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The blurriness of Elon Musk’s politics turns the world’s richest man into both a hero and a bogeyman in some of the country’s most polarizing debates.
Republicans have recently heralded Mr. Musk, who describes himself as “half Democrat, half Republican,” as a champion of free speech and forward thinking enterprise.
The Democrats painted him a misguided tax trick that exemplifies the ugly underbelly of an economic system that favors the rich at the expense of the poor.
Focus on Musk’s vision intensified following news that the South African-born billionaire had bought Twitter and, if successful, plans to relax the popular social media platform’s censorship rules.
“For Twitter to deserve the public’s trust, it has to be politically neutral, which effectively means upsetting the far right and the far left equally,” he wrote on Twitter this week.
Democrats hate the idea. Republicans love it.
SEE ALSO: Knives out for Elon Musk on Capitol Hill after Twitter acquisition
Indeed, Georgia Republican Representative, Marjorie Taylor Greene, on Thursday invited Mr. Musk to Capitol Hill to participate in a roundtable discussion to meet with prominent figures who were “unjustly banned” from Twitter.
“I’m cautiously optimistic about the future of Twitter, which Elon Musk has taken over. I don’t know Mr. Musk but I invite him to Washington DC to talk to me, I’d be happy to hold a roundtable of the brightest people unjustly banned from Twitter, ” said. Greene told reporters at a press conference.
“Since he has stated that he believes in freedom of speech, he can see for himself the urgent necessity of getting these things right, as we hope we all will do,” he said.
Former President Trump and Ms. Greene have been kicked off Twitter for violating their policies.
Meanwhile, Democrats insist social media platforms need more regulation, not less.
They warn that the spread of misinformation is poisoning politics and accuse them of helping to fuel the January 6 attack on the US Capitol.
SEE ALSO: Marjorie Taylor Greene invites Elon Musk to Capitol Hill to meet Twitter’s banned contacts
Mr. Musk has also drawn the ire of Democrats for criticizing coronavirus lockdowns and the Biden administration’s electric vehicle policies to play favorites with labor unions.
At the same time, Musk, who became a US citizen in 2002, said he donated to members of both parties to maintain dialogue with Democrats and Republicans.
He also criticized former President Donald Trump for imposing a travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries and leaving the Paris climate agreement.
“To be frank, I’m not a conservative,” Musk tweeted in 2018. [and] politically moderate.”
“It doesn’t mean I’m moderate about everything,” she said. “Humanitarian issues are extremely important to me. [and] I don’t understand why they don’t matter to everyone.”
posted a message on Thursday graphic On Twitter, stick figures in a line representing the political spectrum from the progressive left to the conservative right. The stickman Mr. Musk labeled “me” moved from center-left in 2008 to right-of-center in 2021, while a stick figure labeled “awakening” progressives sped away from him to the left.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2022
Outside of an increasingly partisan Washington, Mr. Musk’s stern individualism earns him praise.
Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, who says he is a Democrat, was recently amazed at how Mr. Musk has made Tesla a leading player in the auto industry.
“He has an idea and it wins,” Mr. Buffett said in a recent interview with Charlie Rose. “Here’s America. You can’t imagine it. Amazing.”
Back on Capitol Hill, Mr. Musk nevertheless faces new skepticism from lawmakers over the Twitter deal, including Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, who has been open about receiving donations from him and has met with him multiple times.
Asked about the simmering criticism, the Illinois Democrat said “he wouldn’t say I didn’t like it.”
“I question their conclusions and judgment and worry about where this Twitter thing is going,” he said. “He’s rich enough to do what he wants and I hope he doesn’t end up sponsoring or misinforming.”
Other Democrats have been more critical and attribute their grievances to the popular liberal idea that Mr. Musk and other mega-rich individuals should pay more into the federal coffers to help pay for their progressive platforms.
Rep. “The fact that a billionaire like Elon Musk can buy a huge social media platform on a whim while families across America struggle to buy medicine, gas and food says a lot about the deep economic inequality in our country,” said Marie Newman. in a fundraising email this week. “So I propose a new rule: if you’re rich enough to buy Twitter, we can tax you fairly so that we can provide healthcare to everyone, establish universal childcare, and implement transformative climate action.”
Ranna Abdelhamid, the ultra-left Congressional candidate in New York’s 12th Congressional District, took her complaints about Mr. Musk to something else on Twitter.
“Since this is probably the last day I can tweet, may I remind people that Elon Musk’s father is a union-destroying billionaire who inherited the apartheid emerald mines?” said. “Tax the rich + syndicate Twitter!”
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