I decided against using "unelected" to describe Musk in an upcoming piece because ... cabinet-level people are not "elected." Need a better term. Un-nominated? Un-confirmed? I'm not sure what it is.
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The fact that he's rich enough to buy off every law enforcement AGENCY (nevermind the officials, the whole thing) that would go after him? yeah, that's why he isn't being flown back to South Africa in cuffs.
When leaving messages for my senators, I've been using the clunky phrase "unelected and not appointed by the Senate," which leaves a lot to be desired.
Me & Elmo,had a 'meeting of the minds' this morning. He didn't like my retort: probably in 4yrs,your hashtag cronies will rise up,tar & feather you, ship you off to another colony. He immediately banned me for 2 weeks,I hit the appeal button: F'K' you Elmo,and Drumpf, and your MAGA.Igot bail money
Maybe framing it in terms of what he is rather than what he is not? Words like "interloper," "infiltrator," etc. I've also struggled writing about this quality. Musk has become a "Deep State" agent of sorts (at least in the sense that the right uses the term).
I've also tried to illustrate Musk's position in this administration through analogizing him to historical interlopers in other democratic systems. But most of these comparisons are either too obscure or endow the deeply unserious unserious figure of Musk with too much grandeur.
Like, the guy's not even on the books, and his lawyers have advised him to not even go for a better security clearance so he can see all the things SpaceX does for the Pentagon, because they're afraid a review would get his existing clearance yanked.
"unelected" doesn't work because, other than the president, everyone in the executive branch is unelected; from senate-confirmed positions, to each and every person in the military, everyone in the civil service, every USPS clerk or mail carrier
what those folks have that elon musk doesn't is formally lawful status
pete hegseth may be a drunk misogynist nominated by a seditionist, sexual assaulting felon, but he was confirmed by the senate to a position that is defined by law
musk is just a dude without even a slight veneer of legitimacy
Remember when Bill C Put Hillary RC to work on health insurance for children (an area of expertise) and Rush Limbo and all of his empty-heads kept whining “Nobody voted for HER.”
Most accurate would be "unconfirmed," but other blatantly unqualified people like hegseth HAVE been confirmed, so I think that emotional truth you mentioned is actually best summed up by "unaccountable," and the ugly truth is that it applies to the elected/unelected and confirmed/unconfirmed alike.
That's what I thought when the right attacked Hillary for being "unelected" when she was first lady, "well, neither are the cabinet secretaries, sparky."
He's illegitimate as an officer. His cabinet position not only isn't confirmed, it doesn't exist and isn't allowed to be created in the manner it was created. His power has been stolen. He's a usurper.
sigh this gets into the weeds but he's basically not a government employee at all. He has a WH pass but he didn't do any financial disclosures and DOGE is basically the IT Dept. His "job" is very nebulous which makes the power he's wielding even more worrying
Maybe "unaccountable"? He's basically doing stuff without any Congressional oversight and the White House is letting him do whatever he wants without anyone pushing back.
He’s not a cabinet person. DOGE is not a government department. He’s a private citizen wandering loose in the halls of power like a 3-year old playing with sharp knives and grenades. Yes, difficult to boil down to a word or phrase. How about “domestic terrorist.”
How about "unsworn". Legitimate officers of the United States swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Musk, South African nazi, has not sworn that oath and is thus unsworn and illegitimate.
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Un-approved?
Rogue
Unconfirmed is really good
He's a foreign national, living here illegally.
The fact that he's rich enough to buy off every law enforcement AGENCY (nevermind the officials, the whole thing) that would go after him? yeah, that's why he isn't being flown back to South Africa in cuffs.
Unappointed and unconfirmed.
Unamerican.
How about Foreign born billionaire who thinks the poor get too much government aid?
You could also try "chosen without qualification" or "forced in" or "illogically picked"
Like, the guy's not even on the books, and his lawyers have advised him to not even go for a better security clearance so he can see all the things SpaceX does for the Pentagon, because they're afraid a review would get his existing clearance yanked.
pete hegseth may be a drunk misogynist nominated by a seditionist, sexual assaulting felon, but he was confirmed by the senate to a position that is defined by law
musk is just a dude without even a slight veneer of legitimacy
Call the Spade what he is. Avoid falling into Pointy Clubs.
Unaccountable hatchet man...
Unqualified hack...
A dumb person's idea of how smart people move
So yeah. "An unelected billionaire bought the presidency" is apt.
https://bsky.app/profile/duendeonfuego.bsky.social/post/3lh345coenk2l
Unsanctioned
Interloping
Illegitimate
Unnecessary.
Unwanted.
Might as well use their own language against them
Untethered
UnAmerican
Unnecessary
Unneeded