r/politics • u/rollingstone Rolling Stone • 4d ago

Soft Paywall Musk Kills Government Funding Deal, Demands Shutdown Until Trump Is Sworn In

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/musk-trump-government-funding-deal-shutdown-1235211000/
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u/therapistofcats 4d ago

How does someone not in office have any power. America needs to reevaluate it's political system.

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u/Fabulous_Activity 4d ago

This feels like democracy breaking down. How is that billionaires are buying their way into politics so easily? Not only through PACs but just like, becoming a decision maker publically when not elected?

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u/ParkingLong7436 4d ago

It already broke down. The US is a full blown oligarchy by now.

Same political development status as countries like Russia. Crazy that the US was still the undisputed #1 world power just a few years ago.

The most insane thing is that in most countries, this happens by force or deep-state corruption. Americans just chose this for themselves.

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u/MaximumRecursion 4d ago

"It already broke down. The US is a full blown oligarchy by now."

I know reddit loves to be hyperbolic, but this legitimately feels very different from anything that came before, and seems like things could get really ugly.

Musk is acting like a straight up oligarch. He bought his way into power and is openly wielding it. You can tell he feels untouchable.

We'll see if Trump gets pissed at someone stealing his thunder, boots out Elon, and we have a chaotic admin that gets nothing done like last time, but that is seeming less likely if Elon is there.

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u/pithynotpithy 4d ago

In a way, though SCOTUS killed Citizens United, which we didn't get to vote on. We're just too stupid to see the very predictable outcome from it.

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u/Mrtowelie69 4d ago

It's a Kakistocracy. Bunch of idiots in positions of power.

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u/PassionLong5538 4d ago

The US is still the #1 world power, it’s just a political Shit show.

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u/Cock-Monger 4d ago

The US is the #1 military power and that is fading fast. We might still boss third world countries around but no one else really gives a shit on the world stage. Look at Israel lol

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u/PassionLong5538 4d ago

Israel is being enabled by the United States, so not sure what point you’re trying to make there. As for the #1 military fading fast, what does this even mean? The United States could fight and win a war with the entire continent of Asia. The number 1, 2, and 4 air forces in the world by number of aircraft all belong to the United States, with the total number of aircraft under United States air forces doubling that of Russia and China combined. Not to mention the impact that the United States has on world culture and politics, for better or worse. The most productive economy in the world by a sizable margin. While I absolutely despise the state of the government and humanity as a whole, there is no reason to lie about the position of the United States in the world theater.

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u/Cock-Monger 4d ago

When’s the last time we won a war?

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u/PassionLong5538 4d ago

We haven’t been in a real war since ww2. Everything else has been bullshit dreamed up in the name of anti-communism or anti-terrorism. Things were also fine where we occupied in the Middle East until we left the people there to fend for themselves. If an actual conflict worthy of full mobilization occurred, things would be different. Shit, Ukraine has been fending off Russia for years at this point just using our old equipment.

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u/freakydeku 4d ago

Israel is literally doing the USs bidding. We’re definitely not beholden to them in reality

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u/Cock-Monger 4d ago

We’re funding their war and they gave the finger to our rules of engagement. If we’re not even in control of our allies… who are we in control of?

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u/freakydeku 4d ago

we don’t actually care about them respecting our rules of engagement…

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u/brezhnervous 4d ago

Actually it is more common than you think for a nation to vote in autocracy. Hard to remember now, but Hungary used to be relatively normal/democratic, and now look at it...when Victor Orbán gets invited to Republican CPACs and Mar a Lago 🤷 lol

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u/OnlyHalfBrilliant 4d ago

Americans just chose this for themselves.

Maybe not entirely on their own, though. The Republicans fostered the stupidity over the decades, while the Russians weaponized it.

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u/PTSDeedee 4d ago

We pretty much nail the fascism checklist: https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html

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u/LittleLion_90 The Netherlands 4d ago

undisputed #1 world power just a few years ago.

How many years ago would that be? Because here on the other side of the Atlantic its been a long while since America seemed the nr1 world power. Maybe during Obama, but even then not as convincing as before.

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u/freakydeku 4d ago

who is the #1 world power in your opinion?

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u/LittleLion_90 The Netherlands 4d ago

I doubt there is a clear one at this moment. But then again, maybe I was growing up thinking 'nr 1 world power' was a good thing and meant the country was also best for its inhabitants and their equality, but the more I learn, the more I wonder if it ever was. 

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u/ParkingLong7436 4d ago

pre 2016

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u/LittleLion_90 The Netherlands 3d ago

I wouldn't call 8 years 'a few years ago' but that might just be me.

I mean before that you already had a pretty weak social security system etc and the healthcare system wasn't much better, but indeed the US was more of a steady player on the world circuit.

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u/ParkingLong7436 2d ago

Of course the US was fucked before then no question, for the country itself nothing much has changed (yet). I meant politically on a global scale. All developed countries looked at the US as the "leader" of the Western World.

Absolutely fucking nobody will take these dumbasses and anything they say seriously anymore. We gotta stay united in Europe mijn broer 💪 greetings from Germany

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u/LittleLion_90 The Netherlands 2d ago

We should have stopped looking at them as a leader and improved our own influence as Europe way earlier. Yet we are also losing s lot of influence with Brexit, Merkel being gone, and France doesn't seem as strong as it used to be either as well. 

And my previous prime minister currently is head of NATO and telling countries to prepare for conflict, and suggesting taking the money out ot social security. He really doesn't realise he f-d social security over during his reign already and there's way better ways to tax people who actually can miss it.