The MRC Flips Over Elon Musk, Part 14: Helping Musk Hate Soros

Elon Musk baselessly smeared George Soros as someone who purportedly "hates humanity," and the Soros-haters at the Media Research Center were there for it. PLUS: The MRC censors the fact that Musk praised the Unabomber.

By Terry Krepel
Posted 10/4/2023

George Soros

As Musk began his debacle-filled attempt to render the blue checkmark on Twitter accounts meaningless by giving it to anyone willing to pay a multibillionaire $8 a month, Joseph Vazquez bizarrely whined in an April 21 post that Soros wouldn't buy a checkmark from Musk:

Leftist billionaire George Soros is willing to spend billions of dollars to radically transform society into his own bizarre leftist utopia but he was apparently a cheapskate when it came to paying Twitter’s blue checkmark fee.

Twitter owner Elon Musk tweeted April 11 that April 20 would be the “final date” for removing legacy blue checkmarks from users who refuse to pay the $8 fee. Soros clearly didn’t pony up the cash and his account of roughly 388,000 followers was stripped of its blue checkmark.

To put this newfound miserly behavior into perspective, Soros transferred an enormous $18 billion of his own money in 2017 to his Open Society Foundations for the purposes of fueling a philanthropic giant that would spread his radical views on abortion, Marxist economics, anti-Americanism, defunding the police, environmental extremism and LGBT fanaticism, to name a few.

Or, perhaps, Soros understood that Musk has rendered the checkmark meaningless, since all it proved at the time was that a person was suckered into to giving $8 a month to a multibillionaire and getting nothing of value in return. (Musk has since moved other previously free features, such as use of TweetDeck, behind the paywall as well.) That would seem to make Soros a smarter investor than Musk, who wildly overpaid to buy Twitter and even admits the company is now worth less than half of the $44 billion he paid for it.

The MRC also gets touchy whenever it's pointed out that critics of George Soros are leaning into anti-Semitism -- and it merged that defensive posture with its fawning over Musk. Vazquez was stuck with that duty in a May 17 post:

Forbes magazine had an absolute cow over Twitter owner Elon Musk calling out leftist billionaire George Soros’ nutty open society agenda.

Forbes railed against Musk for daring to criticize Soros and accused him of “closely mirror[ing] right-wing conspiracy talking points about the billionaire.” Musk mocked Soros on Twitter following news of the billionaire completely divesting from Tesla stock: “Soros reminds me of Magneto.” Forbes exploited the conniptions of leftist Twitter users to accuse Musk of “repeating antisemitic tropes.” The headline was laced with agitprop: “Musk Fans Conspiracies About George Soros After Billionaire’s Fund Dumps All Tesla Holdings.”

Anti-trump obsessed Twitter personality Brian Krassenstein tried to pull the race card on Musk’s comparison by pointing out Soros and Magneto’s common Jewish origins, which literally had nothing to do with Musk’s tweet. “Soros, also a Holocaust survivor, get's attacked nonstop for his good intentions which some Americans think are bad merely because they disagree with this political affiliations,” tweeted Krassenstein. But Soros and “good intentions” is an oxymoron, and Musk was quick to point that out: “You assume they are good intentions. They are not. He wants to erode the very fabric of civilization. Soros hates humanity.”

Forbes attempted to victimize Soros in a tweet of its story: “Musk was called out for using antisemitic tropes to attack Soros, who has been the target of multiple right-wing conspiracy theories.”

Vazquez cannot possibly know whether Musk's Soros-Magneto crack "literally had nothing to do" with Jewishness, since he cited no evidence that Musk denied there was such a link and he presumably cannot read Musk's mind. Vazquez then tried to justify his irrational anti-Soros rage (which the MRC pays him well to spout):

But media outlets and leftists whipping out the race card to insulate Soros and demonize critics isn’t new. In fact, MRC Business conducted a massive three-part study showing how Soros spending millions to buy influence in major media around the world have pretty much secured him an elaborate shield, which includes creating the false impression that anyone who criticizes Soros at all is anti-Semitic.

Soros is notorious for his virulent opposition to American nationalism and sovereignty, and he isn’t even shy about it. Soros advocated in Open Society: Reforming Global Capitalism (2000) for an “Open Society Alliance” led by “developed democracies.” He said the United States “must subordinate our sovereignty” and lambasted America as the “greatest obstacle to establishing the rule of law in international affairs.” But it gets worse. Soros doesn’t even attempt to mince words about what his wild open society philosophy undergirded by abortion, Marxist economics, anti-Americanism, defunding the police, environmental extremism and LGBT fanaticism means when taken to its logical conclusion.

[...]

In essence, Musk was right, and Forbes’ impulsive ploy to defend Soros looks ridiculous in retrospect.

Vazquez didn't explain how, exactly, Soros wanting more of an international role in the rule of law made Musk right "in essence" in claiming that Soros "hates humanity."

Luis Cornelio cranked out his own defense of Musk the same day:

Twitter owner Elon Musk is doubling down on his defense of freedom of speech, despite CNBC trying to grill him over his tweets.

In a CNBC interview Tuesday, Musk stood stunned when CNBC Squawk on the Street co-anchor David Faber asked why the Twitter owner shared his opinions of George Soros on social media. Faber claimed that Musk’s unfiltered speech hurt his companies’ financial stakes. But Musk, who has made freedom of speech the bedrock for Twitter 2.0, didn’t back down: “I will say what I want to say. If the consequence of that is losing money, so be it.”

Faber brought up a May 15 tweet in which Musk ripped Soros for seeking to “erode the fabric of humanity” and asked whether Musk cared about losing advertisers. “You just don't care? You want to share what you have to say?” Faber asked. Referencing a line from The Princess Bride (1987), a fired-up Musk had stated during the tense exchange: "I don't care."

Cornelio curiously failed to report that after Faber asked his question, there was 12 awkward seconds of dead silence before Musk spouted his bizarre "Princess Bride" reference.

Cornelio followed by echoing Vazquez in claiming something he cannot possibly know about Musk's Soros-Magneto tweet:

“You tweeted today this thing about George Soros,” Faber said in reference to Musk’s criticism of the leftist billionaire. “You said, ‘[Soros] wants to erode the very fabric of civilization, and Soros hates humanity,” the CNBC reporter continued. Musk answered: “That's true. That's my opinion.“ Musk’s tweet alleging Soros wants to “erode” civilization came as a response to infamous anti-Trump personality Brian Krassenstein, who invoked the race card on Musk’s Magneto comparison by pointing to both the supervillain and Soros’ common Jewish origins. Race, however, had nothing to do with Musk’s tweet.

Vazquez returned for a May 18 post lashing out at more critics of Musk's attack on Soros:

Both New York Magazine Editor-at-Large Kara Swisher and MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle clearly don’t understand the American principle of free speech. And neither appear to know who George Soros is.

Following Twitter owner Elon Musk’s criticism of the leftist billionaire’s gambit to “erode the very fabric of civilization” on his social media platform, Ruhle went apoplectic in a May 16 interview with Fisher on MSNBC’s 11th Hour: “Why is Elon Musk permitted by shareholders, employees, his board to behave in a way that no other CEO in the world can act?” So-called tech journalist Swisher harrumphed that Musk is “steeped in this stuff, it looks like. I don’t think he’s just playing around. I don’t think he’s just saying what he wants. I think he’s starting to believe this stuff.” Swisher went back to the leftist well and quipped that “misinformation ultimately grabs people’s heads and squeezes it dry.” Later in the segment, Swisher accused Musk of having a “god complex” because of his supposed tendency of “saying things over and over again so that they’re true.”

For Swisher to accuse Musk of having a “god complex” while Soros is in the same conversation sounds like harebrained satire. Soros admitted in his magnum opus, The Alchemy of Finance, that he “always harbored” an “exaggerated view” of his “self-importance.” He continued: “[T]o put it bluntly, I fancied myself as some kind of god or economic reformer like [John Maynard] Keynes (each with his General Theory) or, even better, a scientist like Einstein.”’

To put a point on it, Soros’ own “god” complex is reflected in the ungodly fortunes he’s spent manipulating media and politics around the world to fit his distorted view of an “open society,” even if it means knee-capping national sovereignty. As he said in Soros on Soros: Staying Ahead of the Curve: “‘Of course, what I do could be called meddling, because I want to promote an open society. An open society transcends national sovereignty.’”

A quote from Soros chronicled in late New York Times reporter Michael T. Kaufman’s book Soros: The Life and Times of a Messianic Billionaire summarizes how he seeks to encourage the global society to adopt his leftist ideology: “‘Yes, I do have a foreign policy, and now I have it more consciously. My goal is to become the conscience of the world.’” In 2019, Soros told The New York Times that “‘[t]he arc of history doesn’t follow its own course. It needs to be bent.’” He continued: “‘I am really engaged in trying to bend it in the right direction.’”

Oh, but it's Musk who has an issue with a “god complex,” right Swisher?

We suspect that Vazquez has never described the money from right-wing billionaires that seek to change the world by funding the MRC -- and, thus, his paycheck -- as being "ungodly." (The MRC has previously ranted about Soros criticizing Trump as a narcissist while accusing him of being a "self-absorbed billionaire.")

The same day, Tom Olohan whined about another Musk critic:

A prominent leftist talking head at CNN just went all-in on a smear campaign, egging on his guests to paint Elon Musk as an anti-Semite for daring to call out leftist billionaire George Soros.

On May 17th, CNN anchor Jake Tapper spoke to CNN Analyst Sara Fischer and former Congressman Ted Deutch about three recent Musk tweets about Soros. After introducing leftist billionaire Soros as a “philanthropist”, Tapper said that Musk “launched a baseless twitter attack against George Soros, the progressive Jewish philanthropist, who has been the target of antisemitic conspiracy theories.” Tapper emphasized insane interpretations of Musk’s tweets on the leftist mega donor, including a tweet comparing Soros to fictional supervillain Magneto. While Tapper hid behind the words “critics say” and let his guests do most of his dirty work, he said this later in the interview:

“Its interesting, in terms of how Elon Musk has chosen to run the platform. He’s constantly engaging with people who are bad faith actors, I mean, people who subscribe to QAnon, people who are white supremacists, people who are focused on black-and-white violence, I mean he’s, people who criticize diversity in Hollywood casting, I mean these are choices he’s making.” No question followed, as Tapper was simply trying to elicit more criticism of Musk from his guests.

Olohan offered no evidence that Tapper is "leftist." He then tried to retcon Musk's tweet to prove he was right that Soros "hates humanity," starting with a rant about "Soros' litany of leftist prosecutors he backs who share his soft-on-crime philosophy":

While encouraging a criminal justice approach that makes Americans unsafe is serious, this is not the only reason why Soros might be said to “hate humanity.” Soros has also financed Planned Parenthood’s slaughter of millions of unborn babies, donating over $21 million to Planned Parenthood and affiliated organizations since 2016, while also donating tens of millions from 2000 to 2014. Soros has also donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to NARAL and four other organizations that promote abortion, while giving millions to another.

Olohan didn't explain how, exactly, Soros believing that women should be able to make their own choices about having children equates to "hating humanity."

Olohan tried to help Musk pivot away from that in another May 18 post:

After Twitter owner Elon Musk’s tweets about leftist mega donor George Soros drew heavy criticism from across the leftist media, Musk was not only undeterred but tripled down on his earlier comments.

Musk responded directly to a “Squawk Box” clip criticizing his tweets May 18. While Musk conceded that comparing Soros to a comic book character was an imperfect choice, he quickly pivoted to directly state some of Soros’ misdeeds. Musk tweeted, “Anyway, my actual concern with Soros is that he has funded so many politicians & DAs who are soft even on violent crime, which has caused great damage to many cities imo. Also, while I am very much in favor of expanding legal immigration, we must have some vetting of who comes in, so that we do not allow dangerous felons to prey upon innocent Americans.”

[...]

Elon Musk’s latest tweet on Soros, follows several earlier ones on Soros’ political motives and funding of radical leftist DA’s, as well as a quote comparing Soros’ to the fictional supervillain Magneto.

CNN, Forbes, and MSNBC all smeared Musk for his tweet comparing Soros to Magneto. Musk was also questioned about his tweets in a CNBC interview before he responded to a “Squawk Box” clip about them. Despite this, the free speech advocate did not back down, standing by his criticism of Soros’ criminal justice views and spending. He even doubled down in a response to his initial tweet, writing, “I’d like apologize for this post[.]” He tweeted again, “It was really unfair to Magneto.”

Yes, Olohan really wants you to think the top business news network and the top business magazine are "leftist."

Vazquez used a May 22 post to hype a poll by a notoriously right-wing pollster claiming Americans agree with Musk's attack on Soros:

A majority of Americans are rejecting the media’s attempts to shield leftist billionaire activist George Soros from criticism and cast his opponents as anti-Semites.

A new survey by Rasmussen Reports and Ron Coleman’s ColemanNation podcast of 1,002 U.S. likely voters revealed that “Most American voters have a negative opinion of liberal billionaire George Soros, and nearly half agree with [Twitter owner] Elon Musk’s words comparing Soros to a comic-book villain.” Specifically, 51 percent of respondents reported viewing Soros “unfavorably,” which included 39 percent who had a “very unfavorable” impression of the billionaire. This poll’s release comes days after Musk set Twitter on fire for comparing Soros to Marvel supervillain Magneto, saying Soros "hates humanity" and for criticizing Soros for seeking to “erode the very fabric of civilization.”

Despite all the media bluster to make Soros into some kind of a victim, Americans clearly aren’t buying it. “Forty-seven percent (47%) of voters agree with [Musk’s] quote, including 35% who Strongly Agree that Soros ‘hates humanity,’” according to the survey taken between May 16-18, 2023.

Outlets like Forbes and CNN tried to cast Musk as being “anti-Semitic” for his tweets, though Soros’ ethnicity had nothing to do with what Musk was saying.

A May 23 post by Olohan declared "VINDICATION" because Alan Dershowitz declared Soros to be a Jew right-wingers are allowed to hate -- a key anti-Soros narrative at the MRC:

Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Alan Dershowitz has weighed in to defend Elon Musk’s criticisms of George Soros and offered a few scathing remarks of his own.

Dershowitz published a May 21 op-ed in The Wall Street Journal pushing back against leftist media hacks who have called Musk’s tweets on Soros “antisemitic.” Dershowitz wrote, “But Mr. Musk stands falsely accused. Mr. Soros is an active participant in politics, and his Jewishness shouldn’t shield him from criticism.” Following these remarks, Dershowitz went into detail on how George Soros has acted to harm not only America, but also the Jewish state of Israel. “[N]o single person has done more to damage Israel’s standing in the world, especially among so-called progressives, than George Soros,” Dershowitz rebuked.

Dershowitz lists two anti-Israel groups, Human Rights Watch and J-Street, which Soros has donated massive amounts of money to in the past.

But criticism of Israel is not, in and of itself, anti-Semitic, and Dershowitz and Olohan are being dishonest by claiming it is. Olohan cited criticism of Human Rights Watch by its founder over "the Israeli-Arab conflict," but it's not anti-Semitic to criticize Israel's treatment of Palestinians. He also attacked J Street for trying to "counter the work of the pro-Israel group, AIPAC," but he didn't mention that AIPAC is very much a right-wing organization that supports Republican candidates and spends money to defeat Democratic candidates, especially if they criticize Israel and have expressed support for Palestinians. It's also false for Olohan to call J Street "anti-Israel," and J Street has an entire list of myths about its purported lack of support for Israel it will happily disabuse people of.

Olohan went on to tout how "Dershowitz also quoted an article from the Jewish News Service to emphasize that he wasn’t the only “Jewish American” to be wary of Soros’ radicalism," adding:

The Harvard Law professor also agreed that Soros has had “a pernicious influence” on America, citing leftist Soros-backed candidates for district attorney across the country. Dershowitz also stated that he agrees with Musk that, “Mr. Soros’s acts contribute to fraying the ‘fabric of civilization.’” Ideally, America would have a media that would be curious about the magnitude of Soros’ influence in global politics. Instead, the nation is left with a bloated, Soros-funded propaganda media mill that is intent on nefariously denigrating those who dare to criticize him.

That's a highly ironic statement, given how the MRC works as a propaganda media mill for Musk.

Musk praises Unabomber, MRC hides it

The death of Unabomber Ted Kaczynski prompted a June 11 flashback-style post by Tim Graham:

The apparent death by suicide of "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski might come as a "who's that" from younger citizens. Between 1978 and 1995, Kaczynski mailed or hand-delivered a series of increasingly sophisticated bombs that killed three people and maimed or injured 23 others.

Nevertheless, our Best of Notable Quotables 1996 edition included several sickening examples of journalists praising the eco-terrorist

[...]

Leftist journalists tried to claim you couldn't pin the Unabomber on the Left:

But what Graham -- and all other MRC writers -- failed to mention is that among those who praised Kaczynski was the MRC's favorite erratic billionaire, Elon Musk. When a person on Twitter repeated the beginning of the Unabomber's manifesto, in which he stated that "The Industrial Revolution and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race" -- which Graham also made a point of quoting in an attempt to portray Kaczynski as being "on the Left" -- Musk responded, "He might not be wrong."

But then, the MRC is Musk's PR division, and it publishes only positive things about him (as long as he continues to adhere to right-wing narratives and allow right-wing Twitter users to spew anti-transgender hate).

Still, it's glaring hypocrisy when the MRC attacks all those who have praised the Unabomber -- except one person.