The Real Power Brokers

Another ode to current events…..

Despite what you’re about to read, let me just say this: I’ve never been one of those folks who resented rich people. I didn’t look at them as villains or heroes or much of anything else besides humanoids who hit the financial lottery, for whatever reason. They didn’t enter my radar on anything close to a regular basis. They weren’t a regular part of my life or my thoughts. I’m not sure I’ve ever known anyone obscenely wealthy. I interviewed a few during my career as a journalist. But once the interview was over and the article written, they left my thoughts – and I’m guessing I left theirs.

So I don’t write this blog with any kind of deep-seated antagonism toward the rich. They’re no more or less important than anyone else, as far as I’m concerned.

But…

A whole lot of very rich folks sure are doing and saying some pretty shitty things lately, which I find a little disturbing. You’d think being wealthy would keep you from doing and saying shitty things, right? You’d think sitting on top of fabulous riches would be enough to keep a smile on your face and a song in your heart. You’d think it would instill a certain generosity of spirit, a certain humility, a certain sense of obligation to use your wealth for good — and not as a sledgehammer against others less fortunate.

But it doesn’t always work that way, does it?

Now, with that out of the way….

*****

When Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013 and then Elon Musk bought Twitter less than a decade later, much of the focus was on the business angle. At first glance, both deals seemed a little questionable. Bezos was investing in an outdated business model (traditional media), while Musk sent Twitter’s value crashing with a series of dubious moves (including mass layoffs).

From a purely financial standpoint, you had to wonder what these two uber-billionaire nerds were thinking. But Bezos and Musk didn’t care about the short-term financial impact. Both are so wealthy – worth a combined $600 billion at last count – that they could afford to lose a few billion here or a there without feeling a nanosecond of pain. It would be like you or I losing a nickel in the car seat.

What Bezos and Musk really wanted was a higher profile, a broader platform – and more power. Owning one of the country’s most iconic newspapers, or one of the world’s biggest social media sites, meant they could reach millions of people every minute of every day. There’s no other way they could have expanded their reach (and message) so far and fast. Just look at Mark Zuckerberg, another ultra-wealthy tech nerd whose massive social media empire has given him power that goes well beyond mere money.

Now, in 2025, we understand the real payoff. The billionaire bros used their platforms to influence the political discourse and help ensure elections veered in their favor.

It’s probably no coincidence that Bezos bought the Washington Post during the Obama era, when U.S. politics seemed to be on a steadily progressive path that rich people pretended to support but secretly hated. You get the idea that Bezos’ ultimate goal was to help plow the country off of its progressive course.

It’s certainly no coincidence that Musk bought Twitter (now X) in October 2022 – just a month before Donald Trump announced another presidential run. I have no doubt that Musk conferred with Trump beforehand, and told the convicted felon ex-prez that he would be welcomed back on Twitter as soon as Musk took over.

The fact that Trump rose from the political graveyard and succeeded in winning a second term in the White House is a testament to just how powerful the media is – and how blind, ignorant, hypocritical and fickle much of the American voting population is, but never mind…

*****

Trump is the perfect president for the billionaire class. He has just the right combination of wealth, greed, ego, narcissism, mean-spiritedness, self-delusion and ineptitude. He has the attention span of a gnat and the temperament of a toddler, which means he can be easily influenced as long as you kiss his fat ass and fawn over him in public. He’s a genius at pretending to be a man of the people – even though he doesn’t give a flying fuck about the “people.” You’d have to have an IQ of about 11 to believe otherwise.

This explains why a lot of the country’s richest people bet on Trump. Bezos intervened in editorial policy to make sure the Washington Post did not endorse Trump opponent Kamala Harris, while Musk put his full, unabashed support behind Trump’s candidacy both on Twitter (now X) and at a few deranged campaign rallies.

And so here we are. Trump’s narrow win — he got less than half of the popular vote — put him back in the White House. But he doesn’t really run the country. Behind all the bravura, Trump is just another cheap politician with thin skin and no clue about policy or how to run a country.

No, the real power rests with the corporate/mega-rich class. These folks are calling the shots, while letting Trump and his attack puppy, J.D. Vance, pretend that they’re calling the shots. Just look at the avalanche of greedy/anti-populist moves the supposedly populist president has made since taking over the reins in January. Here’s a partial list:

• Issuing an executive order to drastically downsize the government so his administration can afford the massive tax cuts that will mainly benefit the rich.
• Putting in policies that will slash or eliminate programs designed to help needy Americans afford adequate healthcare, food, shelter and utilities.
• Cutting more than 7,000 jobs at the Social Security Administration, which will put even more pressure on an already understaffed and underfunded agency, and possibly lead to seniors and disabled Americans missing benefit payments.
• Whacking away at government regulations designed to protect Americans from corporate irresponsibility – a move that the billionaire/corporate class is no doubt salivating over as we speak.
• Imposing stiff tariffs on trading partners that will lead to higher prices for consumers and lower stock values for investors.
• Cozying up to tyrants and thugs like Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu while abandoning traditional allies in Europe and elsewhere. Oh, and also proposing a U.S.-controlled resort in Gaza that amounts to ethnic cleansing but that would no doubt be a financial bonanza for Trump and his rich pals.

*****

Much of the government downsizing work is being led by Musk, the South African white supremacist who has been put in charge of overseeing federal government spending through the cleverly named Department of Government Oversight (DOGE, a nod to Musk’s favorite crypto). This is an unofficial organization, staffed by assholes, that aims to slash the federal government and kill off a whole shitload of services meant to benefit the very people Trump pretends to care about.

The White House has given Musk free rein to implode the government and access all kinds of personal and financial information on just about every American. The one thing these cost cutters aren’t targeting are policies and programs that help the rich get richer.

Meanwhile, Bezos has tightened his grip on the Washington Post, letting everyone know that its opinion pages will now embrace “personal liberties and free markets.” That’s rich boy-speak for getting rid of everything that stands in the way of rich boys expanding their wealth and power.

As for Trump: This particular rich boy — who was lucky enough to be born into wealth — has issued mandates that organizations eliminate DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) programs that were designed to level the playing field by giving marginalized Americans a better shot at advancing educationally and professionally.

DEI has become the Evil Villain du jour for Americans who cling to the belief that advancement should be based on merit and nothing else. But that belief is so full of magical bullshit I don’t even know where to begin. The main “merit” most successful people in the United States have is being born white and not poor. If you don’t believe me, check out the backgrounds of the vast majorities of elected officials and corporate executives.

Somebody born into wealth, and raised with expensive tutors and the best education money can buy, shouldn’t get extra points for “merit” because he scores a few points higher on a college board exam than someone born in a public housing project with no money and one parent. On the contrary, the person born in the public housing project has accomplished way more than the rich kid simply by overcoming staggering odds and getting close to the rich kid’s score.

But the anti-DEI crowd doesn’t see it that way – mainly because they’re the ones who benefit from anti-DEI policies. Thanks to Trump, corporations can go back to stacking their payrolls with folks who look and think like them without having to worry about giving anyone else a fair shot.

*****

As mentioned earlier, I’ve never been one of those folks who demonize the wealthy. I neither hated or admired them. There have always been rich people and poor people, and there always will be. That’s just the nature of humanity. Them that’s got shall get/them that’s not shall lose.

So I’m not surprised that the wealthy have jumped at the first opportunity to become even more wealthy while screwing everyone else. The fact that they’ve taken it to another level by trying to obliterate everything that doesn’t benefit them personally might anger me, but it doesn’t surprise me. The U.S. has a long history of robber barons splitting the pie up among themselves and leaving the crumbs to the teeming masses.

What amazes me is how often the teeming masses keep making the same mistakes, over and over and over. They keep believing that just because a presidential candidate says all the right things about God, country or whatever, he’s on their side. But he’s not on their side. He doesn’t care about them. They’re just tools to be used and then discarded. Soon enough the masses will discover that they’ve been scammed – again — but only after their savings, benefits, investments and country have been plundered by the same old greedy douchebags.

In which case: Donnie, Elon and the boys better watch their backs. Hell hath no fury like a citizenry scorned.

Note: The photo is of Musk giving what looks an awful lot like a Nazi salute during a Trump inauguration event. The poor dear swears he didn’t mean it as a Nazi salute, and that he instead meant it in “the most positive spirit possible.” Which would mean a whole lot more if he weren’t so busy trying to advance the cause of white boys the world over while demonizing everyone else.