Musk’s role in almost forcing a government shutdown this week has revived calls for campaign finance reform.

Summary

Elon Musk’s threats to fund primary challengers to Democrats in safe districts, following his role in nearly forcing a government shutdown, have reignited calls for campaign finance reform.

Musk, who spent $277 million backing Republicans, criticized a bipartisan spending bill and used his platform to sway GOP opposition, influencing legislative outcomes.

His intervention has sparked outrage among Democrats, with leaders like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warning of rising oligarchy and calling for reforms to limit super PAC and dark money influence.

The episode highlights growing concerns over Musk’s political power and its impact on democracy.

  • finitebanjo@lemmy.world
    30·
    2 days ago

    Citizens United decision was in 2010, and after 2011 they lost the votes needed ever since, so probably more like 2010/2011 was the only time they had enough power to do anything about it.

    To be clear, a law banned PACs in 2002 but the courts decided that banning the pacs violated the first ammendment, meaning that simply passing a new law wouldn’t cut it. You would need either a constitutional amendment, replacing the courts, or some other measure involving a supermajority.

    • blazeknave@lemmy.world
      5·
      2 days ago

      I remember calling it the last free election back then and people said I was being dramatic.

      15 years of examples later, Project 2025 is on our doorstep and I’m still being dramatic …

    • makeshiftreaper@lemmy.worldEnglish
      121·
      2 days ago

      Great point. I’m sure like most things related to shitty American politics if you go back far enough there’s Reagan bullshit in there too. We had a lot of opportunities to not be here, and yet here we are

      • stringere@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        7 hours ago

        You can go back to Prescott Bush and the Business Plot. His son was head of the CIA and Reagan’s vice-president, went on to become preside George Bush.
        And in 2000 his son won the presidency via the Supreme Court after a VERY sketchy incident known as the Brooks Brothers Riot.
        On the 2nd Bush’s watch we gpt 9/11 followed by massive increases in domestic surveilance and a huge wave of jingoist “patriotism” which created an evironment where criticizing the government was equivalent to being a baby eating social communist.