Media

Bernie, you still alive? New owner of Twitter keeps forgetting

By Guy Page

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) might be weighing his social media options, now that tech billionaire Elon Musk, who publicly snubbed Vermont’s 80-year-old junior senator in November, is the company’s largest stockholder.

On November 13, Sanders tweeted, “we must demand that the extremely wealthy pay their fair share. Period.” Nothing new for Bernie. He’s been saying that since the 1950’s. 

But the tweet drew a response from none other than maverick tech billionaire Elon Musk. 

“I keep forgetting that you’re still alive,” Musk Twitter-mused in response. And then added: “Want me to sell more stock, Bernie? Just say the word.”

On March 1, Sanders and other Democrats proposed a 2% annual tax on wealth over $50 million, rising to 3% for wealth over $1 billion. Musk is reportedly worth $222 billion. Under Sanders’ proposal – unlikely to pass – Musk would shell out $6.66 billion/year. 

Even Elon Musk would probably have to sell some stock to cover that tax bill. 

Recently the Tesla CEO bought a 9 percent stake in Twitter, becoming its largest shareholder. The $3 billion buy of 73.5 million shares came after Musk – an active tweeter who has 80 million followers – was outspoken in his criticism of Twitter’s inadequate protection of free speech rights. 

Sanders can only hope that Musk will set a new precedent for the company and refrain from suspending powerful critics. The pre-Musk Twitter banned President Trump.  

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13 replies »

  1. Nine percent is not “controlling interest” but it is certainly enough to shake things up a bit. If you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em. Go for it, Elon!

  2. The 7 Faces of Dr. Sanders or Bernie in Wonderland? The Wonderful World of Bernie or Back in the USSR? He just isn’t based in reality

    • Maybe you should move your posts to MoveOn.org. The Democrats over there might be more impressed with your socialist leanings.

      • Like the left, you have resorted to name calling and outright lies. “MoveOn.org is connected with the Democratic Party. I’m not. You speak like the left fascists, only you’re right fascist. Any nuanced, open discussion is to be vilified.
        Name a SINGLE FACT that I’ve misstated?
        Sanders attempted to be even handed and fair. He genuinely empathized with the Palestinian people, yet also dealt pragmatically with the situation Israel faces. He tries to act as if people matter.
        Simply using “socialist” as a pejorative sinks to the level of using “conservative” as a pejorative. Do you want to discuss, or to call names as do the street mobs?

    • Please… He’s a disingenuous as all of the career politicians. Even when he talks about the 1% he’s still manipulating the numbers, and further manipulated them when he hit his “millionaire” status so that he wasn’t included. How honest was he when he dropped out of the race? How honest was he when he went and told all of the young college kids to be angry at capitalism.

      Come on.

    • “Trying to be honest”? Seriously? Sanders proselytizes for a system that has never worked, no matter where tried. He’s just another socialist grifter, lining his pockets at the expense of the useful idiots.

    • He tries to be honest but he fails miserably – he is the biggest hypocrite on the planet and has done so very much damage to Vermont – and he’s not even from here.

  3. FIRE THEM WITH YOUR VOTE!!
    YOU SNOOZE YOU LOSE!!
    POLITICIAN
    ITS WHAT THEY DO SPEAKS LOUDER THEN WHAT THEY SAY!!
    PROUD MEMBER OF THE LET’S GO BRANDON FJB, FJT COMMUNITY!! 🇺🇸🗽🇺🇸

  4. Bernie lost his claim as an honest politician when he did not tell Vermonters that he was running for president a second time while he was running for his senate re-election campaign. AS he raked in $11,000,000 from national donors for his presidential run, he was telling us Vermonters he had not decided. After his re-election, $8,000,000 was moved to his national campaign, and magically, he had made his decision, and proceeded to waste all his senate salary on running for president. An honest guy would have told his people that indeed he was running for president and then folks could decide if watching him scream on tv is what they had in mind. He lied big and bad.

    • I’m confused. He was already collecting cash for a Presidential run while publicly stating that he was uncertain?
      On what he spends his salary should be his own business, shouldn’t it? Unless there is a specific political agenda involved.

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