Post by @amcooper@toot.cat

There's a political tactic that doesn't maybe get discussed often enough and that's backroom threats.

Representative-elect Don Leonard (Dem., Ohio 15) reveals that he was threatened by Dem leadership to back Hakeem for Speaker or else https://www.commondreams.org/news/jeffries-living-hell-leonard

Senator Murkowski (Rep., Alaska) said last year that "retaliation is real" https://www.adn.com/politics/2025/04/14/we-are-all-afraid-speaking-to-alaska-nonprofit-leaders-murkowski-gets-candid-on-upheaval-in-federal-government/

The approval for the data center in Saline, Michigan came on the back of the state threatening to bankrupt the town (can't find the citation).

I suspect the maintenance of capitalism is performed largely via mafia-style threats.

Anchorage Daily News

During a 45-minute discussion, the senator discussed a number of topics, ranging from protests to illegal withholding of funds to widespread anxiety.

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plague-of-grackles 😷🍉🐈‍⬛

@amcooper@toot.cat 2 hr. ago

Maybe I'm the last to know.

Woozle Hypertwin

@woozle@toot.cat 25 min. ago

@amcooper If I was in his position, I would say "okay, thank you for being up-front about your corruptness; I now know to never support any of you or Mr Jeffries under any circumstances."

...and I might add "Go ahead and make my life a 'living hell' if that's what you enjoy. I will take your fire so my constituents don't have to -- and I will document all of it. You are writing your own resignation-letters, saying this to me now."

plague-of-grackles 😷🍉🐈‍⬛

@amcooper@toot.cat 17 min. ago

@woozle At some point people are going to have to show extraordinary courage to oppose the forces arrayed against us. But the people who run the country can destroy anyone. If he and/or his spouse and/or his parents have a business, they can torch it. They can torch his children's careers or schooling. They have access to all the data and all the levers and they can ... look what they did to Assange. It can be personally risky to oppose them.

I was mad at Murkowski because she has gotten rich off our money for years, what with her dad having been in Congress too. And I reckon, she owed us.

Woozle Hypertwin

@woozle@toot.cat 9 min. ago

@amcooper Yeah, I get that -- but that's supposed to be understood as part of the job, in my view.

I mean, in more reasonable times it would never come up -- but when it does, that's how the system is supposed to work (if it's going to work at all).

Maybe we need a better system. Possibly.

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