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.
Buzzfeed projecting again.
Hogwash.
Bo, that is sad. LOL!
LOL. Another attempt to take down Trump.
Miriam, What we are seeing is a complete hatred for our nation from a bunch of illegals who need to get the hell out.
That is NOT xenophobic! Stupid Bitch
Buzzcrap can ESAD.
excuse me but I think the reason(s) Putin likes and/or respects Trump are for Putin to define, not for some generic media elitist.
I’d need more vodka than that, and a opaque bag.
How troll factory from Russia works, insider’s story.
http://crazenews.com/russias-troll-factory-55-savushkina.html
This is a very serious charge, coming from Miriam Elder, who envies Hillary Clinton’s position as Satan’s comfort woman.
Something they don't have for Obama.
Why are media people so stupid?
Were FDR or Truman happy to sit down with Stalin at Yalta? Stalin was responsible for more murders and genocide than anyone in history, yet American Presidents sat with him, smiled for the cameras and called him a critical Allie, why?
The answer is simple, the Soviets were part of the effort in defeating Nazi Germany.
Now Donald Trump views Russians as critical to defeating ISIS. After ISIS is defeated, then the relationship with Russia will be reviewed.
It’s not complicated when you have Trump as CINC. He understands better than any other candidate what’s going on. He knows the Middle East is full of bad guys and one must choose which bad guy to take out first and to that end it is efficient to make alliances with other bad guys to get it done. No other candidate is as smart as Donald Trump in this subject matter, none. And it is exactly coming from Donald’s prowess in being a smart and tough negotiator. That’s why he’s the best guy bar none for the job. We are so fortunate to have him at this time in American history.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3374627/posts?page=105#105
What a pantload. If Putin thought Trump would destroy America that would make him an idiot, and he’s not an idiot. He probably worried about idiots like Christie, Carly, Yeb, and Kasich who want to go to war with Russia over Syria simply because they are there. “Because they are there” is a good reason to climb mountains, not to start a shooting war with Russia. Russia and Assad are killing ISIS. It makes far more sense to work with them than fight them.
Arrgh, my eyes!
Buzzfeed trying really hard to distract the narrative away from Cruz. Anything to get Cruz’s blatant dishonesty on amnesty off the front page.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.