Pirate's Cove

By “Washington”, Politico means “Democrats”

Three reasons Washington is freaking out about Elon Musk right now

Elon Musk’s expected takeover of Twitter has Washington holding its breath.

If the world’s richest man reinstates Donald Trump — along with other controversial politicians banned for rules violations — Republican campaign managers could again find their days wrecked by Tweet-driven headaches.

Not really, but, Politico wanted to make it seem as if Conservatives are Concerned

Meanwhile, Democrats worry a revived Trump Twitter feed could be a huge boon for his future presidential ambitions.

So, Trump Derangement Syndrome

Or Musk, who says he’s a “free speech absolutist,” could end up scaring off users — and invite a wave of litigation — if he does away with the platform’s efforts to weed out disinformation, racism and other vitriol.

“If they say something that is illegal or otherwise just destructive to the world — then there should be perhaps a timeout, a temporary suspension. … But I think permabans just fundamentally undermine trust in Twitter,” Musk has said in the past.

Yes, Democrats are worried that people with Wrongthink might be allowed to speak their say. You know, like all the people who were, in fact, correct on COVID19, masks, and vaccination and were banned

What exactly this means for Washington’s political elite and journalists who rely on the platform for breaking news and political discourse remains up in the air, but here are some potential pitfalls of a Musk-run Twitter:

A Trump return: Good for Dems?

With less than five weeks until the 2022 midterms, a Trump return could serve as a distraction for the GOP and a key messaging narrative for Democrats.

Not really, but, Dems have Trump on the brain

Misinformation and hate speech could poison the platform

Despite its ups and downs, Twitter has had one of the more responsible content moderation policies of the large social media platforms, said Mark Jablonowski, president of DSPolitical, an advertising technology firm supporting Democratic candidates.

You might criticize and expose Liberal Insanity, like how they want pre-teens giving puberty blockers, transition medicines and surgeries, and mental health conditions. Libs Of TikTok keeps getting suspended for daring to do this. Anything Democrats do not like they consider hate speech and misinformation

Also, less moderation could lead to a dramatic rise in hate speech and extremism on the platform, watchdog groups say.

“I think there’s a serious threat to democracy,” Jessica González, co-CEO of Free Press, a nonpartisan media advocacy organization, said in an interview. “I think we’ll see prolific conspiracy theories, and white supremacists return to the platform and a lot more people who hold power and who are willing to use platforms to spread hate and harassment campaigns.”

Free speech is a serious threat to democracy? No, it’s a serious threat to Democrats.

An exodus of politicians? TBD

In a world where Twitter has zero or very little content moderation — will all of its politicians jump ship? That’s a possibility.

Nah. They’ll still do their thing, because almost none of them actually do anything but throw a tweet up and then walk away. They do not read the responses, including from their constituents.

One key point, however, is often overlooked: Twitter has never been very popular with the average voter. And while a Musk takeover may push some politicians off the platform, it’s still not where the majority of voters spend their time.

There is that. But, you know, Trump might be allowed back, so, doom.