Typically, we don't follow too much of the drama that goes on in Social Media or Conservatism Incorporated's echo-chambers; but the last two days have been a firestorm, mostly on Elon Musk's network, X. To summarize this controversy as best that we can, on Wednesday Musk called for an extension of H1B visas to import more cheap labor for Big Tech. That would have been bad enough, but both he and Vivek Ramaswamy responded to criticism---mostly from the hardcore racist element of the New Right who hate all immigrants---by doubling-down and complaining that Americans weren't producing enough quality people (which is putting what they actually said rather diplomatically). The rhetoric ratcheted up and Musk has been chimping out for almost 24 straight hours, suspending and banning accounts that disagree with him. In short, Musk is behaving like some of the Biblical oriental tyrants who fly into paroxysms of rage whenever their will is questioned.
There are two points worth mentioning here. The first are all of these anti-immigration MAGA people who feel betrayed. I'm not sure where they've been for the last six months, because what Musk is proposing has been the New Right's stated position since then at least.
It has been the objective of the Tech Lords to create a two-tiered immigration enforcement system: round up the immigrants they can't use (while expanding the Police State and the Prison-Industrial Complex) and giving others a free pass (which saves them the expense of outsourcing).
The second point here is that Musk is actually half-right for a change. He isn't right in crushing dissent which, fortunately (for now), he can only do on Twitter. We here have long advocated, however, sensible immigration reform, somewhat like Musk is proposing, which would augment our workforce and increase our declining demographic problems. Let us all candidly admit that Musk's and Ramaswamy's assessment of the quality of American education is not altogether exaggerated. Along with immigration reform, we need to invest heavily in educational and vocational reforms. However, most of the Postmodern Right isn't interested in reforming either sector.
The issue here is that the Conservative-Industrial Complex---Musk and Ramaswamy included---have engaged in some of the most vile xenophobic propaganda as well as praising state officials for executing barbaric actions against refugees and immigrants. In other words, the New Right has sown the wind and reaped the whirlwind. One can't bombard the public with rhetoric about immigrant invaders who are poisoning our blood and then expect that one's supporters are going to welcome foreign tech workers with open arms no matter how qualified they may be.
The Republican Leadership has brought this internal revolt down upon their own heads. Their failure to call out extremist elements within their movement; their shameless hyping and distortion of the immigration issue; and their abject failure to address the underlying problems behind the demographic crises facing the native-born is the direct cause of the dissent growing against them now. The billionaires running the 2024 Campaign never hid nor disguised their intentions, to wit, that they intended to promote one thing while doing another. The protesters are complaining now that they were misled; in reality they deluded themselves.
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