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Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

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141–150 of 799 posts

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#141

It's wild that a president can say, "I don't like Elon anymore, so out of retaliation, I'm canceling all his government contracts," and ~40% of the country doesn't see that as corruption in any way, shape, or form. Government contracts should not be based on whether or not the president likes the CEO, and the CEO says enough good things about the president. If you can cancel contacts not based on merit, then it shoul…

Likewise that Elon can say Trump is “ungrateful” that be received $150 million in campaign donations because he withdrew the nomination for Elon’s NASA administrator. It’s just open bribery.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Both Trump and Elon have generational talent in their respective domains That's an interesting way of saying they were born into a wealthy family

I was also born into a wealthy family but I haven't created multiple billion dollar companies.

Neither has Trump, so don’t feel bad.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Hey, at least it looks more entertaining! :/ did people expect any different when they elected a reality TV star to be president? one that's such an incredible businessman he managed to bankrupt not one, but two casinos

He's first and foremost a narcissist (strongly grandiose subtype, and all over the place on the communal/malignant axis). That condition should make him ineligible for any position of power. This is what a society gets when it elects someone mentally ill (in the harmful-to-others rather than the typical harmful-to-ill-person sense). I am continually astounded by how many people, even if you explain the symptoms to th…

Narcissists are over-represented as CEOs and such, as well. I think a fair number of Americans like narcissists.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Hey, at least it looks more entertaining! :/ did people expect any different when they elected a reality TV star to be president? one that's such an incredible businessman he managed to bankrupt not one, but two casinos

He's first and foremost a narcissist (strongly grandiose subtype, and all over the place on the communal/malignant axis). That condition should make him ineligible for any position of power. This is what a society gets when it elects someone mentally ill (in the harmful-to-others rather than the typical harmful-to-ill-person sense). I am continually astounded by how many people, even if you explain the symptoms to th…

In order to see it, you must recognize the ways in which he fooled you. People would generally rather be fooled again than face the thought that they were fooled at some point in the past. And the more that they have been fooled, the stronger this bias is.

Trump is an absolute genius at fooling people in small ways, then over time ratcheting up the cognitive dissonance until he fools them in big ways. See https://specialto.thebulwark.com/ for a detailed explanation of how he did this with one of the many people that he has turned into puppets.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#145

This reads like pretty classic infighting between a dictator and one of his more powerful cronies. I am surprised at how fast it happened, though. Usually this comes towards the end of a dictatorship. Maybe our dear leader is just as incompetent at being a dictator as he is everything else.

I hope it escalates into a pay per view cage match.

Elon already has a black eye so I think the cameras weren't invited.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#146
post #38
post #24

So, the government would do what, lean on Russia with whom the USA is currently engaged in a proxy war? Also, for Boeing or Blue Origin, the cost would currently be higher per launch, and as far as I know, no one has the kind of satellite network that SpaceX does. Of course, those are sane considerations. I suppose I shouldn’t accuse the Donald of any kind of rational thinking.

SpaceX is critical infrastructure to the US at this point and its continued availability and operation is of national security interest. That may sound like it gives Elon power. It's the opposite, actually. No US administration will take lightly threats to national security infrastructure like this. The nuclear option for any administration is to nationalize SpaceX, which they absolutely could do. Less nuclear: the U…

> nationalize SpaceX, which they absolutely could do.

This isn't at all clear. It's clear that they could easily compel them to prioritize and fulfill government contracts. Far less clear that they could just take it. It is clear that the current administration could "try" but such an effort might result in a lawsuit that lasts longer than the administration does and thereby become moot.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#147
post #50

"one in eight Americans thinking women are too emotional to be in politics" [1]. Well, I don't know, maybe men should not holding high political offices /s [1] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/03616843221123...

A friend who studied political science an conflict made this observation about American politics: 30% of the voting population is insane. They will believe the most mind-bendingly illogical things, and then vote for them, so the best you can ever expect from the general population is 70% agreement on reality. In that light, we're doing really well with only 1/8 believing such a thing.

I blame the leaded paint

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#148
At least Berlusconi didn't have access to nuclear warheads.

Seriously, I visited the US few times between 2005 and 2010 and each time people were raising the topic of Berlusconi. How can you have a president like that, who voted for him, bunga bunga etc etc.

Now you know how you can have such personality in power too. With even more power.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#149

It's wild that a president can say, "I don't like Elon anymore, so out of retaliation, I'm canceling all his government contracts," and ~40% of the country doesn't see that as corruption in any way, shape, or form. Government contracts should not be based on whether or not the president likes the CEO, and the CEO says enough good things about the president. If you can cancel contacts not based on merit, then it shoul…

This is why the standard for something to be considered improper behavior is (or used to be) the appearance of a conflict of interest.

People stopped giving a shit about anything. This is just one of dozens of things that would have been totally unacceptable a few years ago.

Re: Musk-Trump dispute includes threats to SpaceX contracts

#150
post #78
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. It's also wild that someone who was a major contributor to the election campaign and a major advisor to the president now declares "well, the president is a pedophile" and nobody bats an eye either. I mean, Musk supporters now have to believe Musk knowingly supported a pedophile but only turned against him after he had a falling out for unrelated reasons? In the eyes of his supporters, what does this say abou…

Musk is a known pedophile-accusation-maker and affiliated with the Epstein child rape organization through his Kung-Fu lessons with Ghislaine Maxwell. Prior supporters will be less reactive for the first reason and more likely to perceive the situations as unfounded petty accusations for the latter (the dissonance of both Trump and Musk being connected to child rape is resolved this way).

> Musk is a known pedophile-accusation-maker

Laughably so.

Musk: I can save those boys trapped in the cave! We can use this stupid submarine thing of mine.

Hero: No need, I and my Navy SEAL cave-diving pals have got this.

Musk: How dare you! You're a pedo.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-44779998

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50695593

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-45418245

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