And there is contempt in the legal sense — the plots turn on the subversion and manipulation of rules and regulations, and the breaking of laws (murder, etc).
He said, for example, that rather than stifling debate through the manipulation of rules, "we should open things up and let the battle of ideas help break down the scar tissue between the parties.... Let's let legislators legislate again".
But what is filibuster abuse other than the Senate's version of a synthetic collateralized debt obligation, a clever manipulation of the rules for the narrowest possible ends?
Almost a dozen years after the Florida meltdown, partisan attempts at manipulation of election rules have become more entrenched and sophisticated.
As Mitchell says, football is in danger of being dragged down to the level of professional wrestling and it is countries like Italy, Brazil and Argentina who are leading the way in their manipulation of the rules.
We are not saying that Cruyff is guilty of stealing the copyright, for Johan is an honourable man, but it is certainly the case that most perceive him – erroneously – as the inventor of this ingenious manipulation of the rules.
Like investment bankers on Wall Street, senators these days direct much of their creative energy toward the manipulation of arcane rules and loopholes, scoring short-term successes while magnifying their institution's broader dysfunction.
The recent Republican manipulation of these rules has been facilitated by the fact that they are little understood or appreciated by the national media, and Bai's work has been no exception.
This past Saturday, on the House floor, as almost 200 Democrats lined up to sign a petition to open the government, I called the Republicans out on their manipulation of the rules – and the video of the exchange has already been viewed nearly 3m times.
It may not have always been a pretty fight - there was too much mauling and red-blooded manipulation of the rules with low punches and clips around the back of the head - but Hatton's extraordinary will to win on this night will go down in boxing folklore as truly exceptional.
Doyle's lawyer, Mark Zaid, said that the decision was an example of how the executive branch agencies don't take the manipulation of classification rules as seriously as they should.
