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...but what’s liberal about making a team honor its lease?

Forcing the team to lose $20M a year playing in Seattle, that's what.

And the effective "bleeding" to make the team a white elephant through the 2009 ending season.

As for the lease, I'm sure the city would be compensated for the actual rent.

It's the multiplier dollars that would be lost.

(And I do agree with you and the others about public financing of teams.)

See here too;

NBA Dance Team Entertains, Shows Appreciation For Troops

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031183/posts

The Seattle SuperSonics Dance Team visited troops deployed to Contingency Operating Base Speicher, located in Tikrit, Iraq, June 11

.....“Every day, this place and the Soldiers, everyone, has exceeded the expectations that I had,” explained Jillian, one of the Sonics dancers. “I have learned so much [more] by talking with a Soldier for one minute than when I listened to news stations or radio stations.”

........“Everything that we see in the United States and everything we learn is completely opposite,” said Sabrina, the dance team coach. “It’s the stories that we see through the eyes of the Soldiers. Seeing how things are done from day to day to seeing how they are actually working with the country to build it up and working with their Soldiers. We never hear those things and so, for us, it’s just been a really growing experience.”

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me
Obama never heard those things either, so he feels compelled to go visit, McDole is right to challenge Obama on this one.

If I were the owner....and had to stay in Seattle...then I'd dump the entire group of players...and hire twelve Italian basketball players. I'd proceed to make the entire 2009 season into a massive joke for Seattle. The hotels that would receive visitors for games...empty. The restaurants that would have had game guests after the game...empty. The local airport...no one would fly in from Boston or LA to watch their team play in Seattle. By spring of 2009...the city would be begging me to leave and not torment them any longer. The city deserves this kind of mess.

“forcing” a team to honour its lease?

Bennett bought the team, with the lease.

Congratulations on your “revelation” that keeping your end in a contract is “liberal.” I will respectfully dissent.

Bennett bought the Sonics promising to let state/local gov. to come up with a new arena OR in the event he could not make $ in Seattle that he would entertain offers from local groups before relocating.

Did he say this with the intent of moving the team to OKC anyway?

Of course! Otherwise it would have been harder to get the team. This is pure Kabuki folks. Rich pricks fighting over money and their reputations. The only concern of the average citizen is not getting hosed with a bill for the team facilities.