Elon Musk didn't ruin Twitter. He exposed the left's appetite for total control

It looks as if Elon Musk is on the verge of replacing himself as CEO of Twitter. If so, it will mark a short stint as one of the few non-conformists to manage one of the country’s major social media platforms.

In that short time, Musk has provoked a reaction that tells us much about the power dynamic in this country, how it is dominated by one side of the political spectrum and how that side demands that it, and no one else, controls the national narrative.

The American left has created an all-consuming ideology with religious overtones that has taken over virtually all of the major institutions in the United States.

It’s no secret now that the left is sailing a course for democratic socialism that turns the American Creed on its head and promotes equality of outcomes over equality of opportunity.

The left controls the larger part of the federal government and its bureaucracy, academia, the public schools, journalism, big business, arts and entertainment and sports.

The left also controls Big Tech, jealously and obsessively lording over Silicon Valley and using that power to control online conversation now that the internet has become the new town square.

The left was OK until it lost control

Throughout the pandemic and social justice protests the left sat on its hands as the major social-media platforms routinely censored conservative voices. If liberals did speak up, it was to remind the right that these are private tech companies that can censor anyone they please and do not violate the First Amendment when they do so.

Oh, how the tables have turned.

A billionaire who does not share the left’s politics took over Twitter, one of the major social-media platforms.

The reaction to that has been pure hysteria. The left is completely unhinged, threatening to use its government powers to squeeze and professionally destroy Musk, a private businessman.

Another view:Twitter was never a hellscape for me

The moment is instructive, and Americans should pay heed, because Musk’s takeover of Twitter has laid bare what the American left has in store for the rest of us.

Last week, when Musk suspended a number of journalists from Twitter and later explained they had violated anti-doxxing policies by linking to a site that tracks the real-time location of his private jet, American newspapers that had conveniently remained silent through years of social-media censorship of the American right, suddenly weren’t lecturing us anymore about the private property rights of tech moguls.

Now they worry Twitter is silencing voices

The New York Times reported uncritically, “The silencing of prominent voices could raise the regulatory heat on Twitter, and possibly Mr. Musk’s other companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, which is a big recipient of government funding and projects.”

Got that?

You either run Twitter the way we want or we’ll use the power of government to crush not only Twitter, but your other businesses.

We used to call that government corruption. Not anymore. Powerful Democrats have pulled out all the stops to intimidate Musk and bring him to heel.

After Musk took control of Twitter, the White House put out the word it “is keeping a close eye on Twitter.”

“Social media companies have a responsibility to prevent their platforms from being used by any user to incite violence, especially violence directed at individual communities,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

Biden, senators threaten would-be investors

President Joe Biden said the feds need to take a “look” at investors in the Twitter deal, which is a threat to any would-be investors that funding Twitter means the White House will be crawling though their business records.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) fired this shot across the Twitter bow: “We still legislate around here. Maybe (Musk) thinks his money and his mouth insulate him from accountability. But I’m willing to test that out.”

Sen. Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said he’d be OK with hauling Musk before a congressional tribunal. “I think that would be very interesting.”

Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) tweeted that Musk’s other businesses could be in jeopardy, “One of your companies is under an FTC consent decree. Auto safety watchdog NHTSA is investigating another for killing people. And you’re spending your time picking fights online. Fix your companies. Or Congress will.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called for the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. to conduct an investigation of the foreign ties in Musk’s Twitter.

That was even too much for Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who said there is “no basis” for such an investigation, Politico reported.

Undaunted, Murphy said if the executive wing won’t do it, he’d be interested in working with Foreign Relations Chair Bob Menendez (D-N.J.).

They just want to control the political narrative

Now the European Commission is threatening to punish Twitter. “There are red lines. And sanctions, soon,” Vera Jourova, a vice president of the EC, said.

The European Union could potentially slap Twitter with “a fine of 6 percent of global revenue,” The New York Times reported.

The assault on Elon Musk’s Twitter shows just how committed the American left and its allies in the international community are to controlling the national narrative. They will use every lever of power available to them to force compliance.

If you believe in free thought and the marketplace of ideas, these are your opponents. And they are making that abundantly clear with their assault on Elon Musk and his businesses.

Phil Boas is an editorial columnist with The Arizona Republic. He can be reached at phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Elon Musk didn't ruin Twitter. He exposed Democrats' real motives