The Russian people aren't stupid, they know Putin's real constituency is the oligarchs and the secret police. Too bad Putin, who isn't stupid, isn't willing to face down the oligarchs, give up the rotten tactics of a police state, and try to actually represent and help his own people.
5
Why aren’t we hacking Russia’s online voting system? I’m sure all votes would be changed to Putin’s favorites, but if all votes went to other people at least a message would be sent.
Oops, that’s right Trump is Putin’s useful idiot.
5
Having a Napoleon complex does not mean one cannot do some good, but you are bicycling against a strong wind.
Better to move on, go into retirement.
1
Putin afraid of losing popularity and thus his power? That's hard to believe, but if so, Putin can take some lessons from Trump. Be absolutely outrageous, confuse the public with multiple lies and crimes daily, change your policies as often as your socks; no one will know what to attack. Not having a border with Mexico, Putin can gear up his strategy of making Russians fearful and hateful to the West and its decadence.
But it's interesting to think if the Russian people rebel en mass, that would surely make our American public look like docile as lambs to the slaughter. I envy the Parliamentary system in the UK that can squash their PM. Who does Boris think he is, the President of the US? And there are the youth in Hong Kong defying the mighty dictatorship in Beijing. And us, a democracy for and by the people, we let Trump and the Republicans have their way without hardly a whimper. Correction: there's been a lot of shuffling of subpoena papers. Take that, you dictator.
7
Yep. Based on this information, Russia should definitely be let back in to the G-7 (+1). What could possibly go wrong? See you at Doral, Vlad.
2
Turns out that Democracy must be implemented generationally, rather than overnight.
People formulate their relationship with the state by the time they are about 25 and cognitively can not change all at once. Asking Homo Sovieticus to behave democratically in 1990 was an irrational quest.
Mr. Khodarkovsky knows this well as he was one of those who took full advantage of the opportunity to "privatize" assets into his pocket. Frequently with brutal consequences to his opponents. In doing so, he was also exercising his Homo Sovieticus mindset.
In fact, Putin can be blamed as much on Soviet mentality as on disfigured form of hyper capitalism practiced by a few like Mr. Khodorokovski. People were so fed up, that they were willing to trust an ex-KGB man who promised them peace and security in return for giving up on the democracy.
It seems that Russia is still paying the price for the original sin of 1917. And it may yet take another generation or two to finally "normalize" the country so it would not allow the likes of Putin or Khodarkovsky to rule again.
2
In reading of all of Moscow's "bag of electoral tricks", I could only think that Trump must be looking on with envy.
1
Putin is a Stalin. A monster of history. Murderous, clever, and strong. Stalin never made serious mistakes, and neither will Putin.
But the monsters don’t last forever. They die, just like everyone else. Putin will die. He will breathe his last and the world will celebrate. His legacy of theft, cruelty, and despotism will be all that remains of him. History is never kind to such tyrants; they are despised forever, and their memory is left to rot with the trash of time. They are anathemas.
I hope the people of Russia, and of China, after centuries of misrule and despotic leadership can someday emerge into some kind of liberty and justice.
Here we have despotism of the wealthy, but at least for now they let us speak. I would be killed in Russia and China for writing this.
That said, our current Man in Office is so aligned with Putin, that I write under a false name. I believe I may be jailed and tortured now, on false charges, in America, for saying things the Man dislikes enough. I believe it will happen.
3
Ordinary Russians are showing us what standing up for Democracy means. We have nary the impediments, yet we can hardly muster a fraction of the action. We don’t protest. We don’t vote. Instead, we complain on Facebook.
1
To be honest, Putin isn't that hard to figure out. He had a mid life crisis, divorced his wife and started doing mid life crisis things on a larger scale. The west poked fun at his Olympics and it sent him over the top. He's scared of the same things most guys his age are scared of, getting old and becoming irrelevant. If I were him , I would set out to make my country the best it can be, and quit the, "I'll show them all who the greatest is, they'll regret underestimating me..." That kind of thinking is futile, and wastes time spent on better things....
3
The problem is simple enough: Putin is miserable leader of the Russian "Empire." He has done nothing to deserve being the the leader of Russia, and everyone knows it.
Yes, he is in power, and will probably remain in power for a while yet. But meaningful actions? What has ever done to seriously improve Russia for its people? Putin survives by force and by lies to the people. Is that really success?
I would propose that this is a problem for Trump as well, in two ways:
First, Trump is Putins's boy...in a very ugly way, and Putin is on the way down, and Trump can see it, or rather, he could see it is he can get past his own personal issues; and
Second, Trump can see that not doing anything for the people, failing to genuinely improving life for the people, is a losing proposition, in the long run.
Yes, Trump wants to please Putin, because Putin is running a successful quasi-criminal enterprise, something Trump is trying to do, but how does that fit with actually doing anything worthwhile? Trump is still trying to please his base, but even that only adds to the enthusiasm of the morons he already leads, and does not add to the number of actual people that have the power to elect him.
I actually wanted Trump to succeed, in the sense of successfully running things for the improvement of the Country. But realistically.that time has long past, as Trump has been exposed as malicious, self-centered, and incompetent. Just like Putin.
2
A move from Putinism to something closer to democracy would be great for the Russian people and the rest of the world. This must happen from within, but the US needs to be ready to embrace any new and improved realities in Russia. Another reason why Trump must be defeated.
1
Trump would love to have Putin's power to subvert the will of the people. What he is doing with incomparable success is using his presidency as a cash register for his family's criminal enterprise.
2
putin will win with 95 percent of the vote
I miss when we had leadership that recognized Russia as the enemy it is, and would be willing to give the payback it so richly deserves at a moment like this.
3
Democratic candidates should make it clear they strongly support democratic reforms in Russia. (I expect Republicans will keep their mouths shut as they silently wish for help, just like Moscow Mitch.)
All the talk here about Russian interference in our last presidential election refers to Putin's specific intention to create dissension here while attempting to help install our most incompetent president in history. As such, the blame falls on Putin and supporting oligarchs, not the long suffering Russian people.
I would also favor measures to identify and sequester offshore funds stolen by Putin and his cronies from the Russian people. Such funds should be held until such time as democratically elected leaders are in place and there's a judicial system that upholds the reasonable rule of law.
Amazes me that so many otherwise intelligent people insist on treating their own people as the enemy. Putin is no fool, but doesn't he realize that having the Russian people behind him would make him far stronger? Police states have only one ending.
With a GNP smaller than Italy and an active, demographic nightmare plus declining longevity, Russia is an easily managed problem-nation if the US and Europe can get better organized and dump the autocrats and incompetents within their own midsts.
2
Nixon - secret meeting with North Vietnamese promising a better peace deal if they broke off talks with the Johnson administration. Nixon won the election through treason.
G. W. Bush lost 2000 election to Al Gore. Supreme Court interfered with recount in Florida and effectively declared Bush president by judicial fiat.
Trump won the electoral college with the help of Russian interference in the election, betraying democracy once again.
Republicans rule through corruption, much like the Russian ruling class. Democracy is a sham here as it is there.
Even when the Democrats win, they are often coopted by big money corporations.
4
He congratulated Poland on a 80th anniversary by Nazi Germany invasion is something only "The Chosen One" could do.
You have to see it to believe... i
REPORTER: Do you have a message for Poland on the 80th anniversary of World War 2?
TRUMP: "I do have a great message for Poland & we have Mike Pence, our vice president, is just about landing right now...I just want to congratulate Poland"
Poland was smashed by Nazis in 1939
It is beyond humiliating to have such low IQ, uneducated, compulsively lying person in a WH, and DeVos as a secretary of miseducation will only insure the rapid deterioration even further.
He is already mobilizing his supporters to target our best journalists, who are trying to separate facts from fiction and considering how inactive & complacent our population is, in contrast with Hong Kong or Russia where people just disappear, we're fully ready for
"The Ministry of Truth" circa 1984.
I'm desperately trying not to lose hope, but it will take much longer than we think to get back to any semblance of unity in this divided, badly misinformed tribal reality.
What's next "Ministry of Plenty"
5
Who out of all of you lived in Russia? Who out of all of you knows what is happening in Russia right now and from which sources? My Grandparents lived in the Soviet Union and they loved it. My Grandfather told me why, he said that in USA we have FREEDOM, promising word. In USSR you didn't have all those privileges, but you always had a job, a roof above your head and food on your table. Most Russians would rather have that then freedom, but homeless, jobless and hungry. Soviet Union collapsed because of USA, there were many years when people struggle for life. But then came Putin and he actually stabilized lives for many Russians, ofcourse he couldn't do everything but he did a lot more then the New Deal did by FDR. So think about this question to( especially if you are a citizen of US) would you rather live a life with a job, apartment and food( but not like rich man's life, basic stuff) or you would rather live in a capitalist society and have freedom but be homeless, hungry and jobless.
1
@Citizen Of Russia
I didn't live in Russia, but I lived in the Baltics (for years), and they hated Putin, and they hated "Putinism." By the way, we may have a few homeless (some by choice, w/options available), but we are and will not be, once Trump's gone) plagued by anything like the scourge of poverty (ideas and money) from which Russia's proud people are suffering today. Nobody I know wants to live like a local Russian: in a Kleptocracy.
2
It’s always easier to live as a slave than free person.
1
@Citizen Of Russia
You know, your pride in Russia is not misplaced. With a great history in science, literature, dance and so on. If Russia chose to live in accord with the rest of the world community how much greater would be the appreciation of those achievements by the wider world.
Instead, Russia interferes in elections and in many other ways to disrupt the international community. To what advantage? Why strive to revive the bipolar world of the cold world when the benefits of international cooperation would enrich Russia and its citizens.
Seriously, I wish I knew what motivates the rulers of Russia.
2
Is the worldwide wave of Authoritarianism going to continue? Look to Russia or US in 2020.
Vladimir Putin was once an honest and reasonable Russian, a married man with two daughters. But the years of fighting Jihadists have turned his heart cold. He rules Russia with a selfish fist; his provincial leaders pay their tribute and follow his style. Russia awaits the heir to the patriotic leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.
2
How many votes did Vladimir Putin actually flip?
Nate Silver said Russia wasn't even in the top 100 causes for Hillary Clinton's loss.
1
It appears that China and Russia look to each other for inspiration and guidance. Being aware of Mikhail Gorbachev’s botched glasnost and perestroika that led to the downfall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Chinese leaders have no appetite for political and economic reforms fearing chaos.
Since sworn in for his fourth term, nationawide protests have become a glaring sign of Putin’s declining popularity. Fewer and fewer Russians still accept that mantra: “Putin is Russia and Russia is Putin,” one heard following the 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Putin is revisiting Stalin’s tight grip on power. Unlike Xi Jinping, he has won elections, but they have all been rigged. Although he has left “an escape value for dissenting opinions – as long as they remain marginal,” he is feeling the heat and decides to “move toward a stricter Chinese mode” that asserts “total control” of the country.
Authoritarian regimes are all ill prepared for change because they can’t handle unpredictable developments. In 1984, just before Gorbachev ascended to power, there was a sense in Moscow that the Soviet Union was petrified, and nothing could change. Then change happened, exposing its extent that had occurred beneath the surface.
Today, Putin’s regime appears stable, thanks to its security forces. But, as was the case back then, when all hell breaks loose, there’s no way for him to escape. Xi knows that too. In this regard, Western democracy still has the upper hand.
2
🙂 Not sure how the successor of Putin will be decided or emerge; how that wealth and power be shared among so many oligarchs and Putin devotees once Putin is dead/retired, or replaced, if that's not via total collaps of this so called Putinism and ushering of a new Russia towards proper democracy. Hope it ends soon as that would be better not only for Russia, which still maintains a formidable military and a permanent member of UN security council, but also for the whole World.
1
It's been a single cool century of communism in Russia which is only a blip in that country's future. Soon to be the joke "what does Marxism, Lennism and Putinism have in common with the Donald Trump?: The third generation is always the one who blows the inheritance.
3
I'm going to violate Goodwin's law in this comment but oh well. My high school history teacher liked to point out that among all the most notorious dictators throughout history Stalin was among the few who died comfortably in his own bed.
This after directly or indirectly murdering millions. An exact figure is hard to come by. However, we can safely attribute 2 to 3 million deaths to Stalin personally. If we think in the abstract, the number can easily grow to 10 or even 10s of millions.
Hitler died alone in a bunker from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head after murdering his family. Stalin makes Hitler look like an amateur. Only Mao has a more impressive in death and that point is debatable.
Elections or no. Putin plans to die comfortably in his own bed. I suggest you take that threat with the gravest sincerity.
1
Putin is neither a communist nor a fascist. He is the national mafia boss. A common thug with a world of intelligence from the FSB. He has the president of the United States under his command.
Five secret undocumented meetings.
trump wants to be a putin, without the constraints of a congress and a constitution.
Putin is afraid of the ballot box? I think not. He is perhaps afraid of another government toppling revolution. The Russians aren’t Americans who have forgotten the past. Russians are like an active volcano lying dormant for years. Putin perhaps is hearing rumbles.
4
Interesting to see that an advanced oligopoly can fail so early in it's life, but not real relevant to our election. Putin is well entrenched in our election process and the republican party leaders. This should be our concern, not Putin's means of staying in power in Russia, but Putin's Puppet in the republican party of the United States.
When reviewed closely, both Trump and Putin control an electoral college. Without a nefarious apparatus neither is capable of winning a an election reflecting the people’s will. Both employ strong armed tactics in subversive manners. Trump would applaud Putin for turning Red Square into a bloody nightmare, for neither are capable of caring for innocent citizens. Perhaps a revolution is needed in both countries.
I wouldn't argue that the Communist Party of China (CPC) has complete control over society. Sure, it's a lot tighter than anything Moscow has, but if you're an average Chinese citizen, you're probably going to have the EXACT SAME problems as an American going about your daily routine relative to your economic class.
Source: am Chinese
Not only is Putin bad for russia he's bad for the world.
Solidarity with the people of russia !
Likewise with the people of hong kong.
1
I’m certain that Trump has ordered the CIA to “meddle” in Russia’s upcoming election. I’m equally certain that my publishers clearing house visit is just around the corner...
Putin's most devastating mistake was to interfere in our elections.
Who could blame him?
He is a thug and an autocrat.
The republican party and team Trump were thrilled to have his help.
But he thought we were all like...them.
He thought that our national bottom line is "whats in it for me?"
I believe that any society that could produce a Dostoevsky, a Prokofiev, a Nabokov, a Rachmaninoff, would transcend the shallowness of a Trump supporter.
They could, in fact, bring down a Stalin or a Putin.
The Russians have so much to offer.
I hope sincerely hope that the United States of America, in concert with our European allies, will welcome and assist the Russian people in reclaiming their rightful place in human civilization.
Heck, in many ways and against formidable odds, they invented civilization.
1
@interested party
"Heck, in many ways and against formidable odds, they invented civilisation."
Wow, that's a stretch. Egypt, Mesopotamia, Harappa, Greece, Rome, and Persia. I could go on.
The only Russian leads I have a little respect for is Khruschev and Gorbachev. Nikita Khruschev put a scare in me when I returned to the USA for the first time in 26 months due to the cold war Berlin wall. He was noted for taking missiles to Cuba two days after I returned to Brooklyn from my overseas assignment, but he took note of what president Kennedy said he would do to the ships carrying the missiles and he turned back. It was one of the scariest time in my life but the WWlll never happened.
My respect for Mr. Gorbachev has to do with taking down that Berlin wall. Both leaders as far as I have read in our news never meddled in our elections like it is reported that Mr. Putin
did.
1
Just think.... Putin's brand of thuggery will probably make its way here if we give it another 4 years. Maybe it already has, and we just haven't noticed.
1
Unfortunately, Trump could become Putin and half the US population wouldn't do anything to stop it because the disinformation machine of Faux News and Facebook have turned the minds of the electorate to mush. Further, the GOP has destroyed the job system in America and most people have to work too hard to care about getting to the ballot box.
3
Russia has never in it's history ever managed a competent state with democratic governance, never. It has always returned to vicious illiberal dictatorships which murder people to enforce authority. The Russians may remove Putin from power but another Putin will be ready to take his place.
3
Putin is a master of the ballot box, both in Russia and in the Western democracies thanks to the manipulation of social media giving his agencies so much access to western voters. While Bush Jr. and Obama were busy trying to win "hearts and minds" in the most foresaken countries of the middle east (surprisingly using the US military for this purpose), Putin was winning western democracies over to isolationist romantic nationalism at the expense of the multi-lateral institutions and liberal values that made the West so powerful and so united against autocracy.
3
They're also practicing for Trump '20.
4
If our own intelligence agencies or those of our allies are taking steps against Putin, they are wisely keeping it from Trump.
When Putin raised the retirement age to 65, it exceeded the lifespan of the typical Russian male, who could work and pay taxes until death and never get to retire. Soon those Russian workers will find out how much Putin and his mob have stolen from them, and they will act.
3
In Russia they have the secret ballot. The candidate that is opposing Putin? That’s the secret.
50
Having stolen the American election in 2016 to install a buffoon over whom he has complete financial control, Putin is certain that if he needs to turn Red Square red with the blood of democracy seeking protesters, the US won't do anything to stop him.
112
I hope they can bring about a healthier society with the least amount of suffering possible. We need to learn from them and protect ourselves from this sort of repressive hostile leadership.
30
Do you honestly believe that Putin would let himself lose?
110
@mjbarr. Wouldn’t Putin just love to have an electoral college? So much of what he does would be unnecessary.
8
@mjbarr
No.
1
@Mary Ann
Woo-Hoo, you go girl!
2
The crippling weakness of democracy seems to be that it requires participation from the entire society. There are many freedom hungry Russians putting pressure on the Kremlin, but too many Russians are distrustful of democracy. We have the same problem in America with the Republican party. A sizable share of our electorate is authoritarian. How can a system that is built on equal representation for all survive while granting representation to people acting in bad faith to undermine that system?
171
@Thad Bingo Thad. Far too many ordinary Russians have become accustomed to the harsh realities of the Russian government. A few will stand up to be counted only to be slaughtered later and the rest already know their fate if they so much as disapprove. Russia can't even make driving a car a safe proposition. Nearly every motorist has to have a dash cam in their car because police there are VERY easily bribed without hard evidence. Few bother to pay any attention at all to road signs so why should they bother to trust the government to do anything right for them. The only thing they should trust is to not trust it at all...period.
11
@Martino Russians do have a dash cam, because you do need to have a hard evidence to see who is guilty instead of relying on the judgement of police officer who was not even on the scene when accident occurred. It is helpful independently of corruption of police. In the America police had to wear the cameras because we can not trust they will testify truthfully. That is a sign of corruption.
5
"But does Mr. Putin really want to turn Red Square into a Russian Tiananmen Square?"
Probably the least disputable answer to that question is "only if necessary". He and his cronies would likely hope to subvert the opposition before it would get to that point.
But with worldwide electronic communications it's harder and harder to keep the rest of the world out and your own people enclosed; even if you take full control of the internet apparatus clever and enterprising people find ways to subvert that control (it's even happened occasionally in North Korea).
Putinism is unlikely to persist much beyond Putin's eventual death. And it may collapse well before then. There's only so much cult of personality a people can take when their bellies are empty and their hopes are bleak.
Of course, there are those like Xi who know you can keep things going a lot longer if those bellies are full and there is hope of economic advancement. But even he has those pesky Hong Kong protesters who don't seem to think he's got all the answers.
Wonder if Trump watches any of this and has any troubling thoughts as to his eventual fate.
(Naw, probably not.)
198
@Glenn Ribotsky Putinism definitely will collapsed with the death of Putin, because it is by definition is a rule of Putin. This is not ideology, but the strong central power in Russia will probably survive, so far it was the best system for Russia where many regions could not sustain themselves, because of lack resources. Russia indeed is rich in resources, but they are not distributed equally. In order to work efficiently, it is need the center that will coordinate more equal distribution. Otherwise, it will have fate of the USSR, when the economies of republics went down dramatically, once coordination was broken, and even republics that believe "they feed everybody else" like Georgia and Ukraine, went down very quickly and very deep.
2
@yulia
Actually, Putinism has an ideology of sorts. (Only power is real, morality is for the stupid, truth is what is useful to the powerful, people could and should be manipulated, etc.). Putinism is also a system of graft with powerful stakeholders such as oligarchs, law and security apparatus, federal and local bureaucracy. Most of the them have something to hide (and this is what Putin uses to control them). This system would be very difficult, if not impossible to reform or dislodge. Putinism will continue even if Putin is no longer there until the whole mess explodes in a typical Russian fashion.
5
I wonder how many of those commenting know that GHWBush promised Gorbachev that NATO "would not move one inch eastward" if Gorbachev removed hundreds of thousands of troops from East Germany and supported reunification of the Germanys. Gorbachev agreed.
And NATO moved eastward while that fakely noble GHWBush said nothing.
US citizens desperately need better education and more knowledge of world history... and some humility
Putin's approval ratings have often been much higher than any US president's approval rating.
US sanctions are having an effect on Russians.
Thinking of US sanctioning other countries, I will always remember Madeleine Albright saying, in response to being asked about the over 500,000 Iraqi children who died as a result of US sanctions... "We think the price is worth it"
4
Vladimir Putin’s rise itself is still very mysterious.How did a KGB Colonel dominate other military&”Deep-State”figures?How did Putin suddenly become a contender in Boris Yeltsin’s era&the designated Successor?That story is yet to be written.
Putin has been a boring continuity in Russia.But people tire after some time.Erdogan of Turkey or Xi of China are usually compared to Putin.Both China&Turkey have similar histories with China.Like Russia,Turkey and China had Emperors for centuries and also had a collective institutional memory of territory-acquisition by their rulers.This grandiose Empire status also satiated their People.
But modern life,media&the Information revolution have altered all the old desires.It is not what you want, but as Steve Jobs of Apple said”It is what you SHOULD want”.A big portion of the Russian people have now become fully aspirational 100% democrats.Nearly 30 years of Putin has turned into a boring tale.
If Putin was an ascetic Ruler&carefully calibrated the needs of public order&freedom,then there might be a different ending.Though there are 400,000 Russian Guards,police,Army and the”deep state”,the challenge to Putin is open.Putin may survive another 5years.
Though Putin is reputed to be very smart,he has not devised an”Exit Route”&built a”Social Contract”.Putin should have followed Deng of China&gone into retirement, while midwifing a new system.
Putin has run out of ideas&others will fill the vacuum.Putin already faces declining legitimacy.
1
Thank you for reminding us of the facts about the Russian people and their view of Putin.
Did the oligarch Khodarokovsky really think he had the support of the Russian people and that he would have been elected President in a democratic election. He typified the money-men who stole the wealth of the Russian people and left young children scrapping with dogs for food on the streets of Russian cities. Yet he is a western hero.
2
The ballot box may be Putin's enemy, but it is certainly no longer his nightmare, if it ever was. He has repeatedly and decisively demonstrated his proficiency at thwarting it, both at home and abroad. His allies against legitimate elections in places like Russia, Ukraine and the US (yes, I'm talking about you, Moscow Mitch) must be helping him sleep better at night these days, too.
4
The special force that Putin created to suppress internal dissent is not called the "Russian Guards". It is called the "National Guard" (Национальная Гвардия).
2
Putin's demise is inevitable. An impoverished citizenry *always* leads to protests and revolts if nothing is done to alleviate their plight.
2
This is the playbook trump is going to try using and he learned it from his mentor, Czar Vlad!
Disinformation and outright lies. (The hurricane is going to impact Alabama!)
trump talks about fake news while he spews fake facts! Even some of his minions at Faux news are struggling to keep a straight face while they report on his twaddle!
And not not one cowardly republican challenges his deceptions! Moscow Mitch trembles and places keeping his job over his spot called love of country!
5
@Richard Marcley
"Disinformation and outright lies. (The hurricane is going to impact Alabama!)"
Trump is umbelievable ignorant of Geography, history, science and so on. I would love to have seen him on the tv show ' Are you smarter than a fifth grader?'
I'm sure that if Russian can effectively cripple our electoral process, then doing it at the Russian Home Front should be a snap. Also, unlike the US it's much easier for Opposition Russian politicians to suffer "accidents." Like accidentally being poisoned, disappearing, jailed or getting shot. This goes a long way to discouraging opposition to Putin
5
I'm skeptical about elections really mattering in Russia, but maybe they count for something. Let's hope we are doing what we can to sow unrest and civil discontent. We owe the Russians some interference.
2
@rawebb1 The best interference we could send their way would be to get the truth out about how their elections are rigged.
5
@rawebb1
Are you one of those who think Russia is responsible for US unrest and civil discontent...
Google Boris Yeltsin and US election meddling in Russia.
I'd say the US deserved payback from Russia as a reult of US installing the drunk, Boris Yeltsin, who was oh so easy for the US to manipulate.
The world needs better leadership!
The decline in transatlantic cooperative foreign policy--let's call it the post-WWII world order--gives rise to the Might-Is-Right world order. From the South China Sea to Crimea, we've seen a hesitant post-Iraq-war US wary of foreign entanglements. We've lost faith in the international institutions required for consensus action on any number of fronts.
So prepare yourselves, Hong Kong.
Prepare yourselves, Japan and South Korea.
Prepare yourselves, former allies.
Prepare yourselves climate change warriors.
And don't blame it on Trump. Blame it on his supporters and others who espouse this "America First" brand of nationalism here and abroad. Because they'll still be around in 2021. And the next president they elect may even read.
4
@Pence
US foreign policy since WWll has always reflected might is right.
Before the US oversees the destruction/destabilization of more of the globe than the middle east, much of Africa and Central America...
perhaps countries of the world may realize that looking to the US for leadership is absurd, and they will work together for a less militarized world that resolves conflicts with attempts to understand and compromise through talk that emphasizes what humanity holds in common.
2
@Lucy Cooke
I think you might have latched onto the wrong thing in my post. US foreign policy has indeed used both hard and soft power since WWII to achieve its ends. And we have an admittedly spotty history for sticking up for our stated principles.
My point above was that the way we interact with other countries has changed as a result of an "America First" nationalism. We used to believe in, support, and at times even subsidized multilateral institutions because we believed we could shape the course of events through those vehicles.
On the whole, I think the US played a positive leadership role in the post-WWII world order. As many nations, not just the US, become more insular, might becomes the arbiter of geopolitical decisions.
Why does Russia invade Crimea? Because they can.
Why does China build military installations in the contested South China Sea? Because they can.
Why do farmers burn the rain forest?
You get the picture.
The world needs stronger multilateral institutions.
@Pence
I think the US actions in the post WWll world has been more negative than positive.
Perhaps you are unaware of the incredible number of coups, destabilizations and assassinations by the US.
Other than might and bling the US has no credibility as a global leader.
I am a Progressive Democrat who thinks US military actions are grossly expensive and make the US and the world less safe, and I see Trump as worthwhile because it is high time that other countries in the world are motivated to unite to promote the common good and the survivability of the planet.
The US goal has been domination and profit.
We probably have different sources of information.
I wish the US could be more self critical and less critical of other countries' leaders, but self delusion is in the US DNA...
With better leadership the world could encourage the best in other leaders, not bring out the worst.
Hopefully the fantasy that Putinism is "normal" will finally disappear. Russia's movement to the West is over, and Putin's order of the military takeover of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula announced an openly authoritarian and militarist order. Although both the far-left and the far-right in Europe and the US remain sympathetic to Putin (the left cannot imagine "Russia" without authoritarian rule, the right admires it), at least the rest of us are finally getting clear. This is an authoritarian regime, allied with others like it, and they hate and fear democracy. The US government should act accordingly, ignoring Mr Trump's love for authoritarians and his particular fondness for Putin.
8
Russia has never had true freedom or a democracy or republic of any kind. Clearly huge numbers of people are tired of the current political "system." Will they have the political will to take control of their country from Putin and his minions, or will they continue to submit to tyranny?
6
Good luck to the Russian people who are seeking nothing less than a fair shake from their leaders. The Kleptocracy headed by a soulless former KGB official who has done nothing for his country and lined his own pockets and those of his friends with hundreds of billions of dollars is going to be defeated by those tired of having a heal on their throats. If this election is subverted by the corrupt administration, millions will take to the streets until change is achieved. That is as inevitable as the tide.
48
Joseph Stalin said, "...the people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything."
16
What a hollow victory it is ! Incompetent Socialist system impedes Russia from potential greatness! Boris Johnson + Trump are helping Putin maintain his foothold on power ! This new Millennium has just started and every young intelligent Russian citizen is dreaming about a new destiny!
I hope !
We need more Gorbachev’s !!
5
Putin must hope he will be as successful with his election as he was with ours .
5
The whole world knows these elections are a fraud and a joke; one wonders why Putin even bothers with such a farce. Even if the unthinkable were to happen and Putin somehow lost the vote; does anyone doubt he would simply declare the results null and void and declare some sort of Martial Law with guess who in command. The only way Putin will ever leave the scene will be in a box. One way or another. To pretend otherwise is a pathetic exercise in wishful thinking. A dictator...is a Dictator...is a DICTATOR.
7
Russia is failing because of corruption. All of Putin’s pals become billionaires but that does little for the average Russian.
America is following the same path. We need to stop electing
Republicans. Make that corrupt self serving Putin pal party extinct in 2020.
Is 2020 our last chance to turn this country around?
6
Putin's nightmare is President Trump's nightmare.
6
One thing is for sure, he can definitely count on the Russian Voters who life in Germany....who already vote for the Far Right in Germany when they gained a German Passport or have Dual Citizenship. You dont hear anyone crying more about Immigrants from the Middle East than from those People, like Syrian Refugees taking away something from them in Germany that should be given to them...and as if it's not Putin and the Syrian Dictator who keep bombing Syrian Civilians that makes them keep coming to the West. For some Reason People still have these Fake News from the Right and Brexiters in their Ears that Angela Merkel invited them all to us, it didn't even need any Sources everyone was willing to pass these "News" forward even the left Media when it fit their Agenda of a Borderless World or whatever. Omg why do i even try this Post will get Modded as usual.
John F Kennedy - "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
11
Perhaps, the CIA or some other American "intelligence" org, is busily hacking into social media systems in mother Russia to give Putin a dose of his own medicine. Of course Donald Trump, the blabber-mouth leaker would be told nothing about such covert dirty ops and thus be able to deny everything, just like his buddy Vlad.
5
Once we vote Putin's puppet out of the White House, the US government should go back to helping out repressed people.
And our allies.
8
I would like to know if this gentleman is related to, or in any other way connected to his namesake, whose oil wells Mr Putin re-nationalised.
@Michael: Same question as your's. NY Times' readers might benefit from reading Viktor Timtschenko's "Chodorkowskij, Legends, Myths and other Truth's". Unfortunately available only in German.
Putin is in a heck of a bind. If he looses power he will most likely end up in prison for corruption. Vladimir, how did you become one of the riches men on the planet on your small salary?
8
“and like Marxism or Leninism, would last for centuries.”
Say what?
2
"...the channel’s YouTube site registered 12,000 likes and 170,000 dislikes. Some experts calculated Mr. Putin’s support among this audience at about 7 percent."
Good article, but it seems a little silly to cite experts to verify that 12/170 = .07.
5
Unpopular government? The approval rating of the United States Congress is now 19%, and has not been above 30% in over 10 years.
Brutality, Repression? Does anyone remember what happened to the totally legal Occupy Wall Street protests in our own country?
Internal Spying? Every major internet operation now sends data to NSA in a continuous basis.
Freedom of Speech? There is a long list of words that no American dares to utter.
Freedom of the Press? If our best Liberal newspaper felt compelled published the propaganda piece I'm now commenting on, we must be in big trouble.
Summary: We can, and must, do better. 2020 is the starting line in the fight for better government. Be sure who you pick, won't be picking on you.
8
Don't let anyone read this to Donald Trump. It might give him ideas.
5
Whenever somebody says something will last for centuries the end is near.
1
I see hard times ahead for Trump and Putin.
3
@George Kamburoff
Boy, how I hope you are correct.
1
Most Americans look upon Russian elections with disgust. Our president, Donald Trump, views them with envy. Where winning at all costs is everything, fair elections are unwanted. Trump and the Republicans are doing everything they can to make our elections more like the Russians, but it's really unnecessary. Racism and bigotry are just as effective as dirty election tricks. While praising the intelligence of the American electorate, he secretly knows that they can be led around like bulls with nose rings - only instead of bull rings, he uses their beliefs and prejudices to lead them wherever he wants. If DJT doesn't destroy our fragile democracy, he has published the blueprint and playbook for some other demagogue to do it later. If a democracy like America's is going to exist, there will have to be a paradigm shift in human thought throughout the world. In the near future, we will program the human mind in the computer based on a "survival" algorithm, which will provide irrefutable proof as to how we trick the mind with our ridiculous beliefs about what is important and what is supposed to survive - producing minds programmed de facto for dirty tricks and destruction. These minds see the survival of a particular belief as more important than the survival of us all. When we understand this, we will begin the long trek back to reason and sanity.
See RevolutionOfReason.com
3
The current President of the United States would like to rule as Putin does.
2
Sounds like the tricks Republicans have used in the US for years.
3
Do you really believe all it?? Imho, this is the Ministry of Truth, a common lie for proles. The fake weapon of mass destruction in Iraq is real coordinated lies of US media. :))
If everything true as they say in articles like this - why is Putin’s rating in Russia still high and why in Russia they don’t beat and maim demonstrators like in Europe??
3
Read this article closely my fellow Americans-
If you don’t think conman trump’s chummy relationship with Putin isn’t a warped fantasy in trump’s head that he too can turn the US into a sham of a democracy, you’re as delusional as trump.
VOTE, Putin has killed democracy in Russia through a death of a thousand cuts, and trump has Putin’s playbook under this pillow in the White House.
2
If Trump does not win the next election he will be arrested with his criminal cohorts and spend life in jail. There is no PLAN B.
The Russian people have always suffered under horrible leaders. Do they even know what truth looks like? We here know now what totalitarianism looks like: Trumpism. Thank God they are so incompetent.
3
Russian authorities are afraid?
Give me a break.
Russia is ruled by a corrupt dictator.
What does he have to be afraid of?
Absolutely nothing.
He's a dictator.
He can do anything he wants.
He has opponents injected with nerve gas.
Who cares what the results are?
Putin and his thugs will do what they want, when they want, to whoever they want to do it to.
3
Putin's Russia is a second rate mediocre power destined to remain so if they continue to disrupt world order as did the old Soviet Union. Where's the upside when national pride buys you a Lada, not a BMW?
2
Unfortunately, if they stop to 'disrupt' They will became third and forth rate country, as 90s clearly showed.
@Blaine SelkirkWhat's wrong with Lada, Blain? Also - tried hard but could not recall any single Canadian auto-maker...
1
A dictator is a dictator. Putin is a dictator.Worse yet, he also "dictates" to a compliant Trump.
5
and if he could....trump would follow that playbill, move for move.
2
If Putin can work his magic to influence our elections in the U.S., surely he can do the same in his own country?
2
The new-age Russian Politician’s Handbook:
Chapter One: Stay clear of dumpsters, otherwise you’ll be in one!
Chapter two: The pitfalls of polonium.
Chapter three: How to write a will.
Sorry, but it doesn’t get much better than that!
I regularly read lies like it, laugh and vote for Putin. The demonstrations are in itself normal. Putin dispersed this illegal demonstration in a civilized manner - without stooping to beatings and blood as they often do in the USA or Europe.
2
Not gonna happen. Putin has the power and the rubles.
1
Election tricks. Some sound familiar.
2
Didn't we hear the same song in 2012? And? What happened? 25% of population trusts Putin, what percent of population trusts Navalny? Sobol? Communist leaders? Zhirinovsky? In order to know how shaky Putin's position we need to know how well trusted his opponents.
2
Putin is a man that Trump admires and his boot-licking lackeys in the Republican Party support through their silence. Can you imagine the out cry if Obama had expressed admiration for Putin? That it okay for Trump to call this dictator admirable is just another validation of the Republican Party's racism. Okay for a white man to express "love" for someone who epitomizes everything this country has been against, but not okay for a black man. What else can it be, but racism. It makes me sick to see the likes of Lindsey Graham sit by and let Trump's love affair with Putin continue. History will not be kind to Trump Republicans who have sold their souls to the devil.
Putin's tactic to suppress voting is different from Republican efforts only to a degree. It is hard to know who is reading who's playbook.
1
Putin's nightmare.
Same as Trump's nightmare.
Same as the Republican's nightmare.
3
No wonder Trump has such an affinity for Putin. Besides needing Russian money, he sees in them a way to remain forever and outside the perils of democracy
1
"One longtime Kremlin insider and an architect of Mr. Putin’s regime, Vladislav Surkov, recently declared that Russia could be maintained only as a military-police state, and that Mr. Putin was the only leader whom the Russian people could trust. Putinism, he maintained, was a new political system, and like Marxism or Leninism, would last for centuries."
Ha ha funny. Why would people only "trust" a leader who depends on a police state to stay in control?
Putin's getting old, in more ways than one. All these leaders who are jealous of the family business in N. Korea have to realize they can't be like that unless they cut their citizens off from most of the world. That requires giving up a lot.
1
Will the Russians ever be free,living in a democracy like the rest of the people belonging to the Western World?
@Hank
Russia was a near-liberal democracy for a few years in the 90s.
Russians have it better than the Chinese--our, and Hong Kong's, real existential threat--Xi dictator for life.
This piece no doubt delivers new information to many NYT readers, completely wrapped up in all things Trumpy. But another big reason most Americans are ignorant of the nature of the current Russian regime is that the aforementioned Prez cares not a whit about human rights there or seemingly anywhere else. In the days of the USSR, all US presidents made sure to shine a spotlight on the struggle of Soviet dissidents. I was in Moscow in 1988 and remember Reagan hosting an event at the Ambassador’s residence at which he made sure they were not forgotten. This may have seemed to us at the time as a formality - almost a rote, ritual obligation - but it was enormously important to Sakharov and other Soviet dissidents to know that the most powerful country in the world supported their cause, even if the nuclear stand-off meant this could for the time being only be expressed in words of encouragement. US support meant hope when at times it must have seemed there was none to be found elsewhere. One of the saddest developments in the Trump era is that we no longer provide that hope. All we can apparently do is ask why Russia shouldn’t be invited back to the G7. And to think “Christians” support this President! Disheartening, sickening, and pathetic.
4
Maybe Donald Trump could go to Moscow and give a joint press conference with his buddy Vlad Putin to convince all those Russian voters how wonderful Putin has been for Russia. Surely Trump knows more about Russia than the Russians.
1
This is actually a great article but this made me laugh a little bit.
"the channel’s YouTube site registered 12,000 likes and 170,000 dislikes. Some experts calculated Mr. Putin’s support among this audience at about 7 percent."
Experts? Divide 12,000 by 170,000 and you get 7%. That's basic math.
@ThinkTank
I think they're hedging on whether the like/dislike ratio of the video directly translates into audience support/lack thereof for Putin himself.
But even that is still goofy.
1
With no real opposition, control of the press, arrests of protestors....Putin will get 92% of the vote. They'll give his opponent a few fake percentage points to make it look "free and fair"
this is our country in 4 yrs.
Why does anyone continue to believe that elections in Russia are free?
Would trump dare to mock Putin if he wins by a less than stellar number of votes?
"Falling approval ratings", that's rich. Putin's approval ratings are still much higher then Americans approval ratings for Trump, Congress and the media. America needs to clean out its own cesspool before criticizing others.
4
Oh, c'mon. Does anyone actually think election results in Russia will turn out any different than what Putin wants them to be? He got Trump elected for goodness sake.
The only way to remove a Tsar is Russia is the same way they did it last time and that ain't gonna happen, so move on.
1
@J.S.
"Election results in Russia" differ from what the state-controlled media reports. The article notes Putin's real approval rating - it should align closely to the election results. The fact that Putin will remain president is not expected to be in synch with the true outcome, which we may never know.
Not at any point the article cited Putin's approval rating. It cited poll showing how many people trust Putin, but that is different than approval rating. And it cites likes/dislikes on YouTube video that is hardly a legit poll.
2
The notion that a "clear indication [exists] that the regime is fully prepared to use violence to stay in power" seems oblivious to the ugly reality that the regime has been using violence to stay in power for decades. Just ask Litvinenko, Skripal, Nemtsov, Politkovskaya, to name just four victims.
As for the question "But does Mr. Putin really want to turn Red Square into a Russian Tiananmen Square?" The answer is a definite "yes" if the Moscow Putineers determine in their autocratic paranoia that any democratic threat warrants it.
2
Putin, Trump and Republicans all share an obvious disdain for democracy. Everyone needs to vote in Nov 2020 like our democracy depends on it, because it does.
As for Putin, ballot boxes aren't a nightmare for him. They're irrelevant for him. The outcome of every vote is whatever he wants it to be. And, in the end, it doesn't matter to him what everyday Russians think.
Sure, Putin would rather be liked, or at least tolerated, by them, because it would mean less he'd have to do to keep them in line. But, let's not pretend that if 100% of Russians completely loathed him and were all protesting in the streets against him that he'd relinquish power. It would only mean he'd become all the more ruthless. Remember, having political opponents assassinated has, for a long time, already been a regular thing for Putin.
3
I want to believe that Putin's days are numbered. However, Russian history tells me that the chance of that is zero. Russians have never known democracy. All they know is how to suffer under the boot of a tyrant whether its a Czar or Lenin or Stalin or Putin. Those that emigrated are the lucky ones; the rest will follow orders or wind up in an executioners cellar or in some Siberian work camp. Those days are returning to mother Russia.
2
@JAB I want to believe that Putin will president as minimum 10 years. I will vote for it.
It’s interesting how American media censures Russia for “not having freedom”. Even though the whole world knows that America is pretty much a civilized version of North Korea on some serious financial steroids where you are only free to work and shop, and sometimes express an opinion but only if it conforms to the accepted norms.
2
Autocrats will take any measure needed to keep control. Putin will continue to tighten the reins because he cannot lose. Even the thought of a loss is ridiculous. Trump will try his best to follow in Putin's footsteps, but he has to overturn a once democratic form of government. He is well along that course however, and as he destroys our governmental processes, he gains in autocratic power.
1
I'm wondering why the author and some comments can't seem to say that Russia is a horrid dictatorship? As communication in the world spreads, and we all see rioting in London, Hong Cong, etc. many in the world come to understand the oppression they are under.
Let's call it what it is! United States in an oligarch, a plutocracy. Let's call it what it is!
We’ll see who wins this struggle. Until the situation grows incredibly desperate for the Russian people and they are willing to revolt, my money is on the Kremlin. It took a long time for Sudan to dump el Bashir, for Egypt to oust Mubarak, for Zimbabwe to sack Mugabe. How desperate were the Serbs to rise up against Milosevic? The Romanians against Ceaucescu? That’s the sort of desperation required across Russia, and I am not sure it’s even close to reaching that level. And Putin has friends in high places: peculiar influence over Trump, an increasingly chummy relationship with Xi. And as Europe continues to fracture, he can further extend his tentacles into neighboring capitals there, perhaps making them more reliant on Russian oil and gas, or compromising their leaders.
Climate change is an interesting possibility as catalyst for change. When weather extremes increasingly threaten human sustenance in the coming years, crooks like Putin will gradually become bigger targets of their citizens’ rage.
1
Putin is a well-dressed mobster running Russia.
Republicans, the NRA and Trump were happy to receive their campaign assistance in 2016 to help rig their election...and they have remained silent about preventing a 2020 recurrence.
"If conservatives (i.e. authoritarians, patriarchs, dictators) become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy,"
- David Frum
Russia is not an American dictatorship yet, but it is a sham democracy, thanks to Russian-Republicanism.
Register and vote in record numbers in 2020.
It can happen here.
5
There you have it. Elections. A word that implies accountability. It also lmplies choice. What if the choice of the russian people is to continue down the road with Putin?
Any way us Americans can help? We'd love to send some money to supplicant the hardships and suffering of the Russian people. Maybe even send some Russian kids an iphone for Christmas; they would be in for a wonderful surprise to get something they probably have never seen before.
What you see in Russia is the pattern. I won’t be surprised to see the same or similar actions here in 2020. Trump learns whatever he can from the guy pulling his strings.
Putin and his allies have stolen so much of Russia's assets that they don't have the resources to repress the population in detail, as the current Chinese government does to its citizens. Putin et all can ramp up the brutality, but they'll have a hard time if enough Russians get exasperated enough.
When it comes to democracy the Russians/Soviets still don't get it.
1
Voting in Russia and Voting in the US is very much the same these days, no?
Trump and the Republican Party seems to think Putinism is fine, maybe even a model for the United States. Maybe it's only a matter of time till Trump creates his own goon squad ("American Patriots" or someting) to beat up dissident liberals.
But at least the Russians themselves have no illusions about this. They have witnessed the death of democracy and the slow strangling of freedom. Sad story.
Maybe fixing all the local Russian elections will somewhat distract Putin from messing with ours?
People are ultimately responsible for their leaders and their fate. Russians, as a nation, are complicit in the atrocities of the czarist regime, red terror of the communist era and Putin’s dictatorial rule. Russian future will remain troubled as long as Russian culture, that encourages or accepts “strong arm” rule, persists.
Why is it that the Russians helped Hillary Clinton in 2016 (even though she lost) and the media generally ignored it?
"The Kremlin has been sending a clear message: There will be no Hong Kong here, with its huge protests, nor any Istanbul, with its fair election that led to the opposition’s victory."
So, what's left? A rigged election is not an election at all. Pretending to heed the will of the people while demonstrating that you clearly don't would be like... well... our electoral college system.
1
Putin should probably go. He reminds me eerily of Voldemort in the Harry Potter movies, his demeanor and behavior. We need to get these despots out while (and if) we can. Trump is his minion and acolyte - Putin showed he is a skilled manipulator - he got Trump elected. That said, we have a lot of house cleaning to do here in the USA.
Yeltsin was a disaster. Putin has been as well. Yeltsin turned to drink when he realized that Russia could not just become a liberal democracy with a liberal economic system without tremendous efforts. Putin brought order with an iron fist but he was a one trick pony, he could not lead a great nation, even by dictatorship. So Russians have another repressive autocracy that enriches a few but keeps everyone else poor.
He managed to rig our voting machines in key states. He is in no danger of losing no matter how they vote given his complete control of their voting machines and officials
3
I'm surprised that the writer tries to enlighten us by reference to the Gorbachev election. The more obvious parallel is to the 2012 elections, when the opposition was particularly strong. After those elections, Putin played the role of demagogue and talked of the restoration of the Soviet empire. This was the prelude to his taking of Crimea and his invasion of Ukraine.
I have to confess that I consider the fears of Trump to be exaggerated. But always, in the back of my mind, was an enormous fear of a military showdown with Russia. The thought of Trump leading us through another Ukraine crisis terrifies even me.
3
Did he have a premonition about the West-supported coup in Ukraine?
2
Rural areas "impoverished." Its oil and gas based economy "anemic." Dismantling what is left of its "market-based" business approach. And, yet, investing yet more into the military.
This seems to be more along the lines of the North Korean model. The problem for Putin is the new and widespread presence of social media, access to news from the West, and a younger generation that didn't grow up under the Soviet system.
Putin has big problems.
5
@Robert Wood I regularly read lies US media, laugh and vote for Putin. So what?!
1
@Robert Wood I regularly read lies US media, laugh and vote for Putin. So what?!
1
Surprise, surprise, did anyone honestly think Putin was other that what he is. The idea that an ex KGB type was going to lead the country into democracy was and is laughable.
The Russia people one can hope are becoming more aware of their governmental problem. One can only they will find a way to a better tomorrow.
3
A country that has always been ruled from the top down by unelected autocrats and has never had free elections must somehow not want them. For us to wag our fingers at the Russians and say, 'shame, shame', must miss the mark, we misunderstand their idea of proper governance. When the Putin era, which has been going on a long time, finally comes to an end, people will say it's the dawn of a new day in Russia, that democracy is what Russia wants. After a short time of democratic 'chaos' the Russian people will demand re-establishment of order; the next autocracy will be born.
10
@Ronald B. Duke -- True.
To understand the Russian view of Putin, we must understand the alternatives they have experienced -- Stalin doing mass murder, and Yeltsin doing total collapse of society. That goes right back to Czars of both kinds. No democracy, anywhere along the way.
They can quite reasonably think, "Better than that." It isn't the same as "good." As a lesser evil, it can be quite bad, and still be less than either Stalin or total collapse of life's basic needs.
An unintended illustration of this is the author of this article. He was himself a kleptocrat billionaire who made a try for total power. He lost, and Putin won. Now he might understand Putin very well indeed, without himself being anything remotely like Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln as an alternative.
Russians have not had those choices, not now, not ever.
We can temper our sympathy for the average Russian with wariness of his leaders. As we do that, we need to be wary of the former insiders who come out of that too.
The article is holding a mirror up to republicans' looking out over the ocean green eyed with envy for the blueprint of keeping Power w/o the interference of representing the interest of the majority of people. A litmus test for representing the people might find a definition in motivations towards funding of an infrastructure program, the alternative to which is collapsing bridges. Anything that smells of New Deal, won't find their conviction. The schemes are well known with gerrymandering only the beginning. Both parties do it, but republicans rely on it. They're having trouble winning Presidential elections by popular vote, that indicates the majorities abandonment. The Electoral College seems to be the best shot at staying in the game as its currently being adjusted to maximize their prevail. All the representation republicans have to offer can be summed up in Supply Side Economics that benefits the majority as a by product, Trickle down isn't even within the purview of politicians to offer as windfalls of Supply Side don't necessarily follow with jobs created ...maybe in the chandelier manf sector. The idea of "Mobile Voting" might be differently used with moving food truck type voting booths. If you can't keep up with them then oh well ...Caveat Emptor. The looming rise of non white votes has been the decades long survival threat sounded by Limbaugh. "One if by sea, Two if by land, Three if by adopting immigrants."
3
This article brings to mind Moscow Mitch. In the parlance of Senate speak, I'd like to thank the dishonorable Senator McConnell for doing all he can to help insure fair and accurate elections by shelving same legislation from the House.
16
this is a fascinating piece of personal insight. my question for mr. khodarkovsky has to do with reality: who has the guns, who controls the military?
i'm very sorry if the writer is unaware that russian elections have long been sham events with preordained outcomes. i'm very sad if he hasn't learned that disapproval ratings are very far from revolution. until revelation prevails, my question is: in russia, right now and for the foreseeable future, who has the guns? that should tell you all you need to know about the next russian election.
12
Most likely authorities will just close selected polling places, require state IDs proving qualification for voting, purge voter rolls, put limits on any early or absentee voting where it exists, spread disinformation about when and how to vote, or disqualify votes if mail sent to a registered voter is returned to sender (called caging). Or why not jam the phones of a "ride-to-the-polls" service. And there are always the old standbys of a poll tax and literacy tests. Those Russians are clever that way.
12
The USA was caught by surprise when the Soviet Union Collapsed. Asleep at the wheel as usual. And Mr Gorbachev was a man the West could have done business with - as Mrs Thatcher said. The trouble is no business was done - at least none that might have kept Russia afloat during its transition to a market economy and a democracy. Instead the KGB was allowed to reform and eviscerate Russia’s assets. No longer asleep at the wheel - we have woken to the nightmare of Putin pulling Trump’s strings.
13
Putin's authoritarian template is well established and known to a significant extent. Intimidation, arrests, raids, false claims, murders, uniformed supporters, armed 'little green men'. Trump admires, believes, and rhetorically and materially supports the tyrant and thug. Cuts defense funding to the Ukraine and to a lessor extent uses some of the same techniques; 'enemies of the state' Trump asserts for example, 'fake news' for another and conspiracy theories in full and evolving bloom. Putin has a weak hand, with an economy only 1/16th of American's GDP, while his oligarchs chafe at the suctions restricting their movement of monies overseas. Putin has to watch his back and is working very hard to maintain his authority - and the full depth of that desire has not been plumbed as of yet. I believe Trump is watching closely, not so much to develop a concerted reproach, but to learn what works and what doesn't. Yes, that is where we are - voter suppression anyone? With large percentages of our population fully frustrated at the incessant indifference, insanity and abject cruelty of Trump's administration, I hope we Americans do not surrender to learned subservience and helplessness - the abusers objective. That is what bullies rely upon to persevere in their conduct, while extracting as much as possible from the cowed. Vote 2020, and be prepared to defend the process and outcome.
22
The Russians will always be able to point to the U.S. and the Electoral College as the corruption of our elections. It’s crazy to swear in candidates with millions of votes less than the real winner. There is no good reason to keep the EC. We should set an example for the rest of the world and clean up our own elections.
17
Josif Dzhugashvili depicted Russian general elections bluntly: In this country the most popular canditate won't win a seat but the candidate who counts the votes.
4
Putin isn't Gorbachev. He may stumble, but Russia is unique. It's extraordinarily local. People focus on their own neighborhoods, their own cities, not national interests. Russia's got 140 million people in an area that's over twice the size of the US (including Alaska.) About 40 million are other ethnicities in "republics". It's not that people are apathetic. They just don't see any benefit in worrying about a nation state that barely functions.
Russia is deeply troubled. It's suicide rate is the world's highest (except Greenland) and it's homicide rate is much higher than the US. Yet it has more police per capita than almost any country. Lifespan is similar to many sub-Saharan African countries.
It's difficult to assess such a country from afar. With an economy smaller than Italy's how dangerous can it be? But weak countries can be very dangerous, as N. Korea shows. If Russia was a person, they'd be a red flag candidate. The fascinating thing is that many Russians know this. Which, I suppose, is why they're so depressed.
19
@Brian
In 2018, according to Rosstat, there were 7,067 murders, and the homicide rate in Russia fell below the United States for the first time in recent history, falling to 4.9 per 100,000 compared to the US rate of 5.3 per 100,000 in 2017. Wikipedia
many countries have more police per capita than Russiahttps://www.worldatlas.com/articles/countries-with-the-most-police-officers-per-capita.html
2
@Lucy Cooke Russia has 623 police per 100,000. The only country in the world with over 10 million population that has more is Argentina. The US has 284, China 115.
UNODC consistently finds actual Russian murder rates about 2 higher than Rosstat (the number you refer to.) This is unusual, not the typical pattern. Russia domestic violence murders are also under-counted, by a lot.
Good idea to fact check, though.
2
Putin's very well entrenched.
Some insider could knock him off in a "coup," but that wouldn't result in much democratic change.
Russia is going to continue down the same path indefinitely.
4
What I see is the need for our own elections to be fortified and provided with an unquestionable process to assure that Trump and the R's can no longer rig them. We are sliding in the wrong direction and "We the People" are not doing enough to demand integrity in our elections. DT and the R's are counting on this and we can be sure that they will continue to try and get away with everything they can. They have not been held accountable and it is our own fault. DT will do everything he can to try and keep power, mark my words. VOTE out those who help him so that he will not be allowed. I cannot believe I am actually contemplating this happening in the USA and typing these words. WAKE UP!
15
Putin is an authoritarian. Is that a problem?
Maybe a majority of Russians prefer authoritarianism to democracy, at least as long it enables a decent standard of living.
The Levada Center is a respected, independent polling organization in Russia. In fact, it may be most respected or at least most referenced in Western media. It has tracked Putin’s favorability from about 60% to about 90% then back to about 65%, changing as expected in response to Crimea (increase) and higher retirement age (decrease).
In the past year, Putin’s approval was at 67% last month, with 31% disapproval.
(In general, the data show that Putin’s favorability is much higher than other national/regional politicians, the government/Duma, or direction of the country. )
Is the Levada Center secretly aligned with the government? Neither its history nor its research indicates this.
So back to the original question. Do Russian really mind having an authoritarian in charge? How much democracy have Russians experienced in the past 1,000 years or so?
We may cherish freedom and democracy, but it’s increasingly unclear that a majority of Russians, Chinese, or much of rest of the world’s population actually believe in it.
That's sad, but not particularly surprising.
9
@John Perhaps you missed the part of the article that mentioned Putin manipulating the polls. Or the part about the poll that showed only 25% support for Putin and the government made him re-do it to show greater support. Citing Russian polls as evidence of Putin's support would seem to leave your argument that Russian's support Putin overwhelmingly on somewhat shaky ground.
10
@Buzzman69
I fully understand the point in the article about the manipulation of polls. And maybe it's true for that particular poll.
But I would encourage you to research the Levada Center, including the frequency of citation in Western media, and review their results over 20 years.
Their ongoing poll of Putin's popularity has been clear in showing both positive and negative results, particularly in response to known events.
My sense is that Levada is one of the few polling organizations that achieved sufficient critical mass to resist government interference.
2
@Buzzman69
Sorry, I meant to include this link to a recent NYT article that cites the Levada Center as a reputable polling organization.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/19/world/europe/russia-putin-landfill.html
3
I hope there can be a peaceful resolution that includes a political system that stays more democratic than autocratic. Unfortunately, the big move is up to that very shrewd power-gamer, Vladimir Putin.
There is no easy way that Putin can peacefully step away from power. Part of this is due to how he has looted public coffers, becoming a multi-billionaire on the backs of the Russian people.
Honestly, I'm just waiting for Trump to tell the Russian people that Putin is the best leader they could hope for.
9
Are we seeing a trend, here?
Countries that once were liberalizing to take advantage of Free Trade benefits are becoming more and more authoritarian. China, Turkey, Russia, India, Brazil, Philippines, Hungary; nearly half the World's population is degenerating into Totalitarianism. The rise of isolationist Nationalism, even in countries proud of their populist traditions, is growing. These Nationalist groups invariably want a "strong leader" to impose unpopular policies on the majority. Russia has NEVER been Communist. Since the 1917 Revolution it has only had a series of dictators, not socialist rulers.
We saw the results of the trend toward Nationalism in 1914.
The U.S. appears infected with this disease as well. Will we have elections in 2024?
9
@havnaer It is not the case of Russia. The "Democratic" leaders of Russia (Yeltsin) imposed unpopular policies, Putin very often implemented the popular policies that is how he keeps his rating high for all these years.
1
Russia is rich in abundant natural resources and has an educated population 99+% literacy with about 53% having tertiary education.
It should be a relatively wealthy country with a prosperous and healthy population. Instead, it is a second world country with 140 million people with low longevity (66.5 years for males and 77.1 years for women,) and whose GDP of $1.57 trillion dollars is about the same as Canada whose GDP is $1.65 trillion which is shared more equitably by a population of only 37 million people. Canada's life expectancy is 80 years for males and 84 years for females (longer than the United States.)
It is no wonder that Russians want a change for the better rather than a restoration of the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union.
But as Stalin is rumored to have said, "It's not the people who vote that count, it's the people who count the votes."
True then, and true today, in Russia and maybe also in Florida, Georgia and elsewhere in the USA?
31
@JMT Of course, people want a better life, but last time when they were promised this better life , they lost country, all their savings, in instead got the ruined economy, corruption and massive erosion safety net. I doubt they want to repeat that.
3
I've always thought that there really is no 'ism' in Mr. Putin's rule, and that his regime will not survive his exit, however that happens. The thinking that Russians need an authoritarian government for their country to exist is as antiquated as the Romanov dynasty, and the need to reach back that far for its justification proves how shaky the current Kremlin government is. The important issue for today is what comes after Putin? The transition period could be a dangerous time for Russia, and the world. Hopefully some foreign policy thinkers and planners are working on that question.
13
"...the authorities are afraid. Not of any foreign power’s interference in Russia’s elections...."
Really? I'm sure the CIA is actively trying to interfere in these municipal/regional elections, in various and sundry secret ways [as well they should], to ensure some embarrassing results for Putin and his candidates. They won't lose, of course, but some of the numbers could be humiliating.
5
We can, from a seemingly safe distance of a few thousand miles, watch what again unfolds in Russia's elections with some self-assurance that we are safe here. But the clouds of authoritarianism have surged in yet a new possibility.
Trump has already cited the utterly dubious claim that at least two years of the presidency were "stolen" from him by the hassle of the "witchhunt" investigation into complicity with Russian interference in the 2016 election. He believes, nonsensically, that the presidency is a personal plum, his to do with as he pleases rather than a service to the country, and that he should be free to enjoy it as a trophy, as well as to operate with a free authoritarian hand.
More chilling is that many of his supporters, who falsely consider themselves patriotic Americans, agree with this premise, and that he should be allowed a longer term. Ironically, these supporters also seem to have little problem with Trump's lauding of Putin. Should Trump choose to not budge on Jan 20, 2021, we would face not only a Constitutional crisis, but a distinct sharpening of the possibility of civil war.
This has been enabled by a Republican goal, for decades, of effectively single-party control in partnership with a conservative media machine that has promulgated various shades of authoritarianism in the guise of security, and, of all duplicities, under the banner of "freedom and democracy."
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@Shonun Whose got more AR-15s stashed away? The Republicans or Democrats? Trump may be hoping that his MAGA ARMY shows up to protect his presidency when he loses in 2020!
9
There is no nightmare. Putin will have his opponents jailed or worse and the ballot counts rigged.
Something our current President dreams about but just can't seem to get done.
34
@slime2: Yes, but Putin could help Trump, and that is the worry.
1
Sounds like voting in GA where the person running running for Governor is also in charge of elections and just takes voters off the rolls so he can be elected. We can't be calling the Russian elections rigged without reviewing our own.
163
Please examine the illogic of your statement.
A newspaper is not the government. While it would be hypocritical for the government to attack Putin’s system but ignore the state of Georgia’s problems, it is not hypocritical for a newspaper to do so. But in fact, this very newspaper HAS reported on Georgia’s elections.
It is also true that the situation is far worse in Russia. Georgia is not jailing or beating candidates. Nor does it intimidate pollsters or stop newspapers from publishing bad news about the electoral system. You’re pushing a false equivalency.
5
@Angelus Ravenscroft
Seems to me you are being overly literal. I took the original post not as a pot/kettle comparison equating flaws in our systems with Russian corruption, but merely as an observation that we also have flaws in our systems.
6
@Rebecca Comparing elections in Georgia to those in Russia is offensive. MLK's first and most important accomplishment was to assure blacks the right to vote in the South. And his achievements were miraculous. Russian elections are comparable to Georgia's elections before MLK. To equate Russia to present day Georgia demonstrates an utter lack of proportion and ignores the accomplishments of our greatest civil right champion.
2
This is powerful, and terrifying, in Russia, and it's equally powerful and terrifying here in the United States with:
- disqualification of more than 50,000 voters for excuses like missing a hyphen in a name, close to the margin for a popular candidate's loss
- a publicly broadcasted invitation to an enemy of state to interfere with elections
- refusing to acknowledge proven election interference at the highest level of government
- door to door 'collection' of mysteriously received absentee ballots
- an elected official overseeing the vote recount for his own election, and
- the brother and state governor of an elected official overseeing the razor thin margin vote recount for his election.
On second thought, I would posit that it's more terrifying here, because the United States was once the (ostensible) beacon for freedom that Russia never was, and that helps to belie election interference in plain sight.
211
@common sense advocate Hopefully Putin's opposition will closely watch the ballot box keeping in mind the words of Stalin, "It's not the votes that count, it's the people who count the votes."
6
@Jack Strausser - outstanding and apt quote!
5
Professor Khodarskovsky seems to want to give the message that there is a broad undercurrent of discontent in Russia. How true is that?
I'm quite sure that there are some segments of the highly educated city-dwellers in Moscow and Saint-Petersburg who are unhappy with the Putin government, but is that true in Volgograd? In Perm? In Tobolsk? In Kazan? In Blagoveshchensk?
It is never easy to divine what 's going on in those bits of Russia that are not tourist destinations or commercial hubs, let alone the more rural areas. What is indisputable, is that Mr. Putin more closely resembles the traditional image of a ruler than a truly democratically elected person.
Besides, when extolling the virtues of democracy, its proponents must face the uphill struggle of defending the principle, while explaining away details like Trump, the Brexit referendum, the rise of the AfD in Germany, VOX in Spain, and so many others. Not an easy row to hoe, for sure.
14
@Rudy Flaming
Not hard at all to defend western democracy vs. communism. It's a slam dunk.
This is a rather chilling article in terms of how the Russian system has begun to turn back to the military police state it has been since the Czars were deposed, i.e., special forces to defend the State, moving assets into state coffers and expanding the military-industrial complex. Is our country in danger of moving in this direction especially where the money is concerned. Has anyone checked the gold in Ft Knox recently? These criminals are capable of raiding any available funds to proceed with their devious plans, ie., wall to Mexico. I trust no one taking care of our nation's assets and we have a known criminal in charge. Time for a huge change and charges brought.
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@Betsy Herring
special forces to defend the State, moving assets into state coffers and expanding the military-industrial complex.
How was Russian under Tsars any different?
8
Aren"t the 'special forces' National Guards? Doesn't America have it as well?
1
@Betsy Herring
No. The equivalent would be, perhaps, an additional force of "Homeland Security" agents hovering about everywhere. And add to that "military security agents" and "agricultural security agents" and "political security agents" and "social order agents" (can't call them "social security" agents, people would get the wrong idea) and a few more, and then you'd have Russia, Tsarist, Soviet, or Neo-Soviet.
Putin's greatest possible legacy would be a managed transition to Democracy. Sadly, History will record him as just another Strong Man.
20
@KEF
Strong Man? How about calling him what he really is: a bullying, cowardly, thief!
Just like his good student trump!
1
Remember the last election, when Putin won with a "convenient" 97% advantage? There's no way this election will not be fixed.
63
As time goes on and the world becomes smaller, people have more opportunities to look into their neighbors backyard and say...’what do these people have that I want?’
And increasingly that answer is democracy.
And people will fight for it.
People of Russia. Now is your time. You have been stifled for too long. Now is the time to stand up, throw off your chains, and become a world player. Now is the time to embrace democracy and to chart a future for yourselves.
Look at Hong Kong. While the Protesters are hugely outnumbered, they are not defeated. They are determined. And they know it may not happen tomorrow but it WILL happen. Because without protests, democracy will surely not happen.
And do, People of Russia, this is your clarion call to action. It’s now or never.
38
@PC. Wish I were so sanguine. People in the US mostly have no idea that the Senate is essentially defunct and operates only when Moscow Mitch sees a chance to pass punitive laws or can bottle up Constitutional ones.
US voters are content to shop at the Mall and don’t bother to read. Half of them can’t be bothered to vote and, of course, we have made it difficult for workers to vote because our elections are always conducted during ordinary working hours.
38
@PC Didn't Russians do that in 1992? It didn't work out so well, and Hong Kong is fine, but there is always after. Look at Moldova, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia? With all these democratic revolution are they better than Russia? Not in economic sense for sure
1
Correct, but irrelevant.
For that we can thank our own country, the US.
The West has created a fear in Russia that it is under a Cold War attack, which may become an actual military attack. Russia does well to be deadly serious about this possibility.
After the immense democratic revolution of 1991, Russia sought true friendship with the West.
The response has been 25 years of our leading of NATO toward the Russian border. For fifteen years, NATO territory has stretched along 500 miles of the Baltic-Russian frontier.
NATO now threatens to step across the Russian Red Line of the border of the former USSR into Ukraine: for ten years we have hinted or proclaimed that the country will be a member.
Ukraine is 200 miles from Moscow, which means nuclear weapons that close to the capital. Of course, "We have no plans to place nuclear weapons east of Germany." Said the spider to the fly.
The US would not put up with such a situation for a moment. That's why we had the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
This long term increasing threat has now been joined by hysterical Russophobia in the US.
Following the US-aided coup in Ukraine, 2014, Putin took the defensive measures of annexing Crimea and invading eastern Ukraine. Just as we prepared to invade Cuba in 1962.
Putin is warning that if NATO enters Ukraine, Russia will fight.
The nation will rally to the regime.
Kissinger opposes and Brzezinski opposed absorbing Ukraine into NATO.
For good reason.
12
@alyosha
I respectfully disagree with just about everything you have to say.
Starting with the fact that the Cold War isn't over.
Nor will it be as long as Vladimir Putin remains in power in power and continues to play by the KGB handbook.
Next.
Russia has no business in Ukraine or in any other former Soviet state in Europe which it still sees as its own.
There's a very good reason why Poland wants NATO boots on the ground, and is anxious to see them there, and as long as Russian military planes continue with their invasive flyovers in Lithuanian airspace, the Baltic states also have reason to be wary.
Just for the record.
I grew up in a country and city divided and surrounded by Russian troops and a Wall.
I know what they're capable of doing because they have done it before.
And NO. This is no mere "Russophobia".
They are a threat.
And it's very real.
119
@N. Smith
Remember when Trump proposed bringing in Russian cyber experts to guard our election system? Yes, it's a very real threat, and it prominently exists at the top.
44
@alyosha NATO is a treaty of defense. The real draw of NATO to countries at Russia's border is economic not military. If Ukraine and the Baltic countries join NATO and achieve entry into the European Union, they will be more prosperous and protected. Vladimir Putin does not want that to happen. He wants them dependent on Russia for their oil and natural gas. At its root is money.
17
If they haven't already, Americans should take careful note of what's happening with Russian election, and see it as a litmus test to what may well be the future of our own.
By now it's no surprise that Donald Trump admires and mimics almost everything that Vladimir Putin does when it comes to consolidating and maintaining control, why else would he have turned to Russia, even in jest to implore their help in securing his election.
What's so surprising is not so much what he said.
But the fact that they listened.
And they still are.
59
@N. Smith Trump is just one of Vlad's puppets. America needs to wake up.
1
Ha! Wouldn't it be wonderful if Putin were turned out of office by the good citizens of Russia? That could have a huge effect on Trump's chances to survive 202. Just imagine if they both were forced out by popular (and electoral) votes.
25
The interesting thing is this: why does Trump so admire Mr Putin? Is it because he tries to keep the nation under his personal control? The reactions of Trump and his cronies to Putin's actions would suggest that their attitude to democracy is similar to that of the Russian authorities: i.e. let the people think they are being heard as long as they don't disturb our machinations. The difference being (for the moment) that removing opponents is still tricky, given that there is still some opposition from political institutions and even from a smattering of honorable Republicans.
93
@Bill George. No. No. Trump likes to run the government like a personally held corporation wedded to his “personality.”. It’s just that simple.
4
@Bill George
Only if Justin Amash alone 'makes' a "smattering," and 'we' disregard his 'switch' from "R" to "I", might we (or anyone else) 'identify' a "smattering of honorable Republicans."
2
It’s useful to be constantly reminded of the natural progression of authoritarianism. Perhaps those averse to learning history may at least pay a bit of attention to what’s happening around us.
90
When Americans express shock and surprise that Putin meddled in 2016 Presidential election, we should remember that he and his cronies perfected their meddling techniques in Russia's elections. What should shock and outrage Americans is that both the Obama and the Trump administrations have done so little to prevent this from happening.
33
@Mike Gera
Russians ARE masters of dezinformatsiya, which was perfected during the (real) Cold War.
Those in power today in Russia are Neo-Soviets. They came of age during the Soviet Union and that is all they know.
3
@Mike Gera I think we shouldn't be surprised because the US meddles in the elections of other countries as well. It was clearly on display in the Ukrainian elections 2014.
1
@Mike Gera
Keep in mind, Mike, that Obama tried to warn the general public by putting out there what was happening, before the election, but it was Moscow Mitch who refused to allow that to happen, and he forbade (and continues to forbid) any legislation to prevent that election fraud/foreign interference as well.
5
The obvious and scary implications are what Trump may do. His denial of facts, naming anyone who disagree with him an enemy of the state, his installation of cronies in powerful positions, his use of executive orders, and his propensity to use the cover of “national security” as a means to promote his personal agendas all make it very possible he will attempt to thwart either the 22nd Amendment or the Electoral College results and remain in power.
70
I would like to hear more about how the POTUS can thwart the electoral college results. I do not believe that is any more possible than Democrats thwarting the electoral college.
11
@Confused The Electoral College is an anachronism long overdue for elimination. President Trump may simply refuse to leave office when he is defeated in the November 2020 election, try to suspend the Constitution and declare that the Supreme Court is on his side.
49
@Confused. The lesson is not far from you. Did you not notice during the last Ga election for Governor that one of the candidates also was in charge of the voting rolls? Likewise the EC Electors no longer have to vote for the candidate that the majority of voters want. The Court decided that they are free to vote for whomever they wish to vote for: either Republican or Democrat or any other party or person. Think of the “fun”!
10
A marketplace of ideas will always, in the long view, outrun a society controlled by one idea. Our world is far too complex to continually apply one theory or one practice to every problem that arises. Without that marketplace to resolve difficult problems, the only strategy left is force, which, is when that society enters a slow death spiral.
38
@Amanda Jones Really? Why in this case Americans are so afraid of Russian trolls? After all, they just expend the marketplace of ideas.
1
In America we call those machinations “the electoral college.”
182
@PeterMeh. For all its flaws, the electoral college has yet to jail any candidates or assassinate any journalists.
1
@Peter Is it possible for me to recommend this comment many times?
3
I can't help but notice the similarities between Putinism and Trumpism. America needs a replacement for the completely corrupted Republican party and fast. Sad to say since I am a lifelong registered Republican. There is no denying that the Republican party is a Zombie party now. No new ideas, no adherence to principals, no adherence to the Constitution, no belief in science. Just a mindless will to continue to exist.
444
@Catalina - clearly you have been reading too much of the left wing media. The GOP under Trump is making massive improvements in trade deals, has reduced red-tape, increased investment, brought about needed tax reform. It is sad that the Democrats have stopped more progress on important issues like health care - but hey - I guess you haven't noticed that either.
3
@CatalinaThat's a good one, Zombie party. Mind if I use that one later? A very good description except you left out "only in it for the Money".
27
Agree. I was a registered Republican from the time I was first eligible to vote in 1972. Starting in the late 1980’s I started to see a radical change in the party that was very concerning. Buchanan, Gingrich and the other “conservatives” that followed were dragging the party far to the right - far away from the “Main Street” party of Eisenhower et al. The rise of Tea Party republicanism was an eye opener and the nomination of Trump was a slap in the face. I’m not registered with either party these days and not likely to vote for any candidate with an R following their name until sanity is restored to the party.
41
History repeats itself. Dictators rise & when they cannot maintain their power by force, they fall. It's only to be hoped that Putin's inevitable fall will not be too violent & will lead to a more democratic Russia.
129
@Doug R
History is an intangible and therefore is incapable of "repeating itself."
3
Putin only thinks of himself. He cares not for the people. He will do whatever it takes to remain in power.
I love that the young are less apt to buy into the propaganda. They may just usher in a new political culture. I salute them!
234
@Julie He may, but the lives of ordinary people vastly improved under his leadership, that's why he had such a high rating. Even now life is much better than in 90s. Young people do not remember 90s, but many people do, and do not believe that democracy is not equal prosperity. And if they start to doubt, they always can look at Moldova, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan or Georgia.
2
@Julie
Putin is a NEO-SOVIET, with all the ways and means that come along with that tag.
Want to know their next move? Ask yourself "What would the Soviets do?"
3
@Julie
"After Mr. Putin’s annual Direct Line TV appearance — a question-and-answer marathon staged to present an all-knowing leader in direct communication with citizens — the channel’s YouTube site registered 12,000 likes and 170,000 dislikes. Some experts calculated Mr. Putin’s support among this audience at about 7 percent."
That's what we need here - a live YouTube TV appearance by Trump where the viewers can vote "like" or "dislike" instead of his televised rallies in front of his sycophants.
6
Could it happen with Trump and the US? That is what the author is quietly implicating. Does Trump have any power to corral the military to stay in office if (and hopefully) when he is defeated in November 2020? Will his standing army of "Red Hats" with their 2nd Amendment notes scribbled on post its be used to keep him in office?
Putin effective controls the military and other armed forces by graft, and probably free vodka and other swag. Do the Russian people really want to continue along paying off the elites with oil and gas money, while at the same time offering very little to the world?
One has to believe that the truth will out and that democracy and fairness will rise to the occasion... even if it takes another 500 years. In the meantime, vote and try not to get killed or clubbed.
55
@MATTHEW ROSE If you want to see Trump jerked from office, that is what would happen if he used the military against the people. Specifically, the single reason for the 2nd Amendment, regardless of what Scalia's court said a few years ago, is to resist such action. Talk about mass shootings, that would be status quo if Trump tried to use the military to hold on to power. But then, think about it, the idiots that would vote to keep him in office might well start an uprising.
2