DL Open Thread Monday, Dec. 25, 2023

Digby, noting Trump’s claim to have won the war on Christmas, has an interesting story about the Nazis’ attempts to modify Christmas to their particular tastes. Let’s just say peace on Earth was not viewed as a priority.

You know who wants a present from taxpayers? The owners of America’s professional sports teams, who are gearing up to push for major public funding of stadiums and arenas for their private, for-profit businesses. If history is any guide, elected officials will be only too happy to play Santa Claus.

Republican congresspeople are so batshit crazy, so you have to mistrust everything they say. But with that in mind, it’s interesting that Rep. Tim Burchett, a Tennessee wingnut, claims some of his colleagues have been caught in honey traps and threatened with exposure:

“You’re visiting — you’re out of the country or out of town or you’re in a motel or at a bar in D.C. — and whatever you’re into — women or men or whatever — comes up and they’re very attractive, and they’re laughing at your jokes. And you’re buying them a drink. Next thing you know, you’re in the motel room with them naked.”

Then, the Tennessee Republican continued, after some time, the hypothetical lawmaker finds themselves about to make a “key vote” on Capitol Hill.

“And what happens?” Burchett said. “Some well-dressed person comes out and whispers in your ear, ‘Hey, man, there’s tapes out on you.’ Or, ‘Were you in a motel room or whatever with whoever?’ And then you’re like, ‘Uh-oh.’ And they say, ‘You really ought not to be voting for this thing.’

“And, you know, what do they do? It’s human nature,” Burchett added. “No man or no woman actually is an island, and they know what to get at. If it’s women, drugs, booze, it’ll find you in D.C. and in most elected offices.”

Starbucks waded into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and is paying the price. When Starbucks Workers United tweeted support for Palestinians, the corporation sued, leading to widespread boycotts. Now the CEO is begging customers to return by claiming it was all a big misunderstanding. Yeah, sure. I’d join the boycott but I don’t drink the stuff in the first place.

Ah, enough of this crap, it’s Christmas. Hope you’re having a good one.