Elon Musk is just the latest American to realize how badly Democratic policies are faring

Sky-high inflation, surging gas prices and constant chaos from the Biden administration seem to have disillusioned some everyday Democrats.

Let’s call it the summer of their discontent: Are the optics of progressive policies just bad or are people finally seeing the fatal flaws in liberal ideas? I’d argue both.

Elon Musk announced last week on Twitter that he was no longer a Democrat.

“In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party,” the billionaire wrote. “But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican…”

Musk could be a classic case of a liberal mugged by reality, or it could be a publicity stunt. But given his penchant for free speech and the free market, he might be finally realizing he’s actually more of a classical liberal, a political ideology that advocates for the free market, intact civil liberties, limited government, and economic and political freedom.

Though libertarians probably identify most with those ideas, the U.S. is a two-party system, so it’s natural Musk would veer to Republicans.

It’s about time Musk realized that while the average Tesla owner is a fifty-something, childless resident of California, the progressive ideas that have entrenched the Golden State aren’t actually good for the economy — or America overall. Freedom is America’s most important idea to protect and exhibit. While Republicans don’t do it perfectly, they at least embrace that principle first.

For saying he’s switching parties, Musk has been attacked incessantly online and even accused of sexual misconduct in a sudden claim that Musk has said is bogus.

Another billionaire, Jeff Bezos, has been feuding with the Biden administration over a similar battle of ideas. After President Joe Biden tweeted that the best way to handle inflation was to “make sure the wealthiest corporations pay their fair share,” Bezos shot back: “Raising [corporate] taxes is fine to discuss. Taming inflation is critical to discuss. Mushing them together is just misdirection.”

He added that the Biden administration “knows inflation hurts the neediest most.”

While Bezos’ donations might make him look fairly nonpartisan, his social views are usually more liberal. His combative tweets are a departure from that stance, proof that while he may not be changing parties, he, too, is disillusioned with the Biden administration, especially when it comes to inflation and taxes.

This happens on both sides of the political aisle.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson recently slammed Rep. Dan Crenshaw, the Houston-area congressman, calling him “Eyepatch McCain” after he voted for a $40 billion Ukraine aid package.

In a series of tweets, Crenshaw explained his vote, calling the package “too expensive” but saying: “I don’t get to vote for ‘perfect’ — I get a yes or no vote.” He added that he hoped the package would “severely degrade the Russian military’s capabilities for years to come, without sacrificing a single American soldier, allowing us to focus on more serious threats like China.”

Crenshaw values national security. He spent a decade as a Navy SEAL, losing an eye in Afghanistan. In smearing him, Carlson not only attacked Crenshaw’s patriotism but mocked him for casting a vote that Crenshaw saw as necessary and good.

No politician will toe an ideological line perfectly, but ideology does matter. Beliefs guide policies that shape this country, for better or for worse. (Don’t think so? See the stimulus that fueled inflation.)

These feuds demonstrate that while liberal ideas look good on paper, they hurt average Americans, economically and socially. At the same time, conservative ideas look great on paper, but they can be hard to implement, especially when competing with huge spending.

In the end, whether your hope was in the Biden administration, now wilting as quickly as your potted plant on the porch in the Texas summer heat, or you really liked Crenshaw and now think he might be a fake Republican, remember: Politics can’t be your religion and people, especially politicians, can’t be your gods.

They’ll elate you when they’re right and disappoint you when they’re wrong.