Not Your Country

I agree with you that the GOP's intervention here is pretty ridiculous, but in fairness this has nothing at all to do with the free market. Baseball is a protected monopoly, enjoying government protection afforded to almost no other industry. The reason the GOP can even think about threatening here is that baseball is so tied up with the U.S. government.

Fair enough, but that does little to mitigate the hypocrisy. Just because there has already been government involvement doesn't make further government involvement any less hypocritical, especially when that further involvement is a completely arbitrary (as far as the law is concerned) abuse of power.

So it is OK to have an ownership stake if you are part of the family of a former Republican president? There is no decency left in the Radical Republic party. Twenty years from now we'll all laugh at the buffoons they became.

Why the hell is Soros buying baseball teams instead of tv networks?

This is completely fucking unbelievable. Who do these people think they are?

I assume the Democrats running Congress didn't say anything when the president's son helped buy the Rangers in 89?

The hypocrisy of this is incredibly. The League would be allowing politics to interfere by selling to the Ledecky group if they provide the highest bid?

Again, who the fuck do these people think they are?

Hey, a porn star can come to their fundraising event for the right price. Maybe Soros should just cut them a $5,000 check and be done with it.

This is completely fucking unbelievable. Who do these people think they are?

I assume the Democrats running Congress didn't say anything when the president's son helped buy the Rangers in 89?

The hypocrisy of this is incredibly. The League would be allowing politics to interfere by selling to the Ledecky group if they provide the highest bid?

Again, who the fuck do these people think they are?

Funny, I don't remember the GOPers raising a stink when Rupert Murdoch bought the Dodgers back in the mid-1990s.

I also can't recall any of the wingers getting irate over Tom Monaghan, the anti-abortion crusader who owns the Detroit Tigers.

Hell, I don't think the wingnuts have even made a peep about Herb Kohl, the Democratic senator who owns the Milwaukee Bucks.

But I suppose since Soros donated major money to Kerry and other progressive causes, he's public enemy #1 according to these goons.

How is this any different than threatening an IRS audit if a company were to consider hiring, say, Michael Moore? It seems to me that using the power of government to harrass any private enterprise into blacklisting a private citizen has got to be somehow illegal, or at the very least, highly unethical. I thought I had lost my capacity to be shocked, but this is truly outrageous.

Mr. Soros' lawyer ought to write to the Government Reform and DC Approps committees, seeking a declaration from Congress of the personal investments he's permitted -- as a Democratic activist -- to make in this country.

I'm sure he'd like to hear from Congress just what he is and isn't allowed to do with what they're so fond of calling "his hard-earned money." Or at least, that's what they call it when a Republican "earns" it.

I love it. The Republicans have let finally achieving control over all four branches of government (I include the MSM) go completely to their tiny wittle heads.

Threatening people to stop someone from owning a MLB out of partisan spite is a type of bullying EVERYBODY automatically understands is wrong. There is no defense. These guys are completely out of control and are now doing tons of our work for us. Yay.

Kinda reminds me of what PC did to the left about 15 years ago, NOT that anybody wants me to remind them again.

"Tom Monaghan, the anti-abortion crusader who owns the Detroit Tigers."

Actually, he sold the team about a decade ago, just as he began to rasie his political profile (and incidently, after wrecking the franchise through incompetent management)

So, what's new? The Republicans have been systematically trying to destroy anyone who dares to oppose them for nearly 20 years. From Ann Coulters' rants, to White House secrecy and fearmongering, stolen elections, special investigators and impeachments that go on and on and on, on the flimsiest of excuses. Why is this so significant? Maybe because it is so utterly unimportant to the political process; it shows the rabidity of their paranoia, and the stalinist tilt of this administration and congressional leadership. Anybody ready to stand and oppose them ought to expect to be mowed down, figuritvely if not literally.

And when will the democrats in Congress begin the truth-saying that is necessary to leash these tyrants-in-training in? Stop harping on those who do speak truth to power (like Gov. Dean), and begin to boldly speak now.

What if the Chinese wanted to buy it?

Perhaps the Republicans are a bit worried that Soros might actually keep TRACK of which Senator accepts which Lobbyist's invitation to join them in the Skyboxes.

Oh, that would be, um, inconvenient, wouldn't it?

What must those MLB owner-Bush Rangers be thinking when John Henry, primus inter pares of the Red Sox ownership group, sits down at the table? Kerry supporter, active enemy of racism in pro sports --- how does he fit in? Then again, think of his team's fan base, the Red Sox Nation. Probably just a little to the left of the MLB owners.

Rather than complaining about McCarthyism, try using the current World Champions as symbols of a more inclusive politics.

So the Republicans are all angry and up in arms over the possibility that Democratic contributor extraordinaire George Soros might just purchase their Washington Nationals baseball team. I guess if Soros does get the team, then all those wonderful luxury boxes where Republican senators and representatives can take in a ballgame with their big business and Religious Right lobbyists, while thinking up newer ways to give more tax breaks and goodies to big business, or to impose more social controls to the average citizens. We can't let George Soros take over those luxury boxes--then the DEMOCRATS can use them to take in a ballgame with their own union and environmental lobbyists!

MY GOD!! That's sacrilegious! Congress must act in the best interests of the Republican Party!