37% of Republicans like Putin

[Kazukian]

In other news 100% of Kazukian's posts are worthless

Funny how there's 0 data on Democrats, don't you think?

That's the kind of shit that turned off a lot of voters, let's write an article that shows how stupid the other guy is, no one will notice the spin...

 

[trenchfoot]

Well of course Republicans would have an improved favorability of Putin, seeing as if Putin helped them take back the presidency and forever erase the memory of those eight nation destroying years when it was led by a black Muslim commie. And it was Putin who also helped keep the presidency out of the hands of the liberal socialists who ruined the nation by giving those dirty raping murderous terrorist immigrants a foothold in the nation that's only supposed to be the home of all the white nationalists/supremacists.

Putin is now a better friend of the Repub's because he is a friend of Trump and both are enemies of the Demoncrats and especially Hillary (or the next victim the Dems put up).

Hell, anybody who is an enemy of the GOP, even if they happen to be millions of fellow Americans, have to be put in their place.

Any friend of the GOP, even if it happens to be a guy like Putin whose most precious wish is to destroy America is more than welcome to join the Repubs in their quest for a one party form of gov't in control of a few families (yes, including Trump's) who have proclaimed themselves as the New Royalty of America.

Everybody knows this. We should all welcome Putin to help us because we obviously can't help ourselves.

 

[Jhhnn]

So what?

I think most Americans have no reason to even care about Putin and Russia. When was the last time a Russian nationalist killed random Americans? In contrast, when was the last time a Muslim nationalist attacked random Americans? It's a pretty big disparity.

There are much larger issues. We can't appear to waver in our support of Nato simply because it might encourage Putin to miscalculate. We can't afford to sell out any member. God only knows how the Europeans would react.

Make no mistake about it, Putin would restore Russian influence to what it was prior to Gorbachev if he could, just with a different flavor.

 

[Thump553]

Gorbachev was pretty popular back in the day also. What's new?
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/16/w...american-minds-on-soviets.html?pagewanted=all

Gorbachev oversaw the collapse of the Soviet Union-without starting a major war or a nuclear war and kept the collapse peaceful without internal or external riots, suppression, etc. And he did that in the face of constant provocation from Reagan. Compare that to Syria today (or dozens of other countries). Personally I consider Gorbachev one of the greatest world leaders of the twentieth century, right up there with Churchill and FDR.

Unfortunately his successor sold nearly all of Russian industry to the oligarchs for a pittance and then picked Putin as his successor, while spending a good deal of the time drunk. It's like the USA went straight from George Washington to Trump.

 

[Jhhnn]

Funny how there's 0 data on Democrats, don't you think?

That's the kind of shit that turned off a lot of voters, let's write an article that shows how stupid the other guy is, no one will notice the spin...

So persecuted! The article explores the changes in Repub sentiment. They don't talk about change in Dem sentiment because there likely isn't any. Strongman leadership isn't our thing.

Victorian Gray's link, above, goes into both sides of it if you're really interested.

 

[Victorian Gray]

So persecuted! The article explores the changes in Repub sentiment. They don't talk about change in Dem sentiment because there likely isn't any. Strongman leadership isn't our thing.

Victorian Gray's link, above, goes into both sides of it if you're really interested.

You know that he's not.

 

[feralkid]

65% of Republicans like Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream

Put the bong down, Londo.


.

 

[desura]

There are much larger issues. We can't appear to waver in our support of Nato simply because it might encourage Putin to miscalculate. We can't afford to sell out any member. God only knows how the Europeans would react.

Make no mistake about it, Putin would restore Russian influence to what it was prior to Gorbachev if he could, just with a different flavor.

We also need to recognize legitimate Russian concerns. Zbigniew Brzezinski has said that the Baltic states probably should never have been admitted to NATO. I personally think that NATO expansion into Eastern Europe was an overreach of questionable merit. Part of the deal in German unification was that NATO wouldn't expand eastwards. George HW Bush made that promise, and Bill Clinton broke it.

 

[Jhhnn]

We also need to recognize legitimate Russian concerns. Zbigniew Brzezinski has said that the Baltic states probably should never have been admitted to NATO. I personally think that NATO expansion into Eastern Europe was an overreach of questionable merit. Part of the deal in German unification was that NATO wouldn't expand eastwards. George HW Bush made that promise, and Bill Clinton broke it.

You'll need to source the alleged promises for me to believe they were made.

Beyond that, what's done is done & our commitment to NATO & all its members must be unquestionable. Anything else invites trouble, opens up possibilities of miscalculation best left unexplored.

 

[HomerJS]

So what?

I think most Americans have no reason to even care about Putin and Russia. When was the last time a Russian nationalist killed random Americans? In contrast, when was the last time a Muslim nationalist attacked random Americans? It's a pretty big disparity.

You do know Russia just attacked us albeit cyber.

Recently more Americans have been killed by white home grown terrorists. So by your logic where should we be concerned?

 

[desura]

You do know Russia just attacked us albeit cyber.

Recently more Americans have been killed by white home grown terrorists. So by your logic where should we be concerned?

This oversimplification leads to unnecessary hostility. What happened was that the Russians were able to successfully obtain emails from the Democratic party because of shoddy security practices. It was a human error in not changing the password and enabling two-factor. This is a highly specific vulnerability -- human error-- and so we do not know if the Russians also successfully hacked the RNC.

Meanwhile...the stab wounds and bomb attacks from Muslims is very real and causes real permanent injury and death.

 

[desura]

You'll need to source the alleged promises for me to believe they were made.

Beyond that, what's done is done & our commitment to NATO & all its members must be unquestionable. Anything else invites trouble, opens up possibilities of miscalculation best left unexplored.

True to a degree. What we should be doing is slowly unraveling commitments to the Baltic states especially, or reassuring Russians that we will not encourage hostilities.

For a source, just look at anything Stephen Cohen says. But it makes logical sense. Remember that in WWII the Russians had been invaded by Germany and they lost like 30 million people as a result. Germany was divided to keep it weak so it wouldn't cause problems like this again. So German reunification is cause for concern.

If you are progressive, I'd be far more worried about how hawkish Washington people get regarding Putin. What I think is going on is a combination of bureaucratic and historical inertia, vulnerability to lobbying by Eastern European nationalists, and ideological idealism. There are reports that the American State Department is doing stuff like pushing the LGBT agenda on Eastern Europe, which is just kind of stunning in its audacity and inappropriateness.

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Gorbachev was pretty popular back in the day also. What's new?
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/16/w...american-minds-on-soviets.html?pagewanted=all

are we going to play the 'guess who was really popular when they shouldn't have been' game?
here are just a few..
hitler
mussolini
lenin
stalin
saddam
pol pot
drumpf
etc

 

[dank69]

Putin is a dangerous dictator and has to be dealt with effectively. Liking him or disliking him is irrelevant. He will likely lead Russia for life.

He will likely lead the USA now as well, thanks to you.

 

[hal2kilo]

Nah, he won't "rule it", it'll just become much less of an obstacle for him now, thanks to a President who will, in all seriousness, be far more easily manipulated, one way and another, by a whole host of characters, here and abroad, than any other high-level national US politician I can think of in recent, and not-so-recent, history. (Which I think would be a much more likely for sponsoring election-related hacking, assuming it did in fact happen, than any sort of actual, specific "conspiracy". Though who knows, maybe even that's true... At this point absolutely nothing would surprise me.)

President-elect or not, the man is a buffoon, and the "world's significant leaders" are going to eat The Donald for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And then gnaw on the bones as a midnight snack...

All you have to do is virtually kiss his ring. You've won him.

 

[Ackmed]

I don't think most Americans really know much about Putin well enough to have a valid opinion of him to be honest. They see memes of him riding a bear, with no shirt, shooting guns. Ignorance can be a killer.

I also have a hard time believing polls at face value after this election. I immediately look at the references, who and how people were polled. No longer do I just see a poll and believe it as fact.

It is funny that some leftists hold Castro in high regard. Wear shirts of him, speak highly of him. When he was a murderous piece of shit. Hypocrisy, but not unusual. Then speak so poorly of Putin. Obviously, not everyone does this. Just an observation on my part.

 

[Jhhnn]

What we should be doing is slowly unraveling commitments to the Baltic states especially, or reassuring Russians that we will not encourage hostilities.

The notion that we can successfully just unravel our commitments in the Baltics is absurd. It invites aggression.

 

[soulcougher73]

Authoritarian types like authoritarians? say it aint so

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

I don't think most Americans really know much about Putin well enough to have a valid opinion of him to be honest. They see memes of him riding a bear, with no shirt, shooting guns. Ignorance can be a killer.

I also have a hard time believing polls at face value after this election. I immediately look at the references, who and how people were polled. No longer do I just see a poll and believe it as fact.

It is funny that some leftists hold Castro in high regard. Wear shirts of him, speak highly of him. When he was a murderous piece of shit. Hypocrisy, but not unusual. Then speak so poorly of Putin. Obviously, not everyone does this. Just an observation on my part.

I see him as someone who jailed part of a band for being critical of him. That speaks volumes to the character of the man.

 

[desura]

The notion that we can successfully just unravel our commitments in the Baltics is absurd. It invites aggression.

I'd argue that NATO presence in the Baltics is the root cause of aggression in the first place.

 

[trenchfoot]

Authoritarian types like authoritarians? say it aint so

Bravo. This in essence is why Trump is so infatuated with Putin. Well said, sir.

 

[senseamp]

I am not surprised. If you look at people in Russia who like Putin, it's mirror image of Trump Trash. Rust belt and other losers who couldn't make it in the free markets, longing for a revival of past greatness. Not from their own efforts, but from promises of an authoritarian thug.

 

[Jaskalas]

Trump Trash. Rust belt and other losers who couldn't make it in the free markets

And you all let them know how you felt about them before the election. Yet expected votes.

 

[senseamp]

And you all let them know how you felt about them before the election. Yet expected votes.

Do they need a Safe Space?

 

[trenchfoot]

How mentally deranged and shortsighted it is that many Repubs are thankful to Putin for helping them win an election.

But then it was all about the win and the resultant alleviating of those fears and the hatred these partisans were disingenuously conditioned to believe in, wasn't it?

Doesn't matter at all where the salve came from and why the salve was applied in the first place, does it? Doesn't matter to many of the folks who voted for Trump that they were skillfully exploited by Putin into voting against their own best interests. Doesn't matter that Putin fooled them into voting for a guy that Putin himself viewed as being the most easily influenced into becoming a puppet that he could play with as he pleased.

If Trump's supporters actually think that he can go mano a mano against the former head of the KGB and come out of it looking like the (contrived) winner he was in the last election, then I really do feel a sense of sorrow for them. These folks not only got fooled by Trump's incessant lies and false promises to them, they also got humiliatingly played by one of the biggest threats to their security and then they actually thanked the guy for it.

How a more tragically comical scenario could ever be authored is beyond me, but it happened and the reason for how and why it happened is being laid at the feet of Hillary, which is probably what Trump and Putin wanted everyone to believe in the first place.