The Scent of Musk (split from Off the Cuff and Whatnot - 2022)

[batmagadanleadoff]

Douchebag Kid Rock owns a Cybertruck Swastikar with a custom Dukes of Hazzard paint job.

[TransMonk]

Tomorrow here in Wisconsin, we go to the polls to elect another State Supreme Court Justice. I've been the lead at our neighborhood staging location for volunteering and door-to-door canvassing this cycle, so I am exhausted.

Musk has poured $20M+ into this race via PACs in support of the conservative candidate. This candidate is a former Attorney General from the Scott Walker years who is pro-life and pro-MAGA. This week, Musk has given away 2 million-dollar checks to supporters signing a petition to oppose "activist judges" and announced on Twitter today that he would give $20 to anyone in Wisconsin who tweets a selfie at their polling place tomorrow. His PAC has hired out-of-state people to go door-to-door leaving literature tying the conservative opponent to Trump.

Is this legal? Maybe, maybe not. The WI AG filed suit in order to stop the million-dollar giveaways, but the case was expedited through to rulings from each of the district, appellate and supreme courts - all of which denied to stop the giveaway in time. Not because they deemed it legal, but for technical issues with the way the AG filed it. All of the courts that weighed in had a majority comprised of liberals making the rulings.

The election has garnered some national attention, especially because of Musk's involvement. But I haven't seen too many outlets explain why Musk is putting forth the effort. It isn't much about being pro-MAGA, helping Trump or anything ideological at all. Wisconsin has a state law that limits car manufacturers' ability to own dealerships. Musk has filed suit in Wisconsin and hopes that the case makes it to the state Supreme Court where he will have a bought-and-paid-for Justice serving as part of a conservative majority ruling in his favor.

From the ground, I don't see Musk's money making a decisive difference. My sense is the liberal will win by at least 5 points. This is based on limited polling available, past non-Trump election results and the fact that the liberal herself raised about the same amount of money as the Musk-funded conservative. I would find a win by the Musk candidate here literally unbelievable.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

How is it legal to pay someone to vote

[batmagadanleadoff]

How is it legal to pay someone to vote

I don't get that, either. And even if the lawsuits to stop that behavior were technically defective, isn't it still a crime? Hasn't a crime been committed? Punishable by jail time?

[batmagadanleadoff]

How is it legal to pay someone to vote

I don't get that, either. And even if the lawsuits to stop that behavior were technically defective, isn't it still a crime? Hasn't a crime been committed? Punishable by jail time?

https://pbswisconsin.org/news-item/what ... to-voters/

[Frayed Knot]

How is it legal to pay someone to vote

Oh political orgs have been paying people to vote for years. It's just that, like most things in Trumpian America, it wasn't always so blatant.
Political operatives used to go out on Election Day, particularly in urban areas, with what was called "walking around money", basically wads of cash so nothing was traceable, and ask people if they were registered to vote. If the answer was 'No' then came 'Would you like to be?'. So they'd fill out the paperwork for him/her with "suggestions" on who to vote for along with a $20 or something like that. Such tactics are why a lot of folks, particularly Republicans, are against day-of-election registration.

The kicker, of course, is that there's no way to know how that person actually voted, but the same holds for Musk. 'Hey Elon, here's a selfie at my polling place, where's my cash?' ... I can't wait to go in there and vote against whoever it is you and puddin'head are backing'

[batmagadanleadoff]

The kicker, of course, is that there's no way to know how that person actually voted, but the same holds for Musk. 'Hey Elon, here's a selfie at my polling place, where's my cash?'

I thought of that, too. That is, it'd be neat if one or both of the Musk million dollar check winners then went and voted for the Dem candidate. But to be eligible, you have to be a registered GOP voter. I suppose that that would greatly reduce the chances of a trojan horse Dem voter taking home the big cash prize.

[TransMonk]

We don’t do party registration in WI, so I’m not sure how they screened.

One of the million dollar checks went to the chair of the WI College Republicans leading some of us to wonder how legitimate the sweepstakes was.

[MFS62]

One of the million dollar checks went to the chair of the WI College Republicans leading some of us to wonder how legitimate the sweepstakes was.

So, not only is he a douchebag, but he's a sneaky douchebag.
Later

[Lefty Specialist]

This has now gotten personal.

Lefty Jr. got DOGE'd today. His company's government contract with CISA was terminated without explanation. He knew when his government login no longer worked this morning. Hey, who needs Cybersecurity anyway?

He had a job he liked, at decent pay, working in a city he loved. But he also had a foreboding about this as soon as the election was over. Now he's angry. And he joins tens of thousands of others in the DC area suddenly looking for jobs. What he has to say about Elon and his incel minions is unprintable on a family website.

[MFS62]

Sorry to hear that, Lefty.
Wish I could give him a networking contact, but the only one i can think of also works in IT for the government.
He may be at risk, too.

Later

[Edgy MD]

I am sorry about Leftkowitz, Jr. I have more loved ones out of work now than I did in the early nineties recession my friends and I graduated into, more than I had after 9/11, more than I had during the 2008 crash, more than I had during the Covid lockdown.

I realize that part of that is the region I live in and the sectors I have worked in, but it has always been personal.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

this country sucks ass

[kcmets]

Best of luck to L Jr., fourth person I 'know of' to be Musked.

[Lefty Specialist]

Thanks. He can survive for a while since he's not married and he's been good about saving. But.

His current company won the contract for CISA at the start of Fiscal 2025, so October 1st, 2024. He'd had the same job at a different contractor previously; the CISA people specifically asked for him to be hired by the new contractor, so the transition was seamless from the federal point of view. Everybody was happy. But Federal contracts have a 6-month 'probationary' period. In the past, unless the contractor was a complete screwup, they would be approved to continue for the rest of the contract term. In the before-times, this was a mere formality.

But March 31st was approaching and no sign-off was coming. They asked and were met with stony silence. So the contract could not go forward. The bastards let it expire without a word. As this company is a small woman-owned business with other federal contracts, they were afraid to raise too much of a fuss. The federal contacts (who were good people but also afraid for their jobs) had no idea either. But with no signature by CISA/DOGE leadership, the plug was pulled and people's lives were upended.

[Lefty Specialist]

I really need to be talked out of torching a Tesler dealership right now.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Dems win in Wisconsin, convincingly. Crawford up by 10 points (55-45). Schimel concedes.

[batmagadanleadoff]

How is it legal to pay someone to vote

I don't get that, either. And even if the lawsuits to stop that behavior were technically defective, isn't it still a crime? Hasn't a crime been committed? Punishable by jail time?

Wisconsin state senator urges DA to issue state warrant to arrest Musk. Now we're talking! This is so obvious.

https://www.wkow.com/news/top-stories/s ... 86ca5.html

[Lefty Specialist]

Mass layoff began at HHS yesterday. How did they find out? By scanning their security badge to see if it worked.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pol ... 754402007/

This is how fElon fires people at Tesla, by the way.

[Edgy MD]

It is how my father got fired by then Citizen Trump in 1989.

[TransMonk]

Dems win in Wisconsin, convincingly. Crawford up by 10 points (55-45). Schimel concedes.

What a beautiful map.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

we owe it all to transmonk. Good job!