One interpretation of the German election appears to be that since mobilization of various electorates canceled each other out, it amounts to Musk not having had an impact.
While this might be true for the ultimate % points not moving much, I think this is a misinterpretation of how we got there!
While this might be true for the ultimate % points not moving much, I think this is a misinterpretation of how we got there!
Reposted from
Thomas Zimmer
Musk’s aggressive interference sparked quite a bit of consternation and fear: Would it further boost the AfD’s chances? Well, the results are in, and it doesn’t look like Musk had much of an impact either way. He seems to have driven away as many people as he may have mobilized.
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I think it's right not to inflate their or Musk's power, but we still need to take this (attempted) meddling very seriously!
But I'm also saying that two-sided mobilization is not the same as not having impact. In fact, it arguably has a double impact.
So we need to be just as (or more) careful to not just brush Musk's involvement off as incompetent & ultimately ineffective.
It is much more difficult for civil society to maintain these levels of mobilization.
I totally agree with the author I am citing here to not attribute all of this to Musk. Complex factors are at work.
I just disagree with assuming there was no effect because they cancel each other out.