Lauer in Russia: "For Many, Life Worse Than in Soviet Times"

MRC ^ | Friday February 13, 2004 | BrentBaker

[fight_truth_decay]

The Today show's "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?" sweeps month ratings gimmick brought Lauer to Moscow's Red Square on Thursday where he repeatedly pressed Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov to trash the Bush administration's foreign policy. Lauer asked: "Was Russia right and were the Americans wrong?" on WMD in Iraq and, "Do you think the credibility of the United States and this particular administration has been damaged internationally in this last year?"

Not all have succeeded in Russia's semi-free enterprise economy, but virtually all have more personal, political and religious freedom, yet Lauer suggested many were better off under communism. "The New Russia," Lauer fretted, "how a few people are doing very well and the fear that others are being left very far behind." Lauer lamented: "Russia's rush to capitalism left the vast majority scrambling to survive. For many, life is worse than it was in Soviet times."

The MRC's Geoff Dickens caught Lauer's agenda-laden questions and points, starting with a taped segment aired during the 7am half hour in which Lauer interviewed Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov as the two sat in an ornate office.

Some of the exchanges:

-- "It was about a year ago that the United States administration went to the United Nations and, and laid out a case for going to war using military action against Iraq. The Russians were opposed to that, favoring more, more inspections. Two of the reasons that were given by the U.S. administration were stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction that Iraq had and links between Iraq and Al Qaeda. A year later no weapons have been found, no firm links between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Was Russia right and were the Americans wrong?"

Ivanov: "Sooner or later we have to close down this issue. It is also very important for Russia. Here there is no irony and no effort to gloat on the United States' failure to find such weapons of mass destruction because we still presume that, theoretical, those weapons could have been in place during Saddam but if so where [are] they now?" Lauer: "But do you think that the U.S. credibility-" Ivanov: "Were they passed to some other country or hidden or maybe some terrorists laid their hands?" Lauer: "Do you think that's a possibility?" Ivanov: "Theoretically? Yes." Lauer: "Realistically?" Ivanov: "Realistically I'm skeptical about that." Lauer: "Do you think the credibility of the United States and this particular administration has been damaged internationally in this last year?" Ivanov: "To an extent, maybe yes. But that's not the most important issue right now. The most important issue is Iraq itself. We have to come to some sort of interim, at least interim, local government. And after that I think it will be much easier when UN is there to start an international project of aiding Iraq, helping Iraq to come from the ruins." Lauer: "Secretary of State Colin Powell was here not long ago and one of the things he talked about was the possibility of the United States creating limited use bases in places like Poland and Bulgaria and some former Soviet states. How nervous does that make you?" Ivanov: "Very nervous." Lauer: "You feel as if the United States is attempting to surround Russia?"

At the top of the 8am hour, Lauer teased from live Red Square where is was mid-afternoon, as the camera swung around to show what he was describing: "Now over here we have Lenin's Tomb. I referenced that early in the show. It is where Lenin is entombed and it is a tourist attraction. People still go in there, it's a climate-controlled building. And just across over here, kind of something that would probably make Lenin spin in his tomb. This is the Gum department store in this turn of the century arcade, three stories high. Now not all that long ago Russians probably lined up in that building on long lines waiting for the staples they needed in life. Today you will find all kinds of high end stores located in there like Estee Lauder and Bennetton and Levi's and Hugo Boss. And there are a few Russians that have a lot of rubles to drop in places like that. And as a matter of fact coming up that's one of the things we're gonna be talking about. The New Russia, how a few people are doing very well and the fear that others are being left very far behind, Katie."

Lauer soon set up a look at the split between the rich and poor: "When the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991 there were no Russian billionaires. Today, 13 years later, there are 17. There was a period of economic confusion following the fall of the Soviet Union and a few people did awfully well while others were unfortunately left behind. Today about half the Russian people live in poverty. One in five makes no more than $150 a month but for a few there is prosperity here. There's glamour and glitz. Pradas and Porsches. Many in Moscow have become just too rich for the rest of the country. Flaunting one's wealth is as natural as snow and winter. Take Roman Bruzenskiy. Five years ago he started his own travel company arranging conferences for big companies. Today at 34 he's on the way to making his first million."

After introducing Aliona Doletskaya, who "spent 11 years teaching English in Soviet Russia before she became editor of Vogue magazine," Lauer asserted: "Some homegrown designers are even attracting buyers from abroad. But beyond the bright lights of Moscow Russia's rush to capitalism left the vast majority scrambling to survive. For many life is worse than it was in Soviet times. Still Russia is reinventing itself. The hope is in the new generation, young, hard-working high flyers willing to take risks."

From Red Square, Lauer then interviewed "two faces of the New Russia. Tutta Larsen is Russia's first MTV Veejay and Vassily Sidorov is the President and CEO of Russia's largest mobile phone operator, Mobile Telesystems."

Lauer pressed Sidorov: "Vassily there, there's two things happening here. A lot of people, or not a lot of people, a few people are doing well but unfortunately a lot of people are left behind. So how much responsibility is felt by those who are doing well to stop and pull those other people along with you?"

[Burkeman1]

LOL. But I have no idea. I just know that Lauer is a pretty boy empty head who says and asks whatever his behind the scenes controllers want him to say. He wouldn't know his right from left if you ask me.

[Daryl L.Hunter]

An old russian saying

"They pretend to pay me, I pretend to work."

I have been told by many eastern europeans that it will take a couple of generation before the people regain a work ethic. Vodka and lethargy have become to engrained in the existing population.

Poverty is in the mind and lenin, marx and stalin have planted it deep in many russian minds.

Citizens For A Freer America & The Upper Valley Free Press

Daryl L. Hunter - Editor

[Andy from Beaverton]

For the young, life is better. For the old, life is harder. For the rest lfe is about the same as it was during the soviet period. When I was over there, my friend would say, 'during the soviet time we had money but there was nothing to buy. Now we can buy anything but we have no money. This is Russian reality.'

[Consort]

Let's be fair to Comrade Lauer until we learn all the facts.

[fight_truth_decay]

You hit the nail on the head. Dependency issues personified!

[GnL]

I was referring to this story...

Matt Lauer Cocaine Dealer Tells All

[Burkeman1]

WOW! Had no idea! Thanks!