🇺🇸 Now It Sinks In

Plus, what’s keeping us out of work?

Author

James Flippin
October 31, 2022

The Flag

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🐘 2022 Generic Congressional Vote: Republicans 48, Democrats 44 (InsiderAdvantage)

🐘 2022 Generic Congressional Vote: Republicans 49, Democrats 45 (USA Today/Suffolk)

 📉 Direction of Country: Right Track 24, Wrong Track 66 (USA Today/Suffolk)

🐎 General Election: Trump vs. Biden: Biden 46, Trump 42 (USA Today/Suffolk)

TRENDING

Right: Angry literary figures demand Amy Coney Barrett book deal be shut down in open letter to publisher (Fox News)

Right: In too deep: John Fetterman's wife claims that swimming is 'very racist' (Washington Examiner)

Right: Biden swiftly called out for egregious falsehoods about gas prices that aren't even close to reality (The Blaze)

Left: Can the Republicans really impeach Joe Biden? Yes they can! (Salon)

Left: Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin Jokes About Assault On Nancy Pelosi's Husband (Huffington Post)

Left: The backlash against Ron DeSantis’s puzzling voter fraud arrests (Vox)

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QUICK CLICKS

Shocking Stampede, Brazil Backs Bolsonaro, Powerball Plus $1 Billion

World: Seoul Halloween stampede updates: At least 153 dead in crowd surge, officials say (ABC News) + Two US college students among those killed (NY Post) + What we know about the deadly Halloween disaster (CNN)

US: Pelosi attack: What we know about the assault on Nancy Pelosi's husband (Slate) A secret bathroom 911 call: how Paul Pelosi saved his own life (The Guardian) + Elon Musk Tweets, Deletes Pelosi-Attack Conspiracy Theory (NY Magazine)

World: Brazil's Lula defeats Bolsonaro to win presidency again in stunning comeback (Reuters)

World: Zelensky accuses Russia of trying to ‘return the threat of large-scale famine to Africa and Asia’ (The Hill)

World: Death toll from Somalia twin bombings climbs to 100 (Bangkok Post)

US: Powerball jackpot climbs to an estimated $1 billion; second largest in Powerball history (CBS News)

World: India bridge collapse: Hundreds plunged into river and dozens killed in Gujarat (BBC)

SOCIAL MEDIA

Now It Sinks In

Last week Elon Musk completed his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, after launching a hostile takeover of the social media platform six months earlier. This avoided a deadline that would have triggered further legal action, as Musk had sought to exit the deal this summer.

From The Flag: Musk immediately fired several top executives, and the New York Stock Exchange has suspended the ability to buy and sell the company’s shares, as Twitter will be taken private. The CEO of Tesla and the world’s richest man, Musk has vowed to reinstate former President Trump’s Twitter account, crack down on bots, and focus on free speech. Here’s more from both sides.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Mega Mogul Musk Won’t Protect Free Speech, But Bots Idea Is Solid

  • Much like the robber barons of the industrial age, Musk commands incredible influence – especially now that he owns Twitter.

  • Musk has said he intends to protect and lift up free speech, but removing safeguards against disinformation could have the opposite effect.

  • Some of Musk’s plans are controversial, like reinstating former President Trump, but others aren’t – such as getting rid of bots.

“The Robber Barons Had Nothing on Elon Musk” David Nasaw, New York Times Op-ed: “For more than two centuries, American moguls like Mr. Musk have transformed our economy and our daily lives (and enriched themselves) by playing a winning game with governments. They sought and received from those governments enormous subsidies and protection, while demanding that they be left alone to conduct their business as they pleased. The railroad robber barons built their fortunes on government-supplied land on which they laid their tracks and then collected government subsidies for every mile of it. … What makes Mr. Musk particularly powerful and potentially more dangerous than the industrial-era moguls is his ability to promote his businesses and political notions with a tweet. The effect of such instant communications is enhanced by his firm understanding of media and market dynamics in this era of meme stocks, day trading, instant communications, misinformation and disinformation.”

“How Elon Musk’s plans for Twitter could threaten free speech” Suzanne Nossel, Los Angeles Times Op-ed: “Elon Musk has said that, in the name of upholding free speech, he will dial back safeguards on the platform that are there to protect against disinformation. This would be a mistake… Disinformation, though largely protected by the 1st Amendment against government control, can also imperil free speech itself. If Musk is serious about fostering open discourse, he needs to account for the dangers that disinformation poses to expression as he takes over one of the world’s most influential online platforms. … he should focus on how to make the platform a hospitable place for dialogue, truth-seeking, citizen’s engagement — things at the heart of why free speech matters. … But if (he) follows through on his promise to create open season for disinformation on Twitter he will risk destroying free speech in one of our global villages in the name of trying to save it.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Elon Musk owns Twitter. Now what? Shirin Ghaffary, Vox

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Bring Back Trump and Enrage Those Who Fear Freedom

  • Musk should disclose what’s happened in the past concerning Twitter and government agencies, and Trump’s account must be reinstated.

  • The woke left’s reaction to Musk taking over shows their fear of open discourse and freedom.

  • Musk should look to hire more conservatives at Twitter, open its books, and help set a new standard for free speech.

“A Plan X for Elon Musk’s Twitter” Dennis Kneale, Wall Street Journal Op-ed: “First he’ll have to address three thorny problems: Twitter’s quashing of conservative and nonconforming views, the audience-inflating bots that Mr. Musk cited for wanting to pull out of the deal, and flimflam consumer scams. He should start by moving Twitter out of Silicon Valley to Texas, Florida or another politically friendlier place. Next up, lift the lifetime ban on @realDonaldTrump. It is unthinkable that a former president is banned for life while the regimes of China, Russia, Iran and Afghanistan tweet lies and anti-American vitriol with impunity. Twitter also should hire outsiders to conduct an independent audit of all previous company communications regarding censorship requests by any government-related party—a violation of the First Amendment’s prohibition against government-imposed prior restraint on free speech. This litany of past government meddling should be fully revealed to the public.”

“Elon Musk and the great fear of free speech” Brendan O’Neill, Spiked: “Listening to the woke set you’d be forgiven for thinking that the gates of hell had been flung open and every manner of evil and blasphemy will now pour forth. Twitter could become a ‘soap box for hate speech’, fretted one media outlet… It really is extraordinary how much some people fear freedom. … The most striking thing about Musk and Twitter is the demented reaction to it. … Musk’s plan for Twitter is sensible, not revolutionary. It is ‘important to the future of civilisation to have a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner, without resorting to violence’, he said in his note of reassurance to advertisers… Who could possibly be affronted by such a polite, classical-liberal vision? And yet affronted people are. Loads of them. Hysterically so. Their dread of Twitter without moderation is intense.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: How Elon Musk Should Manage Twitter Going Forward Paul Ingrassia, The American Mind

FLAG THIS

Dressing Up the Day, and What “Heavy” Twitter Users Say

Just for fun, we thought we’d flag this poll from YouGov breaking down what Halloween costumes Americans are wearing. Sorry horror fans: funny options outrank the scary ones.

In terms of Twitter, polling conducted in April by Ipsos showed people who consider themselves “heavy” users of the platform are more positive about Musk’s potential impact. A majority said they expect his influence will “improve the quality of discussion on the platform,” (52%), while also “allowing for greater free speech” (54%).

Do you consider yourself more or less likely to use Twitter now that Musk completed his purchase of the platform?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Nevada Statehood, English Isn't Normal, Ninja Floors

On October 31, 1864, anxious to have support from the Republican-dominated Nevada Territory ahead of President Abraham Lincoln’s bid for reelection, the US Congress quickly admitted Nevada as the 36th state in the Union. Above is the Nevada state flag.

Fortune: I proudly wake up at 8:59 a.m., one minute before starting my remote work job.

The Guardian: Words We Think We Know, but Can’t Pronounce: The Curse of the Avid Reader

Today I Learned about anti-ninja floors in Japan. They were purposefully made to squeak to alert people of intruders.

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