Raw Story: 'Genius' Musk 'so removed from reality' he doesn't see big win he's given Dems: Barnacle

[Dennis Donovan]

Raw Story - 'Genius' Musk 'so removed from reality' he doesn't see big win he's given Dems: Barnacle

Travis Gettys
March 11, 2025 10:15AM ET

MSNBC's Mike Barnicle questioned Elon Musk's intellect as a supposedly "certified genius" — as he handed Democrats what Barnicle called an easy political win.

The tech billionaire and close adviser to President Donald Trump announced the widely popular entitlement programs Social Security and Medicare were on the chopping block as he makes sweeping cuts to the government workforce and other federal spending, and the "Morning Joe" contributor said that could help Democrats win next year's midterm elections.

"There are 80,000 Americans over the age of 100, [and] listening to Elon Musk makes me feel as if I am one of them," Barnicle said. "I mean, it's incredible listening to him. Let's stipulate that Elon Musk is a genius, certified genius. Let's also stipulate that he has the arrogance of an intellect that is so far removed from reality that he has the likelihood, the high likelihood, we've just seen it proven, of going on national television and stating, basically, Medicare and Social Security are Ponzi schemes that are ridiculous.

"They are the life essence of many people's, many Americans' lives. Elon Musk does not, he does not know that – he'll never realize it. But it is a ticket, I think, to getting back the House of Representatives for the Democrats if they continue down this path."

Host Joe Scarborough compared Musk's remarks about entitlement programs to infamous bank robber Willie Sutton.

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[Bernardo de La Paz]

1. Both Muck & tRump got Economics degrees from Wharton. . . . . . nt

[rampartd]

3. i know that wharton is an impressive business school

but does it seem to you that trump learned anything there?

if i were looking for a ponzi scheme, any of several crypto coins might come to mind......

[Attilatheblond]

5. Wharton possibly has students who ARE smart & went to class who are willing to take $ for taking tests for the idiots?

edited for typo

No coffee yet

[Bluetus]

2. He is no genius -- just autistic

Millions of people are on the spectrum where they have certain sevant-like talents. Musk's great talent is financial manipulation. He is the grand champion of OPM (other people's money). Nobody has ever been better at that. As a designer, most of his ideas are flops, or at least require orders of magnitude more time and resources than he ever imagined.

No genius there. It a condition that is literally called savant syndrome, and occurs in about 10% of individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

[wolfie001]

4. Are these 2 spineless weasels done licking trump's shoes?

[-misanthroptimist]

6. This presupposes:

1. any elections are held in '26; or
2. the elections in '26 are free and fair and counted correctly.

I'm not convinced that either will be the case.