Ah, the Big Beautiful Bill, Donald called it. One thing he does understand is Marketing 101. Give something a name and it has brand value; or if the value is overstated, it still has the power of awareness. People are always loyal to a brand until it betrays them. Just ask Bud Light which continues to lose market share to major brands it used to mash (pun intended). Big Beautiful Bill builder Trump is himself a brand. But former pal Elon Musk’s loyalty to the boss has apparently evaporated because Elon believes the President folded on his pledge to smash Federal spending — by touting and signing a bill that is a shell of what it should be.
Dear Elon,
Of course you’re wrong. You may be a genius, but you were impossibly naive about the reality of D.O.G.E. You also shouldn’t be blamed for jumping ship. When you jumped on the D.O.G.E. saddle, you were fired up to implement the Trump promise to the American people. You believed the hype. You believed Trump would overnight dismantle the Federal bureaucracy. In your inventive mind, you had little more than a year left before the midterms — so much to do and so little time — and no doubt you relied on the Man to take giant steps to influence Congress to take a giant leap that would take a chainsaw to federal spending. Sorry, sir, the Big Beautiful Bill was not nearly strong enough to meet your logical business expectations. To the GOP’s credit, the bill does correct many of the most villainous Biden policies. But at the end of the day, the massive Federal budget still looms over a country with a monumental ($37 trillion) debt, and with intrusive federal agencies that still exercise their unconstitutional powers. Granted, all of it pisses you off. Nonetheless, Elon, please find a way to chat with Donald just as Benjamin (Franklin) chatted with John (Adams) who refused to buckle on the proposed slavery passage in the Declaration of Independence. Adams wouldn’t agree to remove the offending paragraph because of “principle.” He was unyielding as the entire South stood poised to scuttle American independence. Franklin was alleged to have said something like, “John, we are here trying to found a new nation; we can’t fight the slavery issue until we have a United States.” The Big Beautiful Bill passed the House by two measly votes, Elon. The opposition called the bill a travesty, vigorously reported by leftwing media. Trump made good on several key promises at least to stop the bleeding and begin the healing. All the while, he’s made great strides in foreign policy. Elon, many Americans are sympathetic to your dissent. Please put aside your animosity and help him. Remind him that his policies are transient when a new administration occupies the White House. Openly help him achieve what is possible in the short time left. With you in his corner, you are in a position to help shape the narrative. The lay of the land is this. Congress has not changed and will not change and neither will the SCOTUS. The Democrat Party still owns more than half the electorate. The GOP has not a speck of interest in a diminished Federal Government and will never elect another outlier. A third party would hand off America to some version of communism. Donald does not owe his 2024 victory to the GOP — he owes it to America’s great middle classes who are sympathetic to all of the Elon Musks that inhabit the new administration. You must encourage Trump to use his bully pulpit to tell the nation what needs to happen during and after his days are done in D.C. He and you must use your influence to appeal to all Americans — friend and foe alike — to adopt the principals that gave them a country that is the envy of the world. So consider advising him: Mr. President, create a manifesto — a document that will become recorded history for future generations. Tell him he might call it the Liberty Manifesto. In it, he would list the essential precepts of liberty. Perhaps, Elon, you might offer a few recommendations:
Every individual is sovereign. All individuals are responsible and accountable for their own lives. All adult individuals must be part of the American workforce. Liberty cannot endure when one half the country is dependent on the forced charity of the other half via borrowed money. The Federal Government must abolish gratuitous economic aid at home and abroad. The Federal Government must relinquish all domestic jurisdiction to state and local governments. The Supreme Court of the United States must roll back its runaway interpretation of The Constitution. Congress must be confined to a balanced budget and restrained from dispensing special interest monies from the US Treasury without a two-thirds majority consent.
Trump’s Manifesto could very well be the inspiration behind a necessary national dialogue. We have the Founders’ documents behind glass. Trump’s testament must reside appropriately alongside other historic figures. He must leave behind his counsel now, while he’s in the arena. He must speak, teach and reach future lawmakers and influence the neglected generations. Help him, Elon.
Respectfully, Ed.
www.conventionofstates.com