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Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and the Political Calculus of a Trump Victory | Pivot

October 22, 2024 / 08:30

This episode discusses Elon Musk's million-dollar daily prize for swing voters, election law implications, and the influence of Peter Thiel on politics.

The conversation begins with Musk's initiative to award money to registered swing voters who sign his PX petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. Experts debate whether this action violates election laws, with some arguing that Musk is not directly paying for votes.

Further discussions highlight the risks associated with Musk's actions and the incentives behind them. The hosts express skepticism about the enforcement of election laws and the potential consequences Musk may face if Trump is re-elected.

The episode also touches on the political landscape, including the roles of Peter Thiel and JD Vance, and the implications of their influence on the presidency. The hosts speculate on the future of democracy and the checks and balances that may be at risk.

Overall, the episode presents a critical view of the current political climate, focusing on the motivations and strategies of influential figures like Musk and Thiel.

TL;DR

Elon Musk offers cash prizes to swing voters, raising legal questions and highlighting Peter Thiel's political influence.

Video

00:00:00
Elon is uh randomly awarding a million--
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doll daily prize to registered swing
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voters who signed his PX petition
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supporting the first and second
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amendments federal law says it's a crime
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to pay people with the intention of
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inducing a reward and be cast a vote or
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get registered the election law experts
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are split over whether his actions cross
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the line see I think this is just risk
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assessment by Elon they're not going to
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come after him and if Trump wins it
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won't matter uh his iies argue because
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he's not directly paying for
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registration but for a petition
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signature it's not illegal it's very
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typical of him this is a very typical
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risk he would take easily including
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attacking Dominion systems which I think
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is probably not a great w risk to
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necessarily take but go ahead finish
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what you were saying about him it all
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comes down to incentives and the algebra
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of deterrence the whole point of our
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criminal justice system is that
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criminals do the math or when you're
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about to commit a crime you do a math
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and it's the following the likelihood
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I'm caught times the potential penalty
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has to be greater than the potential
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upside MH in certain key factors and
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components of our economic system the
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algebra deterrence is all up and
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I'll give you a couple very three Stark
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examples if I'm if I'm meta and I know I
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I sit on top of research that is showing
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that there is a direct correlation
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between usage of my platform and teen
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depression and self-cutting and I
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continue to engage in
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this or I violate my consent decree and
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I knowingly violate my my consent decree
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I know that the likelihood I get caught
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that delay and the size of the fine are
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vastly smaller than the upside of
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continuing to break the law in
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taxation all really wealthy people have
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an incentive to be so aggressive
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with their taxes because their taxes are
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so complicated and the IRS has been till
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Biden so underfunded that the likelihood
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you'll get caught and the penalty are
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vastly overwhelmed by the amount of
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money you're going to save they can come
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get you and whether Yeah by being
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incredibly aggressive on your taxes and
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now let's go to musk who gives a if
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it's illegal they're not going to
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they're not going to put him in jail
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they're not going to say to Trump you're
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no the the all of our election laws are
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the following lie cheat break the law
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get an office and then it'll be
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embarrassing and the election commission
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will find you and they'll shame your
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election your campaign manager and
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you're still the
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Senator so the the incentives until they
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say until there's some sort of com real
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risk that they can shut down for example
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all your media spending if they say okay
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if if this guy engages in this he could
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go to jail or the campaign has to stop
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all media spending like you could get an
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injunction if it's really blatant what
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incentive is there for must not to do
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this yeah I agree I think everyone's
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like can you believe I was been asked to
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be on I was like he could he doesn't
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care he's not going to pay if if she if
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he win if Trump wins he's scot-free this
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is a scot-free risk that he takes and if
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he loses she's gonna have a hard time
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going after him and she probably won't
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right and so I think our our laws
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especially election laws do not
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anticipate Shameless like they
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just don't and this is Trump and this is
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you know as you're saying with the penis
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joke it just I don't think I think think
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I think a lot of women wof yuck you um
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and I agree with you paying attention to
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him but I think it brings to question
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whether he's cognitiv disb and that's a
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negative that is showing up on poll
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after poll after poll is is he Biden too
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dirty Biden essentially and those
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numbers are showing some real residents
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we were showing off some stats about
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that is he too old to and then therefore
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you're voting for for for JD Vance who
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is paid for by Peter teal and musk
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essentially um so I do think it's a risk
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for musk to take and he will take it
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because he it will be advantaged and if
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she wins I think he's the risk will be
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problematic for him but not not fatal
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for him you know he'll just he'll just
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behave although saying she hates
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Christians and stuff like that shows
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that he's really he's also mentally has
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some mental problems I think the real
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quiet winner in this is Peter teal and I
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think he will take down all of them
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because he quietly he's very sharp he
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sits behind the scenes he and Elon did
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not get along before this by the way at
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all in a way that was significant so I
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suspect if Trump wins there's going to
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be one ugly there's going to be one ugly
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fight going on among those people
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there's about a one and three chance if
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Donald Trump is
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reelected that that he dies in office
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just based on his age and his body mass
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index that means there's a guy
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who was a mediocre entrepreneur VC of
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best served four years in the Marines
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which he should be honored for got
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elected to Senate what two years ago mhm
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and this guy is bought and paid for by
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Peter teal it's not his service in the
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Marines it's not he's a smart guy it's
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not his book it's not any of that
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there's two
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reasons that Senator Rance could be a
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heartbeat from presidency and basically
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the president there's two reasons the
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first is Peter the second is T
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yep that's the one I'm watching I you
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know I I think elon's in more trouble in
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a trump presidency than a Kam Harris I
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think he's got issues in you know
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Democratic issues of investigation and
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Regulatory there is going to be an ugly
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fight at the top there if uh if Trump
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wins I wouldn't want to be Trump I think
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he's among some
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very difficult characters I didn't see
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that that's interesting I didn't I
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didn't see that but because the way I
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see it again it just always in my
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opinion they're not going to get I'd
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love to write a book called incentives I
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just don't people connect the dots but
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here are the incentives and this is
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what's so dangerous about not
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immediately having a gag reflex around a
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move to
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autocracy there's greater incentive to
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support Trump than Harris if you're
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famous or you're because here's the
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thing if you're uh Elon Musk and you
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support Trump very very visibly and
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Harris is elected they're not going to
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they're not going to your company
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they're not going to put you in jail
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they believe in rule of law Donald Trump
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is saying if I'm elected I'm going to
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prosecute Google to the full extent or
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Jews it's your fault if I don't get
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elected so all of the incentives are
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okay if I root for this
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clown and he doesn't win I'm okay
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because the people the other side
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believes in rule of law they're not
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going to they're not going to go after
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personal precu but the autocrat might
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come after me I think that is what's
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exactly going to happen that's exactly
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say more what do you mean Cara I mean I
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think elon's in more trouble in a trump
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presidency I think he doesn't he's the
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one who's sort of off um he's got
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obviously some not cognitive issues he's
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you know he's really lost his mind in
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many ways allegedly um I think teal is
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pulling all the strings here I just I
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just Peter teal is quiet and deadly Ela
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musk is loud and he's just reminds me of
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some of these oligarchs that ended up
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not not living but but the whole point
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of a
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democracy the whole point of having
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different branches of governments and
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and members of Congress and three
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branches and a military a secretary of
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defense that comes from a civilian
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background not a military all of these
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things are meant to put in place checks
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and balances yeah and we're about to for
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the first time I think maybe there's
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someone else where essentially you have
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one man Peter teal who could literally
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control the president there is no
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something something Peter teal will
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never hear from a vice president or
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potentially a president Vance something
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he will never hear is no ever yeah cost
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him 50 million dollar he's the one I'm
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watching I'm not watching any it's just
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a ridiculous circus of a person and I
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think it'll end badly for him but Peter
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Teal's the one I'm looking at

Episode Highlights

  • Election Law Controversy
    Experts debate whether Musk's actions cross legal lines regarding election laws.
    “Election law experts are split over whether his actions cross the line.”
    @ 00m 13s
    October 22, 2024
  • The Influence of Peter Thiel
    Peter Thiel's influence raises concerns about the future of democracy and governance.
    “Peter Thiel is quiet and deadly; Elon Musk is loud.”
    @ 07m 26s
    October 22, 2024

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Legal Debate00:13
  • Thiel's Influence07:26

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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