It was not very long ago that Russia was regarded as the USA's enemy by nearly all Americans. They were the Evil Empire, the Soviet Union, whose godless leaders were guzzling vodka and plotting the downfall of our nation . They were "going to bury us" while we ducked and covered while looking for fallout shelters.
President Reagan declared that the Soviets' governance would end up "in the ash bin of history." Russia was the corrupt state of mendacious oligarchs and was antithetical to democratic values.
Today, our topsy-turvy country views things much differently. If Trumpsters/Republicans were asked to put country before party, which country would they choose? The surge in favorable feelings towards Russia is remarkable, and probably tied in with the Cult of Trump, wherein everything DT says is accepted by followers as Truth, despite any evidence to the contrary.
Let's dig in a bit to get a better look at what's happening here. In a Marist/NPR survey last month, the question was posed: "Does Russian hacking of the 2016 election pose a threat to future elections?" The response is revealing:
Dems - 73% say Major Threat, 16% Minor Threat, 3% No Threat, 4% Unsure, 4% Russia uninvolved
Repubs - 17% Major Threat, 24% Minor Threat, 27% No Threat, 7% Unsure, 25% Russia uninvolved
Independs - 51% Major, 19% Minor Threat, 13% No Threat, 6% Unsure, 12% Russia not involved
In a Washington Post/ABC survey from a week ago, in response to the question, "Do you think that the Russian government tried to influence the 2016 election?" the results were similarly intriguing:
Dems - 80% yes; 69% Trump benefited; 7% Trump didn't benefit; 13% Russia wasn't involved
Repubs - 33% yes; 9% Trump benefited; 22% Trump didn't benefit; 55% Russia uninvolved
Independs - 61% yes; 42% Trump benefited; 16% no Trump benefit; 33% Russia wasn't involved
OK, you want some more? Well, here's some more! In a May survey by Politico/Morning Consult, the Republicans' response to how they feel towards Russia:
13% see Russia as an Ally; 36% see it as Friendly; 25% say Unfriendly; 12% say Enemy.
Right, that's roughly half of Republicans think it's Rooty-Tooty for us to hang with the Rooskies and their Dictator. But it wasn't always this way. It's a recent phenomenon. In a Gallup Poll asking about Favorability towards Putin and Russia, we find the following:
Dems - 15% said Da to Putin in 2015, 10% say Da in 2017.
Repubs - 12 % liked Putin in 2015, 32% say Da in 2017
Independs - 12% said OK to Putin in 2015, 23% like him in 2017
That's what they call a Significant Factor in the world of Statistics. But it's not just Putin that gets the love, it's his country, too:
Dems - 26% viewed Russia favorably in 2015; 16% view it favorably in 2017
Repubs - 20% viewed Russia favorably in 2015; 35% view it favorably in 2017
Independs - 25% viewed it favorably in 2015; 32% view it favorably in 2017
So why are so many Republicans and Trump Independents so friendly to Putin/Russia now? Throughout the presidential campaign and pre-inaugural, Trump was openly buddy-buddy with Putin, the most Pro-Russia candidate since 1948's Henry Wallace. He called Putin a strong leader (better than Obama), very smart and a bunch of superlatives. Trump campaigned to pull away from NATO and to disengage from the European Union, both big goals for Putin. He openly solicited Russia to hack the DNC to get Hilary Clinton's emails. When reminded what a monster Putin is, Trump replied, "Are we so innocent?" Apparently, not.
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| Every boy and girl should get this for their birthdays! |
How can Trump and his supporters like this guy? Over the years, Putin/Russia have cast a powerful and sustained PR spell from its security/intelligence group, the FSB (formerly KGB). These guys are the best at what they do - sorry CIA. Western media and political advocacy sources such as Fox News, Heritage Foundation and lesser life-forms like Info Wars, Breitbart and Drudge Report have been groomed for years. How else to explain their mystifying acceptance of Russia's point of view?
Putin is portrayed as the modern standard-bearer for so-called American "traditional values": God, guns and no gays! Following a Putin speech in 2013 that decried American degeneracy (gay marriage laws), various U.S. right-wing Christian Taliban went rapturous. Franklin Graham and fellow evangelicals saw a man they could do business with. Pat Buchanan wrote: "President Putin is implying that Obama's America may deserve the title ("the focus of evil in the modern world") in the 21st Century." Matt Drudge declared Putin to be "the leader of the Free World." Weekly Standard senior editor Christopher Caldwell called him, "the pre-eminent statesman of our time."
Once the opinion-influencers of the party had been captured, it didn't take long to reach the rank-and-file. (Do read this last link, it's well worth your while.) When candidate Trump emerged from the primaries as the favorite for Anti-Muslims, Anti-Immigrants, Anti-Black/POC, Anti-Gays, Anti-Free Press, Anti-Intellectuals, Anti-Education, Anti-Liberalism, Anti-Feminism/Women's Rights, Anti-Science, Anti-Consumer Regulations, Pro-Guns and Pro-Authoritarian Rhetoric, it shouldn't surprise that Russia embraced him, and he them.
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| (Note middle finger extension) |
Now we have a Russian Asset, a "Useful Idiot", as our President. Whether or not he operates with the Sword of Kompromat over his head, his actions indicate a strong and seemingly irrational bond with Russia. And his base feel Trump and Putin speak the same language. Hellll Ya! There's no pussy-footin' around. You want something in life? Boom! Grab it! Don't waste time trying to get agreement with everyone like that silver-tongued Kenyan Muslim Gay Marxist Obama -- get 'er done!
There is also another chilling indicator of how Trump's America and Putin's Russia are intertwining: Death Rates. It's no secret that Russia has had a sky-high mortality rate, bouncing between 1200 - 1600 per 100,000.
Russian Death Rate - Historical Data Graphs per year
We American used to point this out as Exhibit A why we were better than them. But now we are making our own moves:
White Working Class Death Rate in America
Yes, there's still a big gap... but we are closing it.
Finally, before we add to the statistics by slitting our wrists over all this, let's remember: The KGB-FSB has long used the "firehose" method of creating despondency among the public. They keep spraying huge volumes of falsehoods and distractions so that good people normally become hopeless. It's a classic disinformation tactic and it's being used on us here in the good ol' USA. Hopeless people don't fight back!
So recognize what's happening today. Don't lose hope. Don't fall to apathy. Give a damn and push back. Resist!
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| A memorial for murdered Russian journalists - an ideal Putin press conference! |
And now, to help ease our troubled minds, here is our old friend Sir Paul McCartney performing the classic and timely "Back In The USSR". Dig the videos in the background!!
2 comments:
As a former Cold Warrior, I am continually dismayed by the gullible, propaganda-slurping masses that make up a disproportionate sector of our population. I just can't understand it. And then, of course, there's the other sector that doesn't vote or care. I am not "right wing" or "left wing." I read, and I think, and I try to understand the reasons why the world is the way it is. I suspect that many people just don't bother to do that; it's much easier to run with a slogan than to ponder the issues.
I suggest that you read "The Undoing Project." Discoveries made by two psychologists in the latter half of the 20th century may explain the "irrationality" that we are now experiencing in our political environment.
Inexplicable. Beyond belief. Obviously we have failed in our teaching of history. I say let all trumpers spend a year or two in Russia and see what they think then. And/Or if GOPers start being jailed or disappearing for being disloyal to their leader, let's see what THEY think then.
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