SAN FRANCISCO
Lee Heidhues 2.16.2025
Top graphic: – June 1971. Washington Post cartoon by Herblock decrying the Nixon Administration attempt to quash publication of the Vietnam War Pentagon Papers. Now this same newspaper is engaging in a form of Prior Restraint by kow towing to the White House. Refusing to run a political ad critical of Elon Musk.
Elon Musk is the de facto President of the United States. Even the wealthiest people kow towing to his bullying threats.
Including the Amazon monolith Jeff Bezos owned Washington Post. Which in an act of craven cowardice refused to run an ad titled “Fire Elon Musk.”
If the World needed to see who is running America, one need look no further than this report. It’s not Donald Trump. It’s the world’s wealthiest man Elon Musk.
The Hill 2.16.2025
The Washington Post this week backed out of a “Fire Elon Musk” advertising order that was to run as a wrap on some of its Tuesday editions, according to the advocacy group Common Cause.
Common Cause learned on Friday The Post would not run the outside-the-paper ad criticizing Musk.
“Is it because we’re critical of what’s happening with Elon Musk? Is it only ok to run things in The Post now that won’t anger the president or won’t have him calling Jeff Bezos asking why this was allowed?” she said, referring to The Post’s owner, who is also the founder of Amazon and the space company Blue Origin.
She said The Post did not provide an explanation for why it decided not to run the wrap ad.
The group said it signed a $115,000 agreement with The Post to run the ad that would have covered the front and back page of the Tuesday paper as well as a full-page ad with the same theme inside the paper. It said it planned to purchase the ad in collaboration with the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund.
The ad’s design features a large picture of Musk with his head tilted back, laughing, along with a cutout image of the White House and large white text: “Who’s running this country: Donald Trump or Elon Musk?”
Lower down on the page it features smaller font text stating: “Since day one, Elon has created chaos and confusion and put our livelihoods at risk. And he is accountable to no one but himself.”
“The Constitution only allows for one president at a time. Call your senators and tell them it’s time Donald Trump fire Elon Musk,” it says, followed by the URL FireMusk.org.
Common Cause President Virginia Kase Solomón said The Post’s advertising sales representative was informed of the nature of the ad and seemed confident that running it over the paper wouldn’t be a problem.
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