On December 19, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took to X (Twitter), suggesting Elon Musk fill the role of House Speaker over Rep. Mike Johnson, and that’s somehow even more concerning than it sounds.
As if to kick off his statement with a “hear me out” plea, Sen. Paul first clarified the Speaker of the House “need not be a member of Congress.” He continued, “Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk,” and went on to say, “Nothing’s impossible,” relishing the thought of the “collective establishment” losing their “ever-lovin’ minds.”
A recurrent critic of Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) reposted Paul’s original Tweet shortly after, stating she’d be “open to supporting” Musk for Speaker of the House. She elaborated, “DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency,” adding, “The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Ut.) has made similar comments, as reported by Politico. “Given that they all expressed such affection for Vivek [Ramaswamy] and for Elon, let them choose one of them, I don’t care which one, to be their speaker.” He added, “That would revolutionize everything.”
Paul’s calculated suggestion comes after Musk stormed his social media platform and helped attack a bipartisan agreement on a short-term spending bill. The billionaire co-head of the “Department of Government Efficiency” or “DOGE,” insisted no bills should be passed by Congress until Trump takes office next year. He doubled down, stating a government shutdown would be “infinitely better” than passing “a horrible bill,” and encouraged the app’s user base to call their representatives.
Clearly, Paul was impressed by the Tesla CEO’s sway, which seems to be what served as the nail in the coffin for the now-dead agreement. The Kentucky Senator is right on at least one count following the debacle; the Speaker of the House isn’t required to be a sitting member. The position has always been filled by an elected official, however, despite talks to elect non-representatives in the past. This and the suggestion that Musk take the role are certainly enough to raise brows, but it’s also worth noting the House Speaker’s placement in the line of succession. In case you’re wondering, it’s second, right after the vice president.
A few things bear repeating here: Musk, now the world’s richest man, infamously bought out Twitter and rebranded it X, where political talks are heavily vetted and he continues to sway discussions in favor of the GOP. He is not an elected official, and Trump hasn’t returned to office with his new Cabinet picks yet. This is textbook lobbying.
The tech billionaire’s influence on our government continues to draw ethics concerns since Trump’s re-election, which Musk backed with an estimate of more than $200 million. This is exactly the kind of “oligarchic form of society” that Sen. Bernie Sanders has been sounding the alarm on. After Musk’s Twitter tirade effectively killed the original bill in question, the Vermont Senator also took to the app with a few points of his own.
Following a reminder that Musk is now an astounding $200 billion richer since Trump’s re-election, Sanders asked, “Are Republicans beholden to the American people? Or President Musk?” He then aptly closed the post with the statement, “This is oligarchy at work.” The shoe certainly fits.
Published: Dec 20, 2024 08:14 am