CONCERNS ABOUT ALL THIS STUFF.
>> Sandra: POTENTIAL SHAKE-UP ON
SOCIAL MEDIA.
TWITTER IS APPOINTING ELON MUSK
TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AFTER
HIS STOCK BUY AFTER HE
CRITICIZED THE TECH GIANT OVER
THE HANDLING OF FREE SPEECH.
BRING IN KENTUCKY REPUBLICAN
SENATOR RAND PAUL.
WE FIGURED YOU WOULD PROBABLY
HAVE A LOT TO SAY ON THIS.
WHAT DOES IT TELL YOU THAT ELON
MUSK IS NOW THE LARGEST
SHAREHOLDER OF A COMPANY HE’S
BEEN VERY CRITICAL OF, NOT ONLY
THAT, NOW HE HAS SECURED A SEAT
ON THE BOARD.
>> WELL YOU KNOW, MY HOPE IS IT
BRINGS A NEW ETHOS TO THE
COMPANY.
THIS IS A COMPANY WHERE THE
C.E.O. NOT TOO MANY MONTHS AGO
SAID OH, THE FIRST AMENDMENT
DOES NOT APPLY TO US, AND
TECHNICALLY IT’S TRUE, IT DOES
NOT PREVENT TWITTER FROM
REGULATING OR CENSORING SPEECH,
ALSO JUST THE IDEA OF WHETHER
FREEDOM OF SPEECH, WHETHER OPEN,
LIBERAL DEBATE IS A GOOD OR BAD
THING AND I THINK THAT’S WHERE
MANY LIBERALS MISTAKE THIS.
THEY DISCOVER IT DOES NOT APPLY
TO PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND
PRIVATE COMPANIES, THAT’S RIGHT,
BUT I THINK ELON MUSK IS A VOICE
OUT THERE SAYING YEAH, WE NEED
MORE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND IT’S
A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE MORE FREEDOM
OF SPEECH.
WE HAVE SEEN SOME ON THE LEFT
WIGGING OUT AND SAYING THEY ARE
LEAVING TWITTER IF ELON MUSK IS
COMING, I SAY GOOD RIDDENS.
IF THE LEFT WING CRAZIES TRYING
TO CENSOR SPEECH, IT’S A BETTER
PLACE.
>> Sandra: HE CAME OUT PUBLICLY
AND SAID PRODUCE MORE OIL.
WE NEED TO HELP OUT THE AMERICAN
CONSUMER THAT IS STRUGGLING
RIGHT NOW, AND HE OWNS AN
ELECTRIC CAR COMPANY THAT WOULD
BENEFIT FROM HIGH OIL PRICES.
HE APPEARS TO SAY IT LIKE HE
SEES IT.
I’LL LET YOU RESPOND TO THAT,
AND ALSO PUT HIS WORDS ON THE
SCREEN HERE SINCE HE TOOK ON
THIS ROLE, SOLICITING FEEDBACK
ON HOW HE SHOULD HANDLE HIS NEW
RULE, SAYING GIVEN THAT TWITTER
SERVES AS THE DE FACTO PUBLIC
TOWN SQUARE, FAILING TO ADHERE
TO FREE SPEECH PRINCIPLES
UNDERMINE DEMOCRACY.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE?
I’LL LET YOU RESPOND.
>> I WOULD SAY THE ONE THING,
AND I DON’T KNOW ELON MUSK,
NEVER MET HIM, I WOULD SAY HE
HAS CULTIVATED THIS PERSONA OF
INDEPENDENCE, OF BEING A FREE
THINKER, AND THAT USED TO BE
WHAT INTELLECTUALS RESPECTED.
USED TO BE THAT PEOPLE IN THE
LEFT OR THE RIGHT, BUT PEOPLE OF
IDEAS RESPECTED IDEAS.
IF YOU WERE WILLING TO STATE
YOUR IDEAS AND DEFEND THEM, BUT
DIDN’T WE BECOME MORE AND MORE
THE AUTHORITARIAN NOTION, FROM
THE LEFT, IDEAS THEY DISAGREED
WITH WERE TO BE SUPPRESSED, AND
THIS HAS BEEN TRUE ON COVID BUT
EVEN BEFORE COVID I THINK WAS
TRUE OF CLIMATE ALARMISM AS
WELL, COULDN’T BE MORE THAN ONE
VIEWPOINT, YOU KNOW, THE GROUP
THINKS THIS WAY, YOU ARE NOT
ALLOWED TO THINK.
I THINK THE MORE IDEAS THE
BETTER.
BUT I DO RESPECT TWITTER CAN
REGULATE SPEECH.
I DON’T THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA
OR FOR THE COUNTRY, BUT A GOOD
ADDITION TO TWITTER AND A GOOD
VOICE ON THEIR BOARD FOR MORE
FREEDOM OF SPEECH.
>> Sandra: AND WHEN I SAY
SOLICITING FEEDBACK TO PROCEED,
HE ALSO ASKED THIS.
EDIT BUTTON, ANYBODY WHO USES
TWITTER, YOU WANT AN EDIT
BUTTON, YES OR NO.
AND WE DID NOT SPELL THAT WRONG,
HE DID, WE PUT IT ON THE SCREEN
THE WAY HE PUT IT OUT THERE.
I KIND OF WAS JOTTING DOWN NOTES
WHILE YOU WERE TALKING, SENATOR,
A COUPLE OF THE BIG THEORIES IN
THE SOCIAL MEDIA ATMOSPHERE AS A
RESULT OF ELON MUSK TAKING A
SEAT ON THE BOARD AND BECOMING
THE LARGEST SHAREHOLDER STOOD
OUT TO ME.
WILL HE BRING BACK FORMER
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND ALLOW HIM ON
TWITTER, SINCE HE WAS BANNED,
AND TWO, I DON’T KNOW, ELON MUSK
IS A SMART GUY.
MAYBE HE’S ACCUMULATING SUCH A
BIG SHARE OF THE COMPANY AND
SEAT ON THE BOARD TO ONLY SHUT
IT DOWN AND START HIS OWN SOCIAL
MEDIA COMPANY.
YOU WEIGH IN.
>> USED TO BE THE BOARD OF A
COMPANY OR THE MISSION OF A
COMPANY WAS TO MAKE MONEY, AND
SO MY GUESS IF DONALD TRUMP CAME
BACK WITH 80 MILLION FOLLOWERS,
MY GUESS IS TWITTER WOULD MAKE
MORE MONEY.
IT’S AMAZING THAT WE NOW HAVE
THIS SORT OF PSEUDO SOCIAL
CONSCIENCE THAT WE PUT IT INTO
BOARD MEETINGS AND THE BOARDS
ARE DOING THINGS AND MAKING
POLICY THAT MAKES THEM LESS
MONEY.
SO I KIND OF LIKED IT WHEN
THE -- THERE WAS AN OBLIGATION,
ACTUALLY, A FINANCIAL OBLIGATION
TO MAKE MONEY FOR PUBLIC
CORPORATIONS AND SO YEAH, I
THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD.
I THINK PEOPLE MIGHT THINK ABOUT
IT, AND I DON’T KNOW IF DONALD
TRUMP WILL COME BACK.
HE STARTED HIS OWN COMPETING
ENTERPRISE NOW, I HAVE A FEELING
HE MIGHT NOT COME BACK EVEN IF
INVITED.
>> Sandra: IS THIS THE BIG WIN
FOR FREE SPEECH THAT
CONSERVATIVES ARE TOUTING?
>> I THINK IT IS A WIN.
HOW BIG IT WILL BE WILL BE
DETERMINED IN THE FUTURE.
BUT WE NEED MORE COMPETITION.
I’M COMPETING WITH TWITTER ALSO.
I HAVE LIBERTY TREE.COM, I’M A
LITTLE SMALLER THAN TWITTER BUT
EVERYBODY SHOULD COMPETE.
RUMBLE.COM IS COMPETING WITH
YOUTUBE.
MORE COMPETITION, THE FREER THE
SPEECH WILL BE, THE MORE IDEAS,
THE MORE SPEECH, THE BETTER.
>> Sandra: IT IS AMAZING WHEN
YOU THINK HOW IT HAS CHANGED
POLITICS, SOCIAL MEDIA, NOT JUST
SOCIAL MEDIA BUT SPECIFICALLY
TWITTER.
THE WAY THE FORMER PRESIDENT
USED IT LIKE NO OTHER PRESIDENT
BEFORE HIM DID, HOW IT’S BEING
USED NOW, SENATOR, FINAL
THOUGHTS.
>> AND SOME IS CLEVER AND FUNNY.
WE RETWEETED A WOMAN WHO SAID
ABOUT PUTTING MASKS ON TODDLERS
IN NEW YORK, WHY DON’T WE PUT
STICKERS ON THEM THAT SAYS COVID
BE GONE, THAT WOULD BE JUST AS