Speaker Johnson: Confesses to Take Blow Torch to ACA & Make Dramatic Changes

 

Pic of his pledge to kill ACA making rounds

Hidden camera pic of Johnson's kill ACA pledge

You want more scary stuff from “leaderless” GOP Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson (R-LA) running to win and see Trump win, too? 

This headline story and contents should scare the living daylights out of all of us here from the WASHINGTON POST also here from USA TODAY with this headline:

“Mike Johnson vows major changes to Affordable Care Act if Trump wins election”

House Speaker Mike Johnson pledged “massive reform” of the Affordable Care Act if Trump is elected president, reopening a politically sensitive policy issue for Republicans a week before Election Day.

Johnson appeared at a campaign event Monday for a Republican House candidate in PA, and he told the attendees that GOP leaders are again weighing how to overhaul the 14-year-old ACA law, which provides health coverage to over 50 million Americans and has been a frequent target of Republican repeal efforts, today over 60% approval up from 38%.

Johnson said, wearing a personalized jacket emblazoned with the Trump-Vance campaign logo (photo above): “Health-care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda. A caucus of Republican physicians has shared proposals with him and that GOP leaders hope to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state and fix things.”

An attendee asked: “No Obamacare?” (Using the term popularized by Republicans to describe the health law since 2010).

Johnson responded: “No Obamacare, The ACA is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”

The ACA, which Democrats enacted in 2010, has become one of the party’s more popular achievements after initially being perceived as a political liability. 

Sixty-two percent of adults had favorable views of the law in April, up from 38% a decade earlier, according to polling by KFF.

The law and its health insurance exchanges since established more than a decade ago continues to help lower the national uninsured rate to record lows in recent years. Kamala Harris has promised to expand enrollment through the law if elected president.

Republicans, meanwhile, had mounted over dozens of efforts and votes in Congress to overturn the law. Trump won the presidency in 2016 by pledging to “repeal Obamacare.”

But several Trump-led repeal efforts fell short — with the Senate in July 2017 coming one vote away from overturning the Affordable Care Act — and the law’s near-death catalyzed new support for it.

That historical one-vote moment – July 28, 2017 is when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) did the best thing ever with his thumbs down “No vote” we will keep the ACA – his vote was needed – he saved the program and he died one year later from brain cancer himself. Watch the short video and remember that hero:

Thumbs down - to save ACA that's my vote (historic)

The backlash to Republicans’ repeal efforts also helped Democrats win back control of the House in 2018, prompting GOP leaders in recent years to avoid talking about doing away with the law. Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), last month even praised Trump as a good steward of the Affordable Care Act.

Democrats remain eager to highlight GOP's past pledges to “repeal Obamacare,” with the Harris campaign and its allies on Tuesday night portraying Johnson’s comments as a vow to do away with the Affordable Care Act.

Sarafina Chitika, a Harris campaign spokeswoman, said in a statement: “Speaker Mike Johnson is making it clear — if Donald Trump wins, he and his Project 2025 allies in Congress will make sure there is ‘no Obamacare. That means higher health-care costs for millions of families and ripping away protections from Americans with preexisting conditions like diabetes, asthma, or cancer.”

Then Leslie Dach, the chairman of Protect Our Care, a Democratic-aligned health-care advocacy group, wrote in a statement: “Johnson finally told the truth about Donald Trump and his MAGA Republican allies’ agenda for health care in their first 100 days. They want to repeal the ACA.”

Johnson’s office disputed Democrats’ interpretation, with a spokesman accusing Harris of “lying about Speaker Johnson” by claiming that he had pledged to repeal the law.

Johnson spokesman Taylor Haulsee wrote in a statement: “The audio, transcript, and even the NBC News article her campaign cites make clear that the Speaker made no such comments.”

Haulsee declined to comment on what health-care changes Johnson would pursue next year or whether the House speaker would rule out an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The Trump campaign said that he did not support repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement: “This is not President Trump’s policy position. As President Trump has said, he will make our healthcare system better by increasing transparency, promoting choice and competition, and expanding access to new affordable healthcare and insurance options.”

Trump has worked to downplay his past criticism of the Affordable Care Act ahead of the election, saying in that September debate that he would keep the “lousy” law in place, while acknowledging he still hopes to replace it with something “much better.”

Vance floated a plan to roll back its approach to helping chronically ill people shop for better plans. FYI: That has been tired with no luck.

My 2 Cents: Nice try GOP & MAGA Mike Johnson – when Trump loses, which he will, then I expect to see MAGA Mike resign from Congress out of shame. 

The man is not a leader. 

I bet he can’t even spell leadership (re: My earlier post here). 

Thanks for stopping by.

GOP Speaker Mike Johnson: No Skills; Rudderless Not a Lick of Common Sense

 

Speaker Johnson Tied to Trump & Putin

(Anti Aid for Ukraine)

GOP House Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson (R-LA) is the worse speaker in our political history – that is based on the below story showing his strong support for Trump and Putin from this article headline story from RBC Ukraine:

“No appetite: Speaker Johnson sparks scandal with remarks on Ukraine aid”

Speaker Mike Johnson expects that further assistance to Ukraine will not be necessary, saying: “I don’t have an appetite” (in his interview with Punchbowl News) as he continued: “I don’t have an appetite for further Ukraine funding, and I hope it’s not necessary. If President Trump wins, I believe that he actually can bring that conflict to a close. I really do.”

Johnson expressed his hope that if re-elected, Trump could call Russian President Vladimir Putin and tell him to end the war.

Johnson added that everyone in the world is tired of the war and wants to find a solution.

However, in his view, Johnson said that if Kamala Harris becomes president, the war will not end, and such a scenario would be “desperate and dangerous.”

Earlier, Johnson had refused to bring to the floor of the lower House of Congress a bill for $60 billion in funding for Ukraine.

At that point, the US ran out of funds allocated for military aid to Ukrainian defenders, which led to a suspension of weapon packages being sent.

As a result, the Ukrainian Armed Forces faced significant problems with artillery ammunition, and in that case, Russian forces were able to capture Avdiivka. 

My 2 Cents: As I said right up front Speaker Mike Johnson is a weak poor leader.

My earlier related Johnson post is here.

Plus, his support for Trump and his total lack of common sense as outlined above and in other policy statements prove my point.

Voters may elect Kamala Harris but if the GOP keeps the House, then her leadership and vision will be sidelined by people like MAGA Mike Johnson.

Solution: Vote and send down ballot DEMS to the House and Senate to support VP Harris – that will solve a million problems – but not if the likes of MAGA Mike Johnson stay in power… Ergo: He has to go.

Thanks for stopping by.

Musk to Buy Voters for Trump: Door-to-Door How Much is Your Vote Worth To Me

Door-to-Door Cash for Your Vote 

(How can this possibly be legal)

From Bloomberg News via Yahoo.News and also on most other major networks – the headline (edited to fit the blog):

“Elon Musk’s Pro-Trump PAC Is Hiring Door-Knockers in Key States”

Want to work for Elon Musk? There are dozens of openings across the U.S with a single job description: “Knock on doors to convince voters to support Trump and Republicans running for the house and Senate as “down ballot candidates.”

The jobs, funded by America PAC, the super political action committee that Musk created, is advertising jobs for people to turn out voters in cities and towns in the heart of presidential battlegrounds and in districts with competitive congressional races, including Grand Rapids, MI; and Poughkeepsie, NY.

The door-to-door canvassers will be told to: “Promote our mission of supporting candidates who uphold free speech, free markets, and meritocracy. With backing from figures like Elon Musk, who supports our commitment to merit and freedom, you’ll be part of a team that’s not just playing the game but changing it.” 

The plan is to hire door-knockers across 16 states as part of what has so far been a $63 million effort by Musk’s PAC to elect Trump, which has included digital advertising and on-the-ground turnout efforts.

The door-to-door canvassers will assist in (1) registering new voters, (2) data collection, (3) community outreach, and (4) event support, according to the door knocking job descriptions. 

So, what is the payoff for Musk? 

In other words what does Musk want from Trump if Trump were to win?

This from Trump to Musk: Musk endorsed Trump’s reelection bid in July after the assassination attempt in Butler, PA. 

Trump suggested that Musk could lead a commission to review federal expenditures, an idea that Musk pitched to Trump earlier this year.

My 2 Cents: This seems like another quid pro quo to me and Trump con game that may be illegal.

Time will tell on that part about buying votes and registering voters. Stay tuned. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Same Old Trump Playbook: Blames Biden & Harris for FL 2d Assassination Attempt

FBI Said: Crooks 1st attempt; Routh 2nd attempt

ABC News report via FOX News Digital is very troubling for the exact reasons given by Trump who keeps stirring up trouble and blaming everyone except himself or JD Vance with this headline example:

“Trump says Biden-Harris ‘rhetoric’ to blame for Florida assassination attempt”

Trump told Fox News Digital the gunman “acted on Biden and Harris rhetoric.” 

Trump blames a polarized political environment and rhetoric from Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden for the possible 2nd assassination attempt on his life over the weekend.

He said that things Harris and Biden said caused the suspected gunman Ryan Wesley Routh to act on Sunday in FL.

Trump said about the gunman in an interview with Fox News Digital: “I believe the rhetoric of Biden and Harris, and he acted on it. Their rhetoric is causing me to be shot at, when I am the one who is going to save the country, and they are the ones that are destroying the country – both from the inside and out.”

The suspect's motive remains unknown as the FBI continues to conduct an extensive investigation into Routh's background, looking at whether Routh was frustrated with Trump's position on Ukraine, sources tell ABC News.

The FBI is investigating Sunday's incident as an “attempted assassination,” and it was not clear if Routh was aiming his gun at the former president, or even clear if he actually fired a shot or not. 

Agents fired at the suspect after spotting his rifle through the fence line near the Trump International Golf Course (multiple sources told ABC News). 

Routh has now appeared in a federal courtroom in West Palm Beach facing two firearm-related charges.

Trump himself also attacked his opponents, calling them enemies, fascists, and left wing communists all the while mostly blaming Democrats for using “…highly inflammatory language.” 

He went on to say: “These are people that want to destroy our country. It is called the enemy from within. They are the real threat.”

Fact: JD Vance in 2016 wrote to a former law school classmate and said that “Trump was America's Hitler.”

You can't run and hide, Mr. Vance - don't even try

Harris' campaign said it would not be commenting on Trump's comments at this time. The political nature of his comments is a departure from Trump's immediate response following his assassination attempt earlier this summer in Butler, PA. 

The day after that shooting, Trump called for political unity, initially urging his allies not to point blame across the aisle.

He wrote: “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win.”

His tone later shifted, falsely suggesting during the ABC News presidential debate that he “probably took a bullet to the head because of Harris.”

Note: The FBI has not established a motive that explains why Thomas Matthew Crooks fired at Trump on that day in Butler, PA.

On Sunday, Secret Service agents fired at Routh, who was armed with an AK-47-style rifle near the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, FL.

Noteworthy: President Biden said as he left the White House: “One thing I want to make clear, the Secret Service needs more help and I think the Congress should respond to their needs, if in fact they need more servicemen.” 

My 2 Cents: The above story paints an ugly scenario about Donald J. Trump and the two shooters who now on two different occasions have allegedly tried to shoot and kill him in two different locations (PA and FL).

Trump blames not the shooters directly as noted above but blames President Biden and VP (now presidential candidate) Kamala Harris and even others for causing the shooter to act the way they did to try and kill him. 

The evidence does not support Trump’s wild and outlandish claims as is the case in most of this “blame game” tactics.

Trump's wild claims are the very worse for they in essence again tell his MAGA (January 6 type “patriots”) to stand by. 

And, we all know what the means in plain Trump English: “Lock and load and come and save me for the country’s sake, etc., etc.).

Only one thing will stop this Trump madness – vote to keep him out of power and office and anyone else down ballot who is like-minded and locked in with him.

Thanks for stopping by.

Trump to Speaker Johnson: Pass the SAVE ACT or Just Shut Down Government

His Oath of Office: “I will support Trump 100%”

From THE HILL more on the SAVE act, actually voter suppression bill, and utter nonsense from Trump and GOP House Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson (R-LA) BS with this updated headline:

“Trump complicates Speaker Johnson’s plan to avoid government shutdown”

Former President Trump is adding another layer of complication to the government funding fight as GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson plots his next step to address the looming shutdown deadline. 

Trump for months has called on Republicans to pair a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote with a stopgap measure to keep the government open past September 30 that I just posted about here.

Speaker Johnson attempted to bring up a bill pairing that policy measure with a six-month funding extension — only to be stopped in his tracks by a wall of GOP opposition that crossed ideological lines. 

As a result, Johnson punted a scheduled vote. 

As Republican opposition to the stopgap grew this week, Trump chimed in to up the ante on his request and threatened a government shutdown writing on his Truth Social: “If Republicans in the House, and Senate, don’t get absolute assurances on Election Security, THEY SHOULD, IN NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM, GO FORWARD WITH A CONTINUING RESOLUTION ON THE BUDGET.”

Corralling the slim House GOP majority to support any kind of partisan continuing resolution (CR) was already a tall order. But as Johnson and GOP leaders regroup and weigh whether they can get any wins on the must-pass legislation before the election, Trump’s demands are kicking the difficulty of the Speaker’s mission up a notch.

Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR), senior appropriator said: “Mike’s job is complicated, trying to appease the conference. When there’s additional input coming from outside of the conference of significant influence — I mean, the former president’s got significant influence — that makes his decision making just a little bit more of a challenge.”

Speaker Johnson has made a point to maintain a good relationship with Trump. And as he pushes for his funding gambit, he expressed strong support for the voting legislation in question, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, telling FOX Business: “President Trump and I are on the same page, as is every Republican here. We have to ensure election security.”

But if Johnson heeds Trump’s request, Washington would head for a shutdown just weeks before the November elections. 

There is no appetite in the House GOP for that, with members worrying a shutdown — or even the threat of one — could harm their reelection chances.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) said: “Senate Democrats refuse to pass the SAVE Act, which is shameful, and obviously the American people should hold them accountable for that. But we’re not shutting the government down with 54 days until Election Day.”

When Johnson was asked about the political consequences of a government shutdown in the context of Trump’s Truth Social post, Johnson said: “I don’t believe it’s going to come to that.”

Republicans have sought to make the election-integrity portion the public face of the shutdown fight, pinning the blame on Democrats’ refusal to take it up — and Trump’s public demands have only amplified that. But inside the Capitol, it is something of a sideshow as the House GOP plots a path forward on averting a shutdown.

Johnson is having trouble moving the CR-plus-SAVE Act out of the House as he faces opposition from hardline conservatives who hate stopgaps, defense hawks concerned about the impact the six-month bill will have at the Pentagon, and moderates worried about the threat of a shutdown so close to Election Day. 

None of the Republicans who announced their opposition to the stopgap package were against the SAVE Act, which passed the House as a stand-alone bill earlier in the year.

So far, none of the detractors appear to be influenced by Trump’s public pressure, even though the group includes strong Trump supporters. Even though Republicans aimed to advance political messaging with the package, virtually none of them expected Democrats would actually swallow the bill and see it enacted. 

Democrats and the White House say they will block the legislation, noting that non-citizen voting is already illegal and exceedingly rare and that the bill could unduly burden eligible voters by suppressing their vote (which is Trump’s aim to ensure he wins).

* Republicans were more focused on the six-month timeline for a new stopgap, hoping to use the SAVE Act as a negotiation point to avoid an end-of-year omnibus and allow Trump to slash spending and enact his priorities if he wins the election.

* * Democratic congressional leaders have said the funding deadline should not extend past the New Year.

Trump’s continued focus on the voting bill could complicate any effort to reset the continuing resolution debate or focus it on a six-month timeline.

One House Republican told The Hill: “Every time he says something it creates a contradiction that causes inaction.” 

Another said Trump should step away from the shutdown debate and focus on his own campaign.

Soon after posting the Truth Social message, Trump took a bruising in his debate against VP Kamala Harris, as they added: “He needs to worry about him. Trump and the House are not in tandem on the shutdown issue.”

Johnson, however, appears to be plowing ahead with his initial Trump-favored plan.

Caught between Trump’s influence in the party and a desire to avoid a shutdown, Johnson suggested to reporters that the CR-plus-SAVE Act could come up next week if GOP leaders can sway the holdouts, then he added: “The whip is going to do the hard work and build consensus. We’re going to work through the weekend on that. That effort had been fruitful.”

My 2 Cents: Both Trump and Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson are in laymen’s terms: “Full if it.”

As noted in the post graphic above, GOP Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson is weak, out of touch, and simply a lapdog for Trump – it’s just that simple and the facts above prove that.

Stay tuned as time will tell but in a nutshell, this is both Trump as the hardcore GOP conservative we all know and it’s SOP for him and it has been for decades – he’s never going to change – he stands for one thing and one thing only: Himself and not the nation or citizens.  

Thanks for stopping by.

Clear & Present Danger: Trump’s own words show focus on his perceived enemies

Fake indictment - when I win, I'm going after them

Astonishing article from the GUARDIAN from data collected on Trump vis-à-vis his threats and promises if elected – quite scary stuff with this headline (and formatted to fit the blog):

“Revenge: Analysis of Trump posts shows relentless focus on punishing his enemies”

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) documents former president’s threats against perceived political opponents.

A major study of Trump’s Truth Social media posts has revealed the scale of his ambitions to target President Joe Biden, Federal Judges, and other perceived political enemies if he returns to power.

CREW is a highly respected D.C. watchdog organization that analyzed more than 13,000 messages published by Trump on his Truth Social platform, They found him vowing revenge, retaliation, and retribution against his foes.

Trump has threatened to use the federal government to go after Biden during a second Trump administration 25 times since the start of 2023, the study found. These threats include FBI raids, investigations, indictments, and even jail time.

He has also threatened or suggested that the FBI and DOJ should take action against Senators, Judges, members of the Biden family, and even non-governmental organizations (e.g., national media, et al).

Robert Maguire, VP for research and data at CREW said: “Trump is promising to go after what he perceives to be his political enemies. He is promising to essentially weaponize the government against anyone he sees as not sufficiently loyal, or who is openly opposed to him. He has constantly seeded this idea that the numerous charges against him are trumped-up charges and it seems almost to have given him license to openly say: You’ve done this to me, so I’m going to do it to you.”

Maguire also said: “His comments are often reported on or discussed as one-offs like: Trump said this today, and people talk about it and then it fades away because Trump said something else the next day, or the next week, or the next month. We figured it would be helpful to quantify these comments that he’s making to show this isn’t just a whim or a passing idea that he put out in the world because he saw somebody say something on TV. It’s a fixation of his, it’s a promise he’s making to use the government in ways that are squarely unethical.”

CREW duly analyzed more than 13,000 of Trump’s Truth Social posts from 1 January 2023 to 1 April 2024 and found that, while Trump has recently dialed down some of his more violent rhetoric, he remains fixated on threatening political opponents.

Its report, the first in a series, says his attitude can be summed up in one Truth Social post from August 2023: “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!”

Indeed, last December Trump posted a word cloud based on his speeches: that word was “revenge.”

Many of his threats to Biden reflect Trump’s now familiar tactic of reversing charges against his opponents, conjuring a mirror world in which he claims they are guilty of the very offence of which he is accused.

In one post about the special counsel Jack Smith, he warned that there will be “repercussions far greater than anything that Biden or his Thugs could understand and, if the investigations continue, it will open a “Pandora’s Box” of retribution.”

In another post, Trump wrote that his federal indictments are “Setting a BAD precedent for yourself, Joe. The same can happen to you.”

In July last year Trump reposted rally coverage quoting him that “Now the gloves are off.”

Trump has explicitly threatened Biden with a special counsel investigation and indictment.

In one post he called on AG Merrick Garland, to “immediately end Special Counsel investigation into anything related to me because I did everything right, and appoint a Special Counsel to investigate Joe Biden who hates Biden as much as Jack Smith hates me.”

In another post Trump asked: “When will Joe Biden be indicted for his many crimes against our Nation?”

Trump has posted about this repeatedly, promising to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Biden, and indict him if Trump returns to the White House for a second term.

Trump has “re-Truthed” others’ posts about Biden that are even more ominous.

In June 2023, he reposted a clip from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) asserting: “Joe Biden shouldn’t just be impeached, he should be handcuffed and hauled out of the White House for his crimes.”

Trump also posted a screenshot of a different post saying the FBI should: “Raid all of Biden’s residences and seize anything they want, including his passports.”

Some posts announced plans for retribution against the specific lawyers, judges, and other officials whom Trump blames for his legal troubles. For example, two months before he was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records, he reposted a call for the Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg, to be “put in jail.”

He also has reposted calls for S/C Jack Smith and others to be locked up and to “throw away the key.”

One re-Truth promised to charge the Fulton County GA DA Fani Willis, along with Bragg, Smith, AG Garland, and Biden, with conspiracy and racketeering. 

Trump has also made threats to non-profit organizations because of their work examples:

Last November he posted on Truth Social: “For any radical left charity, non-profit, or so called aid organizations supporting these caravans and illegal aliens, we will prosecute them for their participation in human trafficking, child smuggling, and every other crime we can find.”

CREW argues that the posts should not be taken as empty threats but as a wake-up call for Congress to erect meaningful guardrails against the weaponization of law enforcement agencies before it is too late.

Crew has called on Congress to pass the Protecting Our Democracy Act (PODA), which would curb abuses of power by presidents of any party, and to strengthen Congress’ ability to fulfil its constitutional role as a check on executive branch overreach. That bill legislation passed the House of Representatives in 2021 on a bipartisan basis but has languished in the Senate ever since.

Robert Maguire, VP for research and data at Crew concluded in his report saying: “It is critical in making sure that law enforcement and the DOJ – all of the things that that entails, both the federal prosecutors and the FBI – cannot be manipulated by the president to go after political enemies. That would go a long way to hamstringing any effort by any president, to be clear, to use those law enforcement powers to go against political enemies.”

My 2 Cents: I think the above article speaks volumes about the kind of person Trump truly and it underscores my belief that he must never be elected again.  

The outpouring of support for Kamala Harris as well from many respected Republicans also speaks volumes about the danger that Trump poses based on his own words as to the action he would take if he were to win in November – which I believe he will not. Stay tuned. 

Thanks for stopping by.

Trump to Give Musk Gov Job: What Could Possibly Go Wrong with That -- Oops...

Musk to slash government spending & waste

(Dream of the Century) 

Government spending & waste saved (LOL LOL)

(Goes straight into their & Corporate pockets)

Interesting and shocking story from BARRON’S from Wall Street’s MARKET WATCH site with the below headline (formatted to fit the Blog as usual):

“Elon Musk Could Get a Job in the Trump White House. That’s Not All Bad.”

Elon Musk volunteered to head up a government efficiency council. He might add some more work to his prodigious inbox if Trump wins November’s presidential election. That could make Tesla investors nervous but there is a silver lining.

The Wall Street Journal reported that former President Trump was going to adopt Elon Musk’s proposal for a government efficiency commission.

Musk & Trump talked about wasteful spending during their August two-hour conversation hosted on Musk’s social-media platform X. Musk has tweeted about government waste since then.

Musk already answered Trump’s call, tweeting: “I look forward to serving America if the opportunity arises. No pay, no title, no recognition is needed.” (I Note: No authority - none whatsoever).

Trump said in an appearance at the Economic Club of NY according to portions of the speech viewed by The Wall Street Journal: “The Musk commission would conduct a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and make recommendations for drastic reform.” (No approval authority).

A complete audit sounds like a big job. And Musk already has plenty to do. He runs the larger firms Tesla; Space X; X (formerly Twitter); xAI; the smaller Boring Company; and Neuralink.

Tesla is the only publicly traded company in the bunch and the source of most of Musk’s wealth. Tesla investors might get as bit nervous about the management distraction, an issue that came up after Musk’s eventually successful bid for Twitter now renamed X.

Tesla stock was at about $328 a share when Musk tweeted he had made an offer for the social media company in April 2022.

Shares ended that year at about $123 a share. Many things influenced Tesla stock that year, but Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, which necessitated the sale of some Tesla stock, was part of the story.

Tesla stock recovered from 2022 lows, partly because Wall Street believes Musk is fully engaged at his EV Company.

Ben Rose, and analyst at “Battleroad Research” rates Tesla stock as a “Buy rating” but has no price target. A “Buy rating” for Rose essentially means he expects shares to outperform the market.

Rose sees a positive too, adding: “Musk isn’t likely to conduct audits of the Federal Government personally. Many executives serve on government-related councils. Leading a commission could be a distraction, but I am inclined to think that he will have staff to do the brunt of the work, By supporting and donating funds to the Trump campaign, Elon Musk is fundamentally hedging his bets in the event that Trump wins in November. While VP Harris is likely to remain committed to climate-friendly policies, including EV tax credits, Musk is concerned that EV tax credits help subsidize his competitors.”

My 2 Cents: Wow – what a story with uncertain shaky possibilities at least in my view. Like what could possibly go wrong with the world’s richest man working for Trump to “Make America Great Again” – ouch!!! This decision on top of Trump picking JD Vance to be his VP are both crazy and just plain awful.

Only billionaires will have a field day with Trump (quid pro quo comes to mind).

Recall what Trump already promised billionaires if he wins like this article reported. Then this from NBC news awhile back:

“Trump tells billionaires he'll keep their taxes low at $50 million fundraising gala”

Related: President Biden released a video hitting Trump for promising to extend his 2017 tax cut failures as seen in this report CBPP.

So I ask again what could possibly go wrong under Trump and a flock of billionaires in charge of the country starting in 2025 if Trump were to win – and hopefully he will not.

That is too difficult and yes, even quite scary to contemplate our country resorting to that kind of government, isn’t it?

Thanks for stopping by.

GA and National DEMS: Have Sued Election Board for Illegal Election Tactics

Georgia State Board of Elections

(3 of 5 in Trump's camp as he praised them)

The GA State Election Board (5 members:  3 GOP; 2 DEM; and 1 non-partisan appointee chairman). 

(This post also updates my earlier post here  re: GA Board of Elections craziness).

The three GOPers are way out control regarding election results certification reported on from CBS News and on other major media outlets (e.g., The AP here) with this headline:

“GA Democrats sue over rules they say could block election certifications”

Atlanta — The GA state and national Democratic parties sued to block two recent rules adopted by Georgia's State Election Board (3-2 GOP-leaning vote) that could be used by county officials who want to refuse to certify an election, potentially causing delays in finalizing the state's results.

1. The lawsuit, filed before a state judge in Atlanta, argues the rules violate a state law that makes certification a mandatory duty based on the actual votes and NOT based on personal hunches, guesses, or itchy palms.

(My insert: The BOE acts as an umpire who reports election results NOT serve as referees who along the way make up or decide new on-the-spot rules willy-nilly).  

The lawsuit says the rules invite post-election chaos, which the board is defying

GA state law clearly says: “County officials shall certify.”

(Note: They are not to change the rules or be a judge along the way just to please Trump, et al).

Fact: More than a century of court precedent in GA finds county officials have no wiggle room.

2. The suit asks the judge to find the rules are invalid because the State Election Board, now dominated by the 3 allies of Trump, is exceeding its legal authority.

The BOE vote alarms DEMS & voting rights activists against the raw partisan struggle over procedures that even predate the 2020 election.

My 2 Cents: The general summary of the above once again to measure the ugly nasty impact of that GA BOE 3-2 vote:

Repeat of the Heart of the Issue and the Pending Lawsuit:

BOE (3-2 vote) changing the rules invite post-election chaos, that the board is defying state law that clearly says: “County officials shall certify (not change or modify) the outcome.”

More than a century of court precedent in GA finds county officials have no wiggle room.

The lawsuit states in this key part:  “According to the BOE drafters, these rules rest on the assumption that certification of election results by a county board is discretionary and subject to free-ranging action that the 3-2 board calls: REASONABLE INQUIRY, that may delay certification or foreclose it entirely. But that is not the law in Georgia.”

Impact if the unlawful rule (3-2 vote) is allowed to stand: It could impact other states as well and disrupt the entire 2024 election voter certification outcome.

The GA highest court, or the AG or SOS must overturn that wild and unlawful BOE vote. Now we wait to see.

Thanks for stopping by.