1

Move fast and break things. Isn’t that the credo of the techies?

Meanwhile, they tell us to trust them. That they know what they’re doing. And the entire focus is on AI when in truth that’s a sideshow compared to the heinous activities of these bros. Ditto the focus on TikTok. If you think TikTok is what’s wrong with America, you’re probably a Democrat. And now you know why you’ve lost the faith of young people nationwide.

The mainstream press is doing a very good job of covering Musk’s shenanigans.

I don’t want to overload you with information, but here is the best description/analysis of what Musk is doing in D.C.

“In chaotic Washington blitz, Elon Musk’s ultimate goal becomes clear – Shrink government, control data and — according to one official closely watching the billionaire’s DOGE — replace ‘the human workforce with machines.'”

Free link: https://wapo.st/3WRYJOQ

I hope you take the time to read this, but it’s in the “Washington Post,” and like the rest of Big Press it has been excoriated to the point where both the left and the right ignore it.

Big Press has been doing a great job of delineating the malfeasance of Musk and Trump, it’s just that most people are not paying attention to Big Press. And I am talking about the press, print, the NYT, WaPo and WSJ. As for the TV networks… They’re busy kowtowing to Trump who is suing them into submission. They want to protect their bottom line, they want to maintain good relations with the president. If you’re trusting TV for the truth…you’re not getting it, whether it be network or cable. Neither of which truly goes into depth, and on cable there’s no reporting, just analysis, which is oftentimes biased, and…

Not that many people are watching.

The boomers believe they’re still in control, but they lost power in the last five years and don’t even realize it. They think since they’ve got smartphones and money they rule, but they don’t.

Just take a look at Musk’s minions in D.C. One is only 19. Ask your boomer friend if he can code, ask your Gen-X friend if he can code. They don’t even know the languages! And in truth you don’t have to be able to code to win in today’s marketplace, but you have to know what coding is and what it can do, along with AI and its hallucinations and…

Too many people with too little knowledge burying their heads in the sand regarding the new reality. 

2

If you want to know about the Musk playbook, just read “Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter,” by NYT reporters Kate Conger and Ryan Mac. Ryan Mac’s beat at the paper is Elon Musk. That’s his job, reporting on Elon Musk.

Instead people are getting their info about the man from social media wankers who have bought the image, but not the truth.

And then there’s that Walter Isaacson biography… Musk ain’t stupid, he literally asked Isaacson’s advice re Twitter/X, do you expect Walter to sh*t on him after the fact? OF COURSE NOT! That book is pure hagiography.

Elon Musk destroys first and picks up the pieces later.

Fine if you own the company, but what is your motivation otherwise?

The bottom line is X is now an unreliable cesspool with poor economics. Yet the fiction has been spread that Musk saved and improved the platform and he brought back free speech?

OH YEAH?

“When their names have been made public by news organizations such as Wired, they have been scrutinized by online sleuths. Mr. Musk has asserted, falsely, that the exposure of their roles is a ‘crime,’ and X has removed some posts and issued suspensions to those who publicize their identities.”

From: “Young Aides Emerge as Enforcers in Musk’s Broadside Against Government – Much of the billionaire’s handiwork — gaining access to internal systems and asking employees to justify their jobs — is being driven by a group of engineers operating in secrecy.”

Musk is making up his own rules for his own benefit. Despite what he may say to the public.

But he’s a hero to the bros.

3

So why are young American men so disaffected?

Well, getting a good job is not easy. Income inequality is rampant. Meanwhile, the Democratic answer is to get more education. But not everybody fits this mold.

And good luck getting laid. For every guy behaving badly with women there are scores more who are afraid of interacting for fear of committing a faux pas. And they’re resentful.

I’m not saying that women shouldn’t be protected. I’m just pointing out a reality that is denied by the Democrats. Who have lost control of everybody who is not college educated and/or with a white collar job along with so many of the minorities they believe they’re serving. Turns out Latinos want a stricter border. Not every African-American puts race first. And I’m not saying that protecting the rights of the individual is unimportant, I’m just saying that’s not the primary fight today, while there is a horse in the hospital!

Watch this John Mulaney clip, comedians always get it right:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Aubrey Andy Smith (@aubreyandy1)

As for our elected representatives… In truth they’re not that different from the Republicans. These Democrats want to keep their jobs, first and foremost. And then there was the insane meeting to elect a new Chair, wherein you had to pledge fealty to DEI and acknowledge that Kamala didn’t win because of racism. HUH? What country are these people living in?

4

So like me, you’re probably numb. Sitting this one out.

At least everybody has realized that physical protest is meaningless, Trump doesn’t care how many people assemble in the park, he’s ignoring them, they’ve got no real power.

But Americans do have power. But they need a leader. A leader who is living in the present and is not afraid of offending someone in pursuit of the goal.

Americans didn’t elect Elon Musk and most are not in favor of what Trump is doing in Washington. It’s just that the Democrats hid Biden’s decline and ran a 7th string quarterback for president (those are James Carville’s words). Can’t we admit we lost and realign?

No. We keep hearing excuses. Trump didn’t win by that much. The voting public is ignorant. That’s like pissing in the wind.

So first and foremost the left has to stop hating on the internet, tech and social media, they must embrace it!

We need a left wing podcaster… In the mold of the right. Not someone who is didactic, but someone who lets their guest speak. The truth is so many podcasts are unlistenable, where is the one hosted by someone young and intelligent who has people from across the spectrum as guests? Not Rachel Maddow, smarter than everyone in the room, lecturing us while she smirks. Not even Chris Hayes, who called America illiterate on Bill Maher’s show on Friday, proving the point. No, maybe an athlete. Someone from show business. A Gwyneth Paltrow without the loopiness. We need a home!

And we’ve got to flood the zone on Instagram Reels and TikTok. Forget Facebook. That’s like thinking that baseball will eclipse the viewership of football, when most young kids play soccer! Bernie Sanders is pretty good, but we don’t want someone who is advancing their career, we don’t even want someone who is advancing the cause of the party, we want someone who is speaking their truth. On a regular basis. Social media is all about frequency.

And while we’re at it… We need to build a left wing alternative to X. Threads and BlueSky are not it. If we need money, ask the deep pocketed donors who are sitting on the sidelines after the Biden/Harris catastrophe to pony up for this. We need a clubhouse of our own. That breaks news and brings people to it, without the trolls and falsehoods of X.

And we need boycotts.

Kid Rock and his cronies brought Bud Light to its knees and the company hasn’t recovered.

Hell, Democrats should stop buying Teslas. Period. They’re not the only alternative. This is not that hard to organize. We’ve got to start hitting Musk where it hurts.

And a pledge to not advertise on X. We can start with Ben & Jerry’s and work our way up the corporate food chain. Make it a badge of honor to not be on X. We’ve got to play offense.

And if you play along with Trump… We can boycott you too.

Prior boycotts have not worked because they’ve been conceived of and run by the same lunatics who ran the Democratic party into the ground. People are not going to give up Amazon, it’s just too convenient, it’s baked into the fabric of people’s lives. Ditto on Walmart. You’ve got to boycott stuff that people can live without, where there are reasonable alternatives. And you’ve got to boycott for a very specific reason… It’s Musk controlled or it supports Trump’s over the top actions.

And the Democratic party should anoint a leader, under the age of forty, whose job is to push back each and every day. Someone likable, but not afraid to speak the truth. Not everybody is going to adore this person, but that’s who we need. And instead of looking to mild, my hands are tied, I’m delusional Chuck Schumer, we can point to this person. Hell, in one appearance on Bill Maher’s show Stephen A. Smith garnered more attention and kudos than any Democrat in the past month, people keep talking to me about him, and he did this solely by speaking the truth, EMPHATICALLY!

No musicians. No one riding the coattails for fame. No actors. They’ve all sacrificed their credibility. If they want to lead a boycott, great. If they want to be figureheads… No one is listening. I don’t want to hear Bruce Springsteen’s opinion, I just want him to tell us never to buy MyPillow or something else. Better yet, Chappell Roan. Someone young people can relate to. She can stand up to the record companies, can she stand up to Trump?

5

It’s much worse than you think it is. Much, much worse. And I sympathize with your reluctance and defeat. If the election were held again today, Trump would lose. This is not what most Americans want.

And how about a campaign showing what you get for your taxes, what government does for the people, instead of pussyfooting and kowtowing to the right’s agenda.

Where is the left’s agenda? Where is the rallying around the bad behavior of Trump and his cronies?

The Democratic party is out of touch, but most of the public is on the same page. We want to live in peace, protected from disaster, as part of a world economy. Forget the rampant Trumpers, forget those who can’t stop talking about DEI. Let’s harness reasonability. Let’s not leave the playing field to the professionals, because they F*CKED IT UP!

But first you have to harness the media and the message. That’s what Musk got with Twitter/X. Let’s embrace the supposed left wing media. Let’s not question ourselves, but pick up the ball and run through the goalpost.

This is doable. Assuming we DO, which now we are not.

But we must start NOW!

Tune in Saturday February 8th to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz

Have you seen that Charli XCX ad for Uber Eats?

I’ve got no problem with Uber Eats. I get a monthly credit with my Amex card and when I do order delivery, that’s the app I use.

Not that Uber has a great future. The question is whether self-driving cars need Uber to be successful. Right now you can book Waymo via Uber, Uber takes 10-20%, but you can also book via Waymo and…

Maybe you haven’t seen Waymo yet. They’re all over Los Angeles. They’re just about to get on the freeway. They’re Jaguars with all these attachments and I was behind one at a light, where you had to turn left against traffic, and I figured I’d be there forever, but the Waymo moved right along, I was impressed.

And now BYD is making inroads regarding self-driving. The stock went up because next week the company is going to hold a press conference where they’re supposed to announce self-driving in affordable cars.

Now in truth many Chinese industrial companies are on the precipice, but BYD…man, it’s a worldwide phenomenon. You do know that it stands for Build Your Dreams, right?

Then again, the U.S. is going backward. Trump just canceled EV charging infrastructure in the states. A great hosanna from the carbon-based industry and its followers only… Turns out the energy companies are moving into alternative energy sources, they can see the handwriting on the wall. And European automakers don’t want tariffs on BYD, et al, because they want a fighting chance to compete in the vast China market, where their market share has recently been decimated.

But that’s how you lose your power, your influence in the world. Very slowly, then all at once. Tech seems to know this, which is why the market was shaken by DeepSeek the other week.

And I’ve got to tell you I love my Amex Platinum card. I might not love it as much if I had to pay for it, but we live in a world where we trust brands more than people, where we’re invested in our assets. Did you read the news about England and Apple’s cloud today? My first reaction is why are you beating up on Apple? Did you see as a result of the EU hectoring Apple to open up its app store there is now a porn app available?

This is just like the U.S. government siding with Apple’s iBooks, the end result being the agency model for e-books, and higher prices! I’m not anti-government, but certainly when it comes to tech, the government is always two steps behind, if not more.

So that Amex Platinum card has a ton of perks. I’m not saying I’m a points guy, I don’t shop where I get double, it’s just that I must admit…it’s a club that not everybody can be a member of, and when you whip it out…I’ve found people treat you differently.

Not like the Centurion card, the so-called “Black Card,” I love when someone in jeans, dressed-down, whips one out, but you’ve got to be a big spender for that, and it’s invite only. Not like Soho House, which let everybody in and is now in financial trouble.

So, back to Charli XCX. It was a brat summer, right? Didn’t they even call Kamala brat? Charli rode the wave. She had mindshare. She was even on the Grammys.

She appeared to have credibility. She seemed to be doing it her way.

Then again, if you investigate, there are multiple writers on her songs, her albums are made by committee. But compared to the Active Rock graveyard, Charli XCX is happening.

But for how long? I’d bet those Active Rock acts will have longer careers, BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T SELL OUT!

Conventional wisdom is kids no longer care if an act sells out. This is patently untrue. A fiction spread by those who get a percentage on these deals.

Let’s go back to Trump. Did you see that USAID paid $100 million to “Politico”?

That’s what I read on X.

But in today’s “New York Times” I found out differently. I even found out about stuff I missed, like the $100 million for condoms for Hamas.

“6 Inaccurate Claims Trump Has Used to Justify His Flurry of Orders – The president was wrong about birthright citizenship around the world, the Paris climate agreement and federal funding for condoms in Gaza, among other claims.”

Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/us/politics/trump-executive-orders-fact-check.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU4.T3Qn.nOrLXipAalDc&smid=url-share

And I have no desire to get political here, other than to say the Democrats are lame. And if you’re interested in a great analysis re this, I point you to another “Times” article, which is a must-read for disillusioned Democrats:

“‘The Damage to the Party Is Profound’: Three Opinion Writers on What Happened to the Democrats”

Free link: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/opinion/democratic-party-donald-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vU4.uRMS.eaaDfoGQhBOl&smid=url-share

But one thing we know for sure, that everyone agrees on, is Trump lies. All the time. Even his supporters know this.

Once again, I don’t want to litigate Trump’s recent efforts, other than to say I’ve never felt more disconnected from the government than ever before. And I’m not the only one.

We need something, someone to believe in.

And it’s not politicians. And it’s not social media influencers.

I don’t care if you’re making bucks, I know that they’re sending you that merch for free and you’re telling us how great it is and…you’d better have a Plan B, because every single influencer has burned out. As for the Kardashians triumphing… Radiohead asked its audience to pay what it wanted for “In Rainbows,” that paradigm only worked once, even though others tried to repeat it. The Kardashians are famous for nothing, they’re rich, they’re getting the last laugh, but they were there first (or maybe Paris Hilton, but she didn’t have a momager who saw the potential riches in true exploitation of her cultural fame).

So…

This is where the rubber meets the road. If you want to have a long career, you can’t do commercial endorsements, because everybody, especially your fans, knows that you’re doing it for the money. I mean it’s possible there’s a product you truly believe in that you want to help spread the word on, but that’s not what I see in the marketplace.

In this same basket one must put the multiple physical editions of albums. With different covers, different tracks. Ask people how they feel about their Beanie Babies today. They remember the mania, being collectors, thinking the dolls had value, now most of them are worth nothing, and the people who were invested in this near-scam feel that they were taken.

Life is long. What you do today has repercussions later.

Look at all the products/companies Katy Perry endorsed:

https://startuptalky.com/katy-perry-endorsements/

Now Katy is a joke. Her fans of yore excoriated her new album. Perry tried to get back to the garden after a bunch of missteps and it rang false to the audience, just like all her endorsement deals.

Sure, Katy got paid. But the dirty little secret is not only that acts don’t get a hundred cents on the dollar with these deals, they’re notoriously bad with money. Did you see that recently departed Garth Hudson declared bankruptcy THREE TIMES?

Now if you’re a brand, not a band, if being a musician is just a launching pad, go for it, sell out. But if you’re first and foremost an artist, you’ve got to learn how to say no.

If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. No matter how much money is involved.

When the record company wants you to record a song you don’t like, that is not in your wheelhouse, don’t say yes, say no.

They try to make you afraid of saying no. It’s your one big opportunity. You’ll never be able to make this money again. The ship is gonna sail. Think about what you can do with the cash, buy another house, fly private…

You’ve only got one career. A manager, an agent, a record company can always find someone new to promote. One misstep and you can ensure that no one wants to see you in the future, that your revenue opportunities dry up. People want to believe in you. You sang that song, that got them through their breakup, their depression… They don’t want to hear you thank them or God, they just want to know that song exists and they can play it whenever they want and when they go to see you live they feel a direct connection between performer and audience member. They don’t want any detritus in between.

Now the truth is the business is being taken over by people who put the music first, who are capable of saying no. Those are the acts selling tickets who are not in the Spotify Top 50. Their fans are truly keeping them alive.

But even a top-line artist’s career can have legs if it’s managed correctly. You can have hits and still have credibility.

But you must be capable of making wise choices.

You must be able to say no.

Chris Benchetler is a legendary skier with his own line of skis at Atomic, the Bent Chetlers. The 120 cm version is the standard of big mountain powder skiers the world over. Chris is also a graphic artist and a filmmaker. He designed the Grateful Dead’s 60th anniversary logo and has two new movies, “Ship of Fools” and “Butterfly in a Blizzard.”

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/chris-benchetler/id1316200737?i=1000689615544

 

 

 

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