Posted on 12/19/2015 3:51:45 PM PST by conservativejoy
It's less bromance and more, Please destroy yourselves.
NEW YORK : Vladimir Putin's public support of Donald Trump this week seemed to come out of the blue but it was a long time coming.
Pro-Kremlin Twitter accounts have been touting a Trump presidency for months. As far back as Aug. 7, the Kremlin's troll-in-chief, @rykov (ex-Duma deputy Konstantin Rykov), tweeted a reply to ex-US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, who had said how much he enjoyed the Republican debate that evening, but was putting his support behind Hillary Clinton.
Rykov told McFaul, tagging Clinton as well, "vote for @realDonaldTrump Michael" and followed up by saying, in Russian, "I haven't watched the debates yet. Trump isn't a Russophobe. That provokes sympathy." Meaning, basically, "that makes me like him."
That's been the line taken by some observers following Putin's comments on Thursday calling Trump "a really brilliant and talented person" and "the absolute leader in the presidential race." (Trump accepted the compliments on Fox later that day and then in an interview on MSNBC Friday morning, where he brushed aside questions about the murder of Russian journalists and Putin critics and said, "At least [Putin] is a leader" and "Our country does plenty of killing also.")
The thinking goes: Putin wants to see a Trump presidency because the billionaire is someone he knows how to deal with, a straight shooter who would put aside things like human rights and armed invasions and get down to business. And they have similar styles, macho and brusque, with varying undertones of authoritarianism.
But Putin's embrace of Trump is much darker , and echoes the endorsements the Kremlin has made elsewhere. This isn't an autocrat seeing a fellow strongman. It's an adversary who has found a new tool.
In France, the far-right National Front party led by Marine Le Pen said it had accepted a nine million euro loan last year from a Russian bank (Le Pen is another frequent sight on Rykov's Twitter feed). In Greece, officials, ideologues, and billionaires close to Putin developed deep ties with the far-left Syriza party, which swept to power earlier this year (before seeing its popularity tumble). In the UK, the leader of the far-right UKIP, Nigel Farage, is a mainstay on Russian state television.
These parties have few ideological similarities , because it's not ideology that is driving Putin's wooing of insurgent parties across Europe. Putin has no real ideology, which is part of the reason he has turned to conservative outposts like the Russian Orthodox Church to rally support as his rule enters its 17th year. What he does have is a desire to destroy those countries and institutions that, in his thinking, have conspired to keep Russia down. Funding and supporting insurgent parties in Europe is his way of chipping away at the European Union (on top of efforts, so far unsuccessful, to prevent the bloc from renewing sanctions on Russia over Ukraine). Supporting Trump is his effort to turn that approach on the U.S.
Trump's antics have made the U.S. the laughing stock of the world, coupled with the idea that his cocky, xenophobic, uninformed pronouncements have revealed the country's true face. Each week brings a new round of the circus, coupled with endless soul searching about what it all means (this week: either it will lead to Weimar America or the end of the Republican Party). This is the sort of chaos and destruction that Putin thrives on.
Putin supports Donald Trump because of the threat that Trump poses to the U.S.
It’s not surprising the Russians have an affinity for somebody who respects them.
No Putin perceives Trump to be a smart rational person who he can deal with. He’s been stuck with stupid for 7 years now. BB Netanyahu gets a long fine with Putin and so should we. The closer the relationship the better chance to influence behavior.
If Putin loves Trump because he believes Trump will destroy America.....then he should be in love with Obama! But he’s not.
The Destruction of America? Putin has that already in Obama.
You mean the part where Cruz said he didn't 'intend' to sign anything but if amnesty happened in another way, he'd be okay with it?
And it's also not surprising for the Russians to favor someone they feel is easiest to manipulate. I'm not saying it's true, but the (Russian) logic is there.
It would be nice to see that break out everywhere in the world.
Especially here.
Believe it or not, most men don’t like dealing with “girly men”. Even if they are opponents they would rather deal with equals who they can trust.
the Russian says “neat sanctions” (ÐККУРÐТÐЫЕ СÐÐКЦИИ)
That picture of Netanyahu-—wow
That pretty much sums it up.
Putin is trolling. Of course he prefers a doormat like the kenyan or hillary to a strong leader like Trump.
Trump has been extremely critical of Putin’s best ally in the EU, Germany. Don’t think Putin hasn’t noticed this. No way POTUS Trump would allow Merkel to run NATO as the kenyan has. Therefore, why would Putin then prefer Trump? Makes no sense.
I’m surprised the socialists aren’t overjoyed that Putin likes Trump and for them to be afraid of him, that is a good sign. Like when Christians are to rejoice when people hate them for being like Christ.
Actually, that’s where things get tricky. Putin needs to keep Germany down, using energy policy or otherwise. Trump being critical of Germany plays into his hand. And, if Trump is elected, he won’t have someone like Obama to push around (to answer some earlier comments asking why Putin doesn’t “love” Obama—because he doesn’t have to).
Post it on FaceBook: http://gph.is/1TL8aX3
Between Russia and the U.S. the principle of Mutually Assured Destruction still is in force. So Putin is really no threat to Trump, or vice versa. OTOH, Putin has been eating Obola’s lunch for years. Trump and Putin can work together at destroying ISIS.
However, at some point in the future Russia will move on Israel for her oil and natural gas. That will be a SHTF juncture.
The desperation of the Trump attacks is becoming comical.
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