By Patrick F. Cannon
Irony of ironies, the liberal environmentalists who bought Tesla electric cars as a statement of their commitment to greener planet now find that the man who brought them to the market is anathema to their more radical liberal brethren, who have taken to vandalizing the cars he created and sells. Some owners are covering over the Tesla name or sticking on bumper stickers saying they hate Elon Musk too!
Now that he is running the country, Elon Musk discovered that there’s a price to pay for getting involved in politics. Sales of his cars are declining here and throughout the world. While increasing competition is responsible for some of this, Democrats who can afford it are unloading their Tesla’s at a loss and buying the competition. (Of course, if you’re a Musk and Trump supporter, you can grab a bargain!).
Musk, of course, has so much dough that a billion here or there is hardly noticeable. Anyway, in a typical example of Trump hucksterism, the president urged his acolytes to buy a Tesla, sitting in a red one on the White House Lawn, and saying he would buy one himself. He can also help his pal by making sure he gets even more government contracts. And I’m sure Elon’s DOGE buddies will make sure not to fire or layoff the government employees who sign his contracts and checks.
In general, public corporations are wise to avoid politics or divisive cultural issues. Anheuser Busch, now part of InBev, the world’s largest brewer, learned that lesson when a member of its marketing staff thought it would be a keen idea to expand its market for Bud Light – once the country’s best-selling beer – to a new audience. Why not have a transexual “influencer” tout its great qualities? Are they not an untapped market? Had someone with common sense been part of the decision process, they might have reminded those young marketers that many if not most of Bud Light drinkers had voted for Trump and shared his animus toward transexual people and their supporters. Bud Light sales tumbled. Ironically, it was replaced as America’s best-selling beer by Modelo, another InBev brand. Brewed in Mexico, its days may be numbered too!
As with so many issues regarding sexuality, it’s a complicated issue and the country is divided. Most corporations realize that taking political positions can potentially alienate half of their customers. Despite what many people may think, public corporations have only one real obligation – to make as much money for their shareholders as possible. In doing so, they must also obey the law and pay their taxes just like we do.
This does not mean they can’t complain when they feel the government is doing things that affect their profits, like the Trump obsession with tariffs. Even so, notice that they are trying not to upset Trump too much while suggesting that higher tariffs might be a problem for the consumer, and the sale of their products to overseas markets. They dare not call the president nuts. Of course, I have no such problem.
Copyright 2025, Patrick F. Cannon
cannonnadedotcom 
I’ve been thinking about how we as a culture have reached the point where political judgments are based on good guys versus bad guys. Maybe it’s the result of our woeful education system (Thank god we’re getting rid of the Ed Department!).
The shift from reasoned analysis to emotional reaction occurred around the time of Leo Buscaglia. He was that bearded public nuisance who would go around hugging people.
You no doubt remember him from the PBS series in which he would deliver sappy and earnest lectures on love and life and joy and crap like that. I suspect he believed he was the reincarnation of Saint Francis of Assisi and he was preaching to the birds. He may very well have been the inspiration for Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
Today in politics you are either a hugger or a hug-denier, at least according to liberals, the ones who have extended the teachings of kindergarten all the way through grad school.
Trump obviously is not a hugger (more like a grabber). Elon who was previously a hugger, embracing climate change, is now a hug denier. So the libs set his cars on fire.
Psychology has replaced Theology. If it feels good, worship it.
It feels good to open the borders and allow millions of unvetted people into the country. It’s so satisfying to spend billions of tax dollars on righteous causes whether they make any sense or not. It’s the height of self-fulfillment to spend $20 million to broadcast Sesame Street in Iraq. You just want to go out and hug those people!
You’d have to chug an awful lot of it, but too much Bud Lite will summon pink elephants and little green men. Pretty soon you’ll want to embrace Tren de Aragua gang members, embroider yourself in tattoos and display “In This House We Believe” signs on your front lawn. Love is love, and no human is illegal.
Businesses that have toyed with DEI and ESG have come to regret it and recant. Trump comes from the business world, an alien in the illusory world of politics. He thinks practicality and common sense should prevail. Why invest money in things that produce nothing of value? Why hire people who are unneeded or, worse, incompetent? Why engage in wars that result only in death and destruction?
A government is a corporation with shareholders, a governing board and a mission. The US government has become a free-for-all scrum. I don’t know how you can restore order to it, and I doubt Trump will succeed. It’s too late for hugs. Maybe he should try sarcasm?
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I think sarcasm has been tried. Nobody noticed. And I can’t find anyone to join my Pragmatist Party.
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Sorry, I was being sarcastic. These Buscaglia types are dangerous. The judiciary is filled with them. Trump is endeavoring to restore the Law. But the Constitution never went to kindergarten and isn’t a hugger.
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As it happens, I didn’t go to kindergarten — the good nuns only got their clutches on me in first grade. In case you hadn’t noticed, the only law Trump believes in is his own. He wouldn’t even be able to define “endeavor.”
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So you insist, even (as media fact checkers would say) without evidence. But as the VP succinctly put it, we don’t really care, Margaret.
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Since it’s unlikely we’re ever going to agree about Trump, let’s just agree to disagree.
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Of course! Just don’t set my car on fire!
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Wouldn’t think of it. I assume you still have that sporty Subaru! My daughter Beth has a stodgy Subaru SUV (but it drives like a charm and is big enough to hold me).
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