Given the chance to choose free, open, decent democratic government, Russians have failed history and themselves at every opportunity.
In 1917, in 1953, in 1990 and beyond they have ever and always chosen to be repressed, to live in fear, whether of the Tsar's secret police, of the Chekha or the KGB and now the FSB.
They have chosen always given the choice between an open free society and repression to be ruled, not governed, by a despot, whether he is called the tsar, the general secretary or the president.
Their bad choices are the reason their's is a corrupt, corrupting and corrupted nation because they yield themselves to autocratic despotism at every turn of history's pages.
With Trump's presidency, Russia today is a lesson Americans should learn, take to heart and take to the voting booths this November and again in 2020 before we find ourselves alike to Russia and Russians.
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In 2016 only 58% of eligible voters voted in the 2016 U.S election. That's only 1% more than the predicted Russian turnout. Neither Clinton or Trump got to 50%. When the sanctions were imposed on Russia, one of the stated purposes by our government was to put pressure on the Russian people so they were turn against Putin. It didn't work. Today he and Russia are more popular and influential than they were before the sanctions. In 2013, Putin offered a plan to bring the two sides in Syria together to form a government and move Assad out. His offer was refused and now Assad is still in power and Russia is there to stay. When the Russian warned us about one of the would be Boston bombers, we ignored them and the attack killed three and wounded 264 people. We can't keep thinking Russia and Putin with the same mind set that that has failed us in the past. Trying to build some imaginary picture of Putin is a waste of time. He will win. It is time we begin to realize we have to deal with facts not some fantasyland we define.
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When can one lose a fixed election?
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Why did Putin assassinate the former spies and his critics during the election?
To intimidate the Russian spies or simply a show of strength?
The same may be said about the attempted cyber-hackings of the US power grid.
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Maduro is the least popular man in Venezuela but he gets re-elected every time.
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While polls show that most Russians see no alternative to Putin dissatisfaction with conditions in Russia is high. Novalny advocates for a protest non-vote. But, passive-aggression is common among people deprived of options to address their condition. Kseniya Sobchak may receive surprisingly high votes giving the leadership a message that the people want change. It is highly unlikely, but not totally impossible, that she would have more votes than Putin. Perhaps in such a scenario Putin would appoint himself as prime minister.
That would be real surprise and would suggest tampering with votes.
It would be exceedingly useful, if the Times and other FACT based news outlets would provide a detailed expose* of Putin's kleptocracy. (A fitting tribute to Sergei Magnitsky's sacrifice)
* (Similar to what was done a while back showing all the corrupt financial ties and dealings in the Chinese leader's family and coterie).
Furthermore US government agencies (you know who you are) should be helping disseminate this information on Putin's kleptocracy 24/7. Not to mention freezing as many assets as possible of Putin and his corrupt clan of oligarch enablers. The recent sanctions are fine baby steps but hardly sufficient!
With his retinue of oligarch collaborators and alleged 50/50 self dealing deals, Putin has amassed one of the largest (hidden) fortunes ever. Who knows maybe he even tops Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates in the "worlds richest" title.
Perhaps some of Putin's 'local' popularity will wane when the Russian public learns (via the Internet / Western FACT based media) the true extent of his looting of the People's property.
Call me a dreamer. But 'wouldn't it be nice...'
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that's precisely the point: there is no FACT. That Putin is a corrupt leader is what our Non-Fact finding agencies want us to believe.
Re-elected ?! You really mean reappointed... by himself.
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on what basis? Elections in Russia are democratic. Unlike the USA, where you have two parties almost identical one to the other, where you have no chance to make it to President, Senator, Congressman and, sometimes, even judge, unless you have a load of money to dispose of, and where Republican senators are busy trying to disenfranchise black voters.
“I don’t really see an alternative to Putin,” he said, “I think most people will vote for him . There is stability in this country under him. I don’t want to go back to the 1990s.”
Right, because tying the fate of a nation to a single mortal man never fails. What happens when Putin kicks the bucket?
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It is amazingly ironic to me that the Communist Party candidate Mr. Grudinin is a "wealthy farmer" who admires Stalin. In the 1930's Stalin famously declared the wealthy farmer ("kulak") to be the #1 enemy of the state. Many thousands, if not millions, were murdered, starved, or forcibly relocated in pursuit of the "dekulakization" of the Soviet Union. Lenin, whose face is on the wall of the office in the photo described the kulaks as "bloodsuckers, vampires, plunderers of the people and profiteers, who fatten on famine." I'm sure this guy is far far richer than the typical "kulak" of the early USSR, who was generally just rich enough to own a little land and livestock.
I am no expert on Russia and I am sure Mr. Grudinin is aware of this history. The article says he is the director of the Lenin State Farm, a former Soviet collective. It is just amazing how times change!
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One need not be Nostradamus to predict a Putin re - "election".
"Russia does not have a democratic government with real elections, it has a dictatorship with fraudulent elections. This is how it has been ever since the revolution..."
Putin is a product of the Soviet Union and despite that entity having imploded, being as it was impossible to maintain, this is all he knows. This IS the USSR 2.0, run and promoted by a former KGB SPY. The very words emanating from the mouths of Russian officials belie their innate, implausible Soviet cynicism. They've traded ideological rigidity for cynicism and embraced unbridled, gangster capitalism. This is what happens when you have a "leader" who is not a politician, or civil servant. This is what happens when your leader is an ex-spy -- He consolidates power then runs the show the ONLY effective way he knows: That of a KGB spy.
Unfortunately for him, the USSR collapsed and if today's Russia is any indication, the same fate is in store for him.
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To all fairness , the USSR exited for 70 years. Survived the German aggression and fought back. And it could exist now if not for Gorbachev. I guess Putin doesn't want to be another Gorbachev - the guy who lost the country.
Funny how the USSR facilitated "the German aggression in 10939-41" but was double-crossed by its partner in crime...
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Gorbachev was smart enough to let a defunct political system die. He did not let the Russian NATION die. We American must appreciate that on a relative basis, from a perspective of an average Russian citizen, the Russian nation is far ahead of the national system that was in effect when USSR was alive. This is why Putin still has a job.
If the way Mr. Putin has treated his political opponents in the past is any guide, Mr. Grudinin can expect his life to soon become a lot more unpleasant - and may have to flee the country to make sure it doesn't end prematurely (but not to London, given the apparently high number of Russian operatives there who are willing and able to cause "mysterious" injuries and deaths to Putin's opponents there).
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Total nonsense. There are plenty of political opponents of Putin in Russia who are just doing fine. Yavlinsky is one of them
Why is the NYTimes legitimizing a dictatorship? Putin cannot be "elected" until Russia has democratic elections, which all outside observers know it does not.
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And how these true elections will look. Putin with support of 52% will lose to Grudinin with support of 27%. We saw such Democratic elections in 1996 when Yeltsin won. maybe that's why Russians don't want such ' real elections'
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If Putin does lose, we currently need a Secretary of State.
If the vote tally isn't high enough for Vova, I am certain that it will be falsely inflated to an appropriate "mandate." Its been done before.
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I expect Putin to win by the largest margin in history in an election with record turnout. That's just the way it goes with people like him.
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Putin is a dictator. Of course he'll be re-elected. That's why America's voting system is the best. The constitution denies a monarchy and a dictator from rising to power
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Tell me again why? Because the person could become the President even if the majority of the electorate is against him? And it is better how?
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"Putin Is Certain to be Re-Elected"?
How can such a headline be published without (huge) quotes around "Re-Elected"?
The "election" is an utter and complete sham! The results are predetermined and also probably rigged to boot!
Why legitimize this utterly UNDEMOCRATIC process as an "election," as if there's some sort of free and fair "election," or a semblance of democracy?
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Of course Putin will be re-elected. He had either put in jail, used his judges to hand down phony convictions or had killed all the viable opposition candidates. Putin is a virtual dictator. That is why Trump loves and envies Putin.
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I'm sorry, do people not realize that these elections are a sham? Does nobody recall when Putin stepped down and let Medvedev be a figurehead, briefly, before taking over again?
Russia does not have a democratic government with real elections, it has a dictatorship with fraudulent elections. This is how it has been ever since the revolution, before that the Tsars were much more upfront about their absolute power.
So if Putin's power over the proletariat ever slipped to the point where he might actually lose one of these sham elections, either the election would be rigged (he has a lot of experience in this, eg: Trump), or it would be cancelled. Putin will be the dictator in charge of Russia until he dies, just accept it. If he goes against the will of the rest of the power structure enough, this will still be true, only he will die early and suddenly, like Stalin did.
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The richest man in the world is not going to lose this election, or any election.
There are only two ways that this man is going to release his grip on his gas can of a state, and that is if he decides to ''retire'' or he ceases to breathe air.
He is the Czar without the title.
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