I was recently made aware of a new anti-Elon Musk attack ad that’s rather interesting (in a way) — the attack ad focusing primarily on “his taxpayer subsidized companies.” The “ad” seems to have involved a bit more work than one would expect of a random, bored “troll” on the internet, so one has to wonder if there was money involved?
At first guess, I’d say that it looks like the sort of thing that’s part of an AstroTurf campaign — though, who would be fronting the money in this case is a bit uncertain. Companies in the energy industry? Auto manufacturers? Space technology competitors?
As far as the video itself goes, while there’s something of truth to some of the points made in the video, similar points can be made about a majority of the larger companies out there nowadays — with subsidization having become a common reality in many industries over the last few decades (the fossil fuel industry being a notable example).
Nonetheless, the attack ad is interesting (i.e., funny), and is worth a watch in my opinion.
As noted on a Tesla Motors Club forum thread discussing the video, the video comes across as fairly “credible” (sounding)… with the exception perhaps of the comments about “filthy hippies.” That bit should probably have been left out (in my opinion). Perhaps that’s part of what’s contributed to the ratio of likes/dislikes? Though, that could simply be a side effect of the fact that Elon Musk has become a saint of sorts for those with an interest in “science” and “technology” — and nobody likes to hear their objects of worship being defamed.
Plus, the subsidies bit seems to come from an LA Times article that Elon has already thoroughly debunked. And it ignores the many societal benefits of EVs, and why they deserve our support (at least until we properly price carbon and air pollution).
(Thanks to “notAmeenPerson” on the Tesla Motors Club forums for this.)
So who made this 1 sided AD? Why don’t they tell about the subsidies for OIL, COAL ,NG and Nuclear? Seems maybe the Koack brothers are spending their HARD unerned money again.
Oh – and you forgot the Many Millions Toyota and Hyundai are going to be getting on Mostly Government Funded H2 Fueling Stations, and Excessive CARB Credits for their Dream cars!
Most people take home mortgage interest tax deduction. I don’t see these guys bitching about tax payer subsidy for ReMax and Century 21 which is far more than anything for Tesla. And it’s not like individuals can’t take EV subsidy; just buy an EV, and there it is.
You have to be mentally deficient to not take advantage of tax cut when the government is giving it to you, and Musk (and most people) are far from mentally deficient.
And to those who think Musk “forced” it, yeah sure, Musk took his army of Tesla soldiers with machine guns and forced the money out of IRS. In the real world, only the government can use force and no one else, not even corporations like Tesla with their secret million man army (that’s sarcasm).
If anything, they should complain about EV tax credit not rolling over to following years so the poor people can better take advantage of it. It’s the poor who drive most polluting cars; I don’t mean CO2, but immediately bad for health pollution like HC, CO, NOx, SOx, soot.
“Final tally: Taxpayers auto bailout loss $9.3B”
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2014/12/30/auto-bailout-tarp-gm-chrysler/21061251/
Is there anything else to say? BTW, incentives for gigafactory were not required, but offered. Simply put, Musk decided to build a factory and asked several states for the best fiscal conditions in exchange for jobs. Where’s the problem? Isn’t this “american”?
Good: it means Musk is starting to worry the establishment. I wouldn’t be surprised if this ad was from Elon itself, it’s really motivating 🙂
Mitt Romney back again? Get lost. A second time.
Worth a watch? No, not in my opinion. Don’t waste your time folks.