Dan Snyder Gets Down In the Dirt

Dan Snyder, owner of DC’s allegedly-professional football team, is gathering dirt on his fellow NFL team owners and the league commissioner, says ESPN. Mr. Synder, long regarded as pro football’s worst owner, stubbornly retained the team’s former racist name until well into the 21st century, meddled in team coaching, and was rumored to fiddle with the books and female employees. The last became subjects of congressional investigation. He seems to have gathered dirt on other team owners and Commissioner Roger Goodell to blackmail them into letting him keep ownership of the Commanders.

More:

“Sources: Commanders boss Snyder claims ‘dirt’ on NFL owners, Goodell,” Seth Wickersham, Don Van Natta Jr. and Tisha Thompson, ESPN

“Dan Snyder’s dirt can’t cause NFL more harm than he’s already done,” Nancy Armour, USA Today

“Is this why Daniel Snyder hasn’t been drop-kicked out of the NFL?” Eric Blum and DJ Dunson, Deadspin

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Trump to Georgia Official: Steal Me an Election

Mere days before he’s evicted from the Executive Mansion, lame-duck President Donald Trump can’t resist another chance to break the law, trying to turn the land of his birth into a banana republic. In an hour-long phone call, aided by Mark Meadows and other co-conspirators, he tried to wheedle, cajole, pressure, and threaten Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, a fellow Republican, into “finding” him 11,780 votes and overturning his defeat in the state’s November’s election, even though Georgia’s returns have been reviewed three times and certified by the state’s electors.

But even if Mr. Trump got Georgia’s 16 electoral votes, Joe Biden would still have won the U.S. presidential election by 40 electoral votes, so you’ve got to wonder: in what other states has Donald Trump been illegally leaning on election officials?

Mr. Trump has threatened to sue Brad Raffensperger for making recordings of the phone call public, but his recording of the conversation is legal under Georgia State Law.

Here are some of the Trump-Raffensperger phone call low-lights:

Trump Tantrum Prolongs His Government Shutdown

As the end of the year approaches, President Donald Trump has thrown a temper tantrum, shutting down the federal government, and barricaded himself in the White House until his extortionate demands are met. If congress wants to reopen the government, he wants $5 billion for a border wall of undetermined design. No wall, no government.

Seeking new threat targets, Mr. Trump now says he’ll shut down the southern border if he doesn’t get his way, a move that would violate international law and cost U.S. businesses billions of dollars.

The chief executive continues to sulk in the White House, foregoing a planned Mar-a-Lago New Year’s party.

More:

“Trump struggles to make a coherent case for his border wall,” Steve Benen, MSNBC

“More Americans blame Trump for government shutdown: Reuters/Ipsos poll,” Chris Kahn and Ginger Gibson, Reuters

“Most Americans would rather spend the $5 billion Trump is demanding for the border wall on infrastructure, education, or healthcare,” Bob Bryan and Walt Hickey, Business Insider

“About That Wall Trump Said Mexico Would Be Paying For: QuickTake,” Mark Niquette, Bloomberg, via Washington Post

“No Deal in Sight: Shutdown Here to Stay Amid Border Wall Stalemate,” John T. Bennett, Roll Call

“Trump: Give Me a Wall or I’ll Engineer a Recession,” Eric Levitz, New York Magazine

Related:

“Trump admin to unpaid federal workers who can’t make rent: beg, barter, and get a lawyer.” Boing Boing

“Taxpayers Are Subsidizing Mar-a-Lago’s New Year’s Eve Party Despite Trump’s Shutdown,” Ryan Bort, New York Post

“Five lessons that never seem to be learned from shutting down the government,” Leon Panetta, Washington Post

“The Border Wall Is a Symbol of Our Symbolic Politics,” Jonah Goldberg, National Review

Update:

“Trump Gripes About Lonely Xmas With No One But ‘Machine Gunners’ Who Don’t Smile,” Nicole Lafond, TPM Livewire

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Border Wall: Art of the Threat

After being schooled on TV by Nancy Pelosi, President Trump is conducting his latest extortion campaign via Twitter and White House Staff Creature Stephen Miller. The Trump Doctrine: Gimme $5 billion for my border wall, or else:

“If we don’t get what we want one way or the other, whether it’s through you, it’s through military, I will shut down the government.”

The deadline is Friday.

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GOP Extortionists Take Americans Hostage

“Obama Says No Talks While GOP ‘Threatening To Harm Women and Children,’”  Noah Rayman, TIME Magazine blog

“Obama: GOP tactics hold middle class ‘hostage,'” David Jackson, USA Today

“Five Reasons Not To Hold Obamacare Hostage In The Government Shutdown,” Carolyn McClanahan, Forbes

“Republicans Aren’t Hostage Takers, They’re Political Terrorists,” Michael Tomasky, Daily Beast

“Carney: Republicans are ‘irresponsible and reckless,’ using ‘threat and extortion,'” Jennifer Epstein, Politico

“Stocks drop amid fears of federal government shutdown,” Andrew Tangel, Los Angeles Times

“The GOP flunks Hostage Taking 101,” Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post

“The GOP’s Suicide Squeeze,” John Dickerson, Slate

“GOP’s ‘Mass psychosis’ holds country hostage, says Dem congressman,” Jessica Taylor, MSNBC

“Dumbest extortion attempt ever: Republican scheme’s perverse logic,” Brian Beutler, Salon

“The Anti-Obamacare Hostage Taking Will Damage Future Policymaking,” Keith Humphreys, Washington Monthly blog

“Governing by Blackmail,” Nicholas Kristoff, New York Times

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GOP Monomania: ‘Kill Obamacare!’

The Republican majority in the House of Representatives has voted to shut down the federal government unless the Affordable Health Care Act (aka “Obamacare”) is shut down. Since they took over the House in 2011, Republicans have voted to repeal Obamacare 42 times, roughly once every 24 days. Who says this is an unproductive Congress?

The GOP’s Tea Party legislative strategy is simple: Extortion. Its political philosophy is best summed up by Marlon Brando:

GOP Declares Christmas Truce, Releases Hostages

House Republican leaders have finally agreed to a short-term extension of the payroll-tax break that saves working Americans money in these hard times. They had been holding middle-class families hostage on behalf of billionaire oil barons who want to build a huge multi-state pipeline without real review.

Don’t spend your savings too fast, wage-slaves. Like in the Christmas Truce of World War I, it will be back to the trenches in the New Year. Expect more extortionate demands from Congressional Republicans.

Happy Holidays.

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Berlusconi Vowed to Leave Italy

The good news: Silvio Berlusconi vowed to leave Italy.

The bad news: He didn’t say when.

Prime Minister Berlusconi made the statement in a phone conversation to his pimps, who were also blackmailing him. While his language was rather coarse, Mr. B. is no Rod Blagojevich.

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U.S. Funds Afghan Warlords

A new Congressional report outlines U.S. protection payoffs to Afghan warlords. Warlord, Inc.: Extortion and Corruption Along the U.S. Supply Chain in Afghanistan was just issued by the House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, chaired by Rep. John Tierney (D, MA-6). The subcommittee will hold hearings on the topic today.

Truck convoys supply Forward Operating Bases throughout Afghanistan under DOD’s $2 billion Host Nation Trucking (HNT) program, and the contractors are responsible for providing their own security. They end up “hiring” the warlords and insurgents who would be prone to attacking them.