So far, Elon Musk’s scheme to harvest votes for Trump is probably not illegal... but that doesn’t make it any less odious.
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Elon Musk probably thinks that raffling off $1 million per day among Donald Trump’s supporters is a clever idea. And, yes, this will probably allow him to get some of those precious email addresses any campaign covets.
However, his latest publicity-seeking and self-promoting stunt may very well backfire.
There are plenty of people who think that what he is offering, i.e., getting people to sign a pledge to support the first two constitutional amendments (and, more importantly, providing their contact information) in return for some cash and a chance to win $1 million, is illegal.
That is very likely incorrect, as long as Musk stays clear of tying this pledge and the money to either supporting or opposing a certain candidate.
So far, he seems to have done so. But, of course, there is still more than two weeks left before the election, and the owner of the social media platform X has demonstrated many times that he is prone to… let’s call it, “ignorant exuberance.”
Therefore, there seems to be a decent chance that he will eventually spill the beans of what this offer is really about… either in one of his late-night posting sprees or the live appearances that he now seems to be so fond of: harvesting votes for Trump.
So far, the issue is not the legality of this get-rich-quick scheme, but rather its odiousness.
With things being hard for many Americans, it seems obscene that some oligarch can just dole out $1 million-checks to people who share his political ideology.
And while some independents and Democrats in the swing states where the offer applies may want to get in on this racket by signing up, it does seem a bit gross that one man can have such a big impact, which could result in some well-deserved backlash.
One would hope that Americans don’t just want some rich dude to literally buy elections.
Of course, Musk is the greatest example of this. He is not only able to pour unlimited amounts of money into the race, but, through his social media platform, he also has control over what people see and read.
But that’s not the only way in which Muskapalooza lays bare a lot of what’s wrong with politics.
There is also the issue with where the offer applies: only in seven states.
Because only voters there have a real say in who gets to run the country in the next four years… which is why only voters there are worthy of Musk’s millions.
So, is it possible that, through its sheer obscenity, this giveaway will make more Americans inclined to demand changes that would wrest influence away from billionaires and make democracy more fair?
That would certainly be a win for the country.
