon's ego.

Musk has been really successful, due IMO to a combination of luck, his own perspicacity as an investor and entrepreneur, and most likely his own obsessive nature. But he is a freaking weird dude, and the nation can't really tolerate him working out his personal issues and obsessions at our expense.

The boy genius act is getting old.

[GftNC]

Were I on the board of Tesla, I'd probably not want Musk anywhere near the brand at this point.

Exactly. He is the personification of the expression "trashed the brand".

As Musk himself said with characteristic grandiosity: “This is a revolution.” And so it is. You don’t step back from them. They drive to their conclusion or they fail. They may sometimes break down into stalemate. But no one steps back. That’s not how it works. They can’t even if they try.

"Like Saturn, the revolution devours its children". And although its children are unfortunately going to include many of the world's and the US's poor and powerless, we can at least hope it will devour some of its fathers, Ubu, Musk, Miller et al.

[GftNC]

So the benefit of my cancellation of the WaPo is as many gift articles as I want from the Atlantic, so I will be posting what looks interesting even before I read them. I'll do one per comment, in case too many sends it in to spam. This and the next are to do with Trump etc, and the third looks like a long interesting piece on the Murdoch situation.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/04/trump-maga-national-interest-usaid-destruction/681735/?gift=cx0iluuWx4Cg7JjlT8ugCd2t39WGqgLsMLEanqkeszs&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

[GftNC]

Number 2

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/04/trump-oligarchy-capitalism-economic-vision/681761/?gift=cx0iluuWx4Cg7JjlT8ugCSJuewuCAxx34cSDB5TUzpA&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

[GftNC]

Number 2

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/04/trump-oligarchy-capitalism-economic-vision/681761/?gift=cx0iluuWx4Cg7JjlT8ugCSJuewuCAxx34cSDB5TUzpA&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

[GftNC]

OK, ObWi is sending number 2 to spam (I've tried twice). I'll do a number 3 as well, and maybe someone could rescue both. I'll try not to do so many at a time agains.

[GftNC]

Number 3

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2025/04/rupert-murdoch-family-succession-james-murdoch/681675/?gift=cx0iluuWx4Cg7JjlT8ugCRGVK6aB_zeDl0TntIohth4&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

[GftNC]

russell, I've just been reading that Josh Marshall piece about Musk, which I agree is very good. Although I see it's called "subscriber newsletter", it also has a "Share" button, which I have taken to mean I can copy and paste. Do you think that's wrong? I will abide by your opinion on this.

On the Atlantic, I checked. I can give as many gift articles as I like - nobody has to read them if they're not interested!

[russell]

LOL, there is a way to share it (the button says "share") and I was just too oblivious to notice.

A precis of my life, or at least my interaction with any kind of technology other than via source code.

Here is is.

Thanks for noticing, GFTNC.

Maybe I'm just whistling past the graveyard but I think things may be shifting.

To coin a phrase, the truth is these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand. And when I say "not very bright guys", yes, I recognize Trump's feral shrewdness and his skill at the uses of belligerence, yes I recognize that Musk has been a very insightful entrepreneur, yes I recognize that the DOGE kids probably know how to hack (but not necessarily how to build).

But those are not skills that equip you to govern effectively. They are not skills that enable you to make useful things happen for other people. Ordinary people.

They're screwing with too many people's lives and folks are pissed off. There's gonna be a sell-by date on this bullshit, and it may actually have already passed. People are starting to figure out that when it comes to things that actually affect people's day to day lives, these guys are the biggest collection of clueless chuckleheads on the planet.

Trump is possibly the stupidest person to ever hold the office he holds, and Musk is possibly the weirdest person ever to hold a position resembling the one he holds. Between them they are basically just fucking things up. And the amount of cognitive dissonance their supporters are gonna have to bring to the table to put up with it is going to run out.

The only way they'll be able to make this stuff stick is if they get the military behind it, which I think will be a much, much heavier lift than they are gonna be able to pull off. I'm sure they'll ponder it (or are already pondering it) and they may even try it on. But I don't see it succeeding.

[liberal japonicus]

OK GftNC, done!

I like Marshall, but being the pessimist, I think Musk is going to come out of this smelling like a rose, in this case, out of an ocean of manure. His stepping back now means that if Trumpworld implodes, he'll toss out some line about how his stepping back means he was out before the denouement and given how messy it is going to be to untangle all the bs that has happened (subpoenas for Signal chats anyone?), he'll do the multiple D's: Deny, Deflect, Discredit, Dissemble, Deceive. Backed up with his money, and so many low hanging fruit to throw under the bus, he's going to be one who gets away. Where he has placed himself in Trumpworld is, in that feral cunning that he has, next to the exit.

[GftNC]

Phew, thanks russell!

And so, since I see I have overwhelmingly dominated this thread, this will be my last comment this evening. I am linking the letter in the NYT from the lawyer granddaughters of Judge Simon Rifkind, who wrote the "founding principles" for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison which their Chairman Brad Karp selectively quoted from when he made his shameful, craven surrender to Trump. It made me smile when they derisively remind him that he is "an officer of the court", because that is what I once reminded bc that s/he was after s/he (if I remember correctly) parotted some defence of Kavanaugh after his nomination hearings. I wonder what ol' bc makes of the current behaviour of Paul Weiss and other venerable US law firms?

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/04/02/us/paul-weiss-letter-32725-2.html

[wj]

being the pessimist, I think Musk is going to come out of this smelling like a rose, in this case, out of an ocean of manure.

I just don't see that. He may come out of it without getting burner by the law. But beyond that?

He has effectively, irretrievably, trashed Tesla. The MAGAts won't stop hating on electric cars; liberals (and moderates, and sane conservatives) who currently are the market for them won't forgive and forget. And Tesla, be it noted, is most of his net worth.

It also seems likely that, if he publicly "steps back" from Trump, the ocean of manure that is MAGA-world will never forgive that. Heresy, after all, is even worse than never having been a true believer. And a heretic makes a great goat for an imploding revolution.

[liberal japonicus]

wj, that raises the question of what exactly is the constituency. Is it die-hard MAGAs? Or the Ariana Grande voters. If it is the former, yeah, he's got to deal with that. But if it is low information types who get all their information from god knows where, we'll be treated to a notion that Musk tried, but he was weighed down by the people around Trump.

btw, sane conservatives? I know you are wed to the idea that they exist, but it assumes facts that are not in evidence...

[nous]

The post title reminds me of the classic UW t-shirt from the 70's-80's before UW got around to registering the Bucky trademark. You'd see hundreds of "Fuck 'Em Bucky" shirts around campus on any given game day.

https://img1.etsystatic.com/011/0/6798237/il_fullxfull.464909413_tw6h.jpg

My favorite t-shirt from a State Street shop, though, had "Jesus loves you!" in big, illuminated script, with a small scribal note under it that read "Everyone else thinks you're a dick."

Both shirts are germane where Musk is concerned.

[Michael Cain]

Musk and his script kiddies will leave and MAGA will quickly forget them. RFK Jr is doing just as well at cutting as Musk did. Look for more of the official Cabinet-level folk to pick up the torch.

[Marty]

Musk perfection served his purpose. He can now be blamed for all the damage while Trump takes credit for the huge, beautiful, extraordinary benefit gained. Tesla will be at an all time high by September and the government will be mostly non functional.

We will have a huge tax cut for business to replace the tariff impact and the S&P will be up 25% from here. Unemployment will be at 5% and. Inflation at 4%. Trump will find three big companies that opened plants this year and declare success.

[Marty]

Perfection - perfectly

I forgot to add that most of the tariffs will quietly be reduced while the ones with bigger trading partners will have announcements that we got amazing concessions that will save the country for dropping them.

Monte Hall would be proud.

[wj]

In case someone here missed it, the stock market is cratering in the wake of Trump's tariff announcement. Glad I moved out of stocks a while back.

[GftNC]

I hesitate to predict anything about what will happen to Tesla in America, which has become (to me) a strange land. But I would be astonished if Tesla recovered in Europe, except perhaps among Nazis or the Nazi adjacent. And even in America, once DOGE's impact becomes felt domestically, I find it hard to believe people won't remember that it was Musk's baby. There are plenty of alternatives for people who want to buy electric vehicles, and Tesla has completely lost whatever cool factor it had (which was considerable).

[nous]

Of course Musk is on his way out. He was a temporary appointment and that clock has been ticking for a while. He was always going to have to leave.

Meanwhile - I have colleagues that I know personally who I've said before were doxed in public for having taken part in the pro-Palestinian encampment here. The campus has moved to curtail peoples freedom of expression, and have required all faculty to have a university ID on their person whenever they are on campus, but they insist that they can take no action against outside groups showing up on campus to threaten and intimidate university faculty.

Well now the DoJ is coming in to subpoena the university for the names of all employees who took part in the pro-Palestinian demonstrations. The DoJ is functioning identically to the freelance right wing goons who were doxing people.

This is going to require more than a patch to fix.

[Snarki, child of Loki]

I expect that there are plenty of non-US companies hit with the tariffs, that discover that they can get the tariff reduced by just paying off Trump.

The decision by DOJ to "stop enforcing" Foreign Corrupt Practices? How...convenient.

[GftNC]

This, reposted by hilzoy from somebody called Janel Comeau, proved I can still laugh:

I have tariffed
the penguins
that are on
Heard Island

and which
you were probably
assuming
did not export goods

forgive me
they were taking advantage of us
so cunning
and so cold

[Michael Cain]

In case someone here missed it, the stock market is cratering in the wake of Trump's tariff announcement.

Cratering? Some of us are old enough to have lived through Black Monday in 1987, when the Dow average dropped 22%.

[wj]

We already knew we were looking at a slow motion catastrophe.

And this was just on the announcement. When the actual implementation (of what ever the magic numbers of the instant are then) happens, I expect a bigger drop. Until then? A slide downward, with the inevitable noise in the signal.

[novakant]

The difference to 1987 and 2008 is that back then you could trust that the powers that be have an incentive to try to restore the status quo ante (as flawed as that might have been).

Now we're in the age of "disruptors"...

[Donald]

I expected Trump to be absolutely awful but actually watching someone declare a trade war with the entire world, including one or two islands inhabited only by penguins, is almost awe- inspiring in its sheer insanity.

I am still in a bit of denial seeing things I knew were likely to happen ( didn’t see making Canada an enemy) actually happening. No President should have this much power, just as no President should be able to launch undeclared wars.

Though speaking of wars, Sanders tried to cut off the bomb supply to Israel. The measure got 15 votes. Here is Schiff explaining why it is good to give bombs to people who blow up children on a daily basis.

https://www.schiff.senate.gov/news/press-releases/statement-sen-schiff-announces-intention-to-vote-no-on-joint-resolutions-of-disapproval/

No, of course he doesn’t put it that way. He is a pathetic mealy- mouthed two- faced racist who blathers on about a 2ss and Palestinians protesting against Hamas to ignore what Israel is doing with the weapons he wants to keep giving them. His Republican colleagues are worse. Over in the House, the newly elected Randy Fine has been openly genocidal.

All perfectly normal in this crap political culture. Trying to bully the entire world at the same time as Trump is doing—well, that’s innovative.

He might also be inching his way to war with Iran, though he pulled back from that in Term 1.

[wj]

actually watching someone declare a trade war with the entire world, including one or two islands inhabited only by penguins, is almost awe- inspiring in its sheer insanity.

Hey, some of those penguins are, you know, . . . gay.

Besides, a trade war won't hurt them. Be glad he hasn't decided to "bomb them back to the stone age." Which is something dumb enough that he might well say it.

[wj]

A slide downward, with the inevitable noise in the signal.

OK, I was wrong. It's going faster than that. Markets are down an additional 5% this morning. Sure, it's not Black Monday. But just because it's spread over several days doesn't mean it's not a crater.