this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2025
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Both DOGE and Project 2025 where public knowledge when people voted. So people voted for Musk and everything that's happening even if they are too stupid to understand what they did
I don’t want to be pedantic, but okay I will. Musk wasn’t on any ballot. Not a single person voted for an individual named Elon Musk. It wasn’t an option. Enough people voted for Trump and Vance for them to win, but they were the only two on the ballot. It may seem like a distinction without a difference, because Musk functionally has an insane amount of power and influence, but that power was delegated to him by the person that people actually voted for, which is how our government works. People might have voted for Trump hoping he would use Musk in this way, but they still only voted for Trump.
I feel silly writing all that out, but these kinds of distinctions matter imo.
Nobody votes for cabinet members. Why is it useful to say so?
I was responding to the comment above (and lots of other chatter like this), which said “people voted for Musk” which is just not true. And like you said, the people don’t vote for the cabinet, they vote for the person who nominates cabinet members. It’s useful to point out because these distinctions have real-world consequences. Musk is a what’s called a “Special Government Employee,” which is an unelected position.
I think the point is that people didn't directly vote for Musk but they voted for the policies that enable him. So they voted for him indirectly, by voting for Trump and Vance.