Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Elon Musk and his America PAC on Oct. 28, 2024, over a $1 million daily voter giveaway that exemplifies how billionaires view democracy as a commodity to be purchased.
The lawsuit, filed in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, calls for an emergency injunction against what Krasner terms an “illegal lottery scheme.” The filing argues Musk and his PAC “must be stopped, immediately” before the November 5 presidential election. At issue is Musk’s brazen attempt to influence swing state voters through direct cash payments. The world’s richest man announced on October 19 that his PAC would give away $1 million daily to registered voters who sign a petition supporting “freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.” The PAC also offers Pennsylvania voters $100 just for signing – more than double the $47 offered in other battleground states.
The lawsuit alleges Mr. Dark MAGA and his PAC are “lulling Philadelphia citizens – and others in the Commonwealth (and other swing states in the upcoming election) – to give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1 million.”
Beyond violating Pennsylvania lottery laws, which require state operation and regulation, the scheme reveals Musk’s apparent contempt for working-class voters. By dangling life-changing sums before economically struggling Americans, the billionaire treats democratic participation as purely a transactional mechanism where—if the people are needy enough—votes can be bought like Tesla stock. It also screams a particular desperation; it is of the utmost importance for Musk that Trump wins.
The Department of Justice has already warned Musk the giveaway may violate federal laws prohibiting payment for voter registration – crimes carrying penalties of up to $10,000 fines and 5-year prison terms.
The lawsuit also challenges Musk’s claims of random selection, noting the first two Pennsylvania winners conveniently attended Trump rallies where they were announced. Despite these red flags, America PAC claims 280,000 Pennsylvania voters have already signed up. “If not enjoined, their lottery scheme will irreparably harm Philadelphians—and others in Pennsylvanians—and tarnish the public’s right to a free and fair election,” the filing states.
That a billionaire would so blatantly attempt to purchase electoral influence shows Musk’s great disdain and contempt for the poor and middle class in his use of his wealth to whip them into line. And there is ready proof of this loathing—from just a few years ago.
When directly challenged about sending $6.6 billion to the UN to address world hunger, Elon Musk’s response in a Lex Fridman interview revealed his pattern of making grand promises followed by elaborate rationalizations for inaction. (Of course, he did make a significant donation, but not the UN, Oxfam, or any of the like—but to his own foundation, related most to the things associated to his work.)
Rather than acknowledging an unfulfilled pledge because he can never be wrong, Musk did the Trump thing and lazily pivoted into uneducated blather—claiming world hunger stems primarily from “civil war or strife,” wholly dismissing the roles of unfair financial resources allocation, systemic inequalities, or the greed of autocrats like himself. He argued that world hunger is “not a simple matter of adding money and solving it,” as if he would know better than the United Nations experts. But that is ultimately not the point; if people aren’t hungry, how will people like Musk exploit them?
Published: Oct 29, 2024 04:55 am