Why did Russia even hold an election?

S

Saab1911

New member
Right, there's a new dude that is the president, and Putin is now the
"Prime Minister". Uh Huh. So, why is it that when the "president" says the
Soviet troops will pull out of Georgia, they do not?

If the Russians want a Czar, why don't they just elect Putin Czar for life
and be done with it? Why the silly charade.

I guess freedom and liberty are not for everybody, too much thinking involved
I guess. Some people just don't want to make so many decisions.

:rolleyes:

America is the greatest country in the world still and will be for a long long time, even if Hussein becomes president.

Cheers,

jae
 
They want to look like a democracy without all the messy realities of a real democratic government.

Smoke and mirrors.
 
B. Lahey said:
They want to look like a democracy without all the messy realities of a real democratic government.

Smoke and mirrors.
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But nobody was fooled. It's like China claiming it has freedom of speech, and
when protesters go to get their protest permits they're locked up. :rolleyes:
 
Yeah, but the average Russian likes Putin. He has broad popular support, so whether the election was handled according to western democratic ideals or not, the result was the same.

If an unpopular leader is ever installed in office by this process, the rooskis will be much less likely to be "fooled".
 
russia_democracy-copy.jpg
 
It reminds me of the movie Casino where Sam 'Ace' Rothstein based on real life mobster Frank "Lefty" Rosenthal, was always switching job titles, food and beverage director, entertainment director, etc, but he was really running the casino.

Funny how I thought of a mob movie when you mentioned Putin and the gang.:p

Watch Casino its all based on real life Chicago 'Outfit' members. Joe Pesci plays Nicky Santoro, based on the real-life Anthony "Tony the Ant" Spilotro, an intimidating enforcer and psychopath.

All the characters in fact are based on real life figures and the crooked Nevada senator in real life is none other than Senate majority leader 'Dingy' Harry Reid.
 
It's back to business as usual in the Kremlin....

0_83f9_5bbb1189_orig

Yes, that is an F-22 Raptor escorting a TU-95МС Bear bomber away from Alaska, 07NOV2007

bear-nimitz.jpg

Another TU-95 with a F-18 Super Hornet over flying the USS Nimitz, 11FEB2008.
 
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A major issue is that Russia (like many countries in the world) do not have a tradition of democracy.

People who have lived for generations with little or no voice in their government do not just magically change. You see it in a lot of places, not just Russia. There were people in the United States that wanted to make George Washington the King, despite having just thrown off the rule of another King.

One of the funniest things I ever heard was Bush saying we were going to make Iraq into a democracy. There is no chance of that happening. You have deep divisions by religion that go back thousands of years, and a tradition of rule by power.

American Democracy works because we are a young country, and we all believe in the ideals of the United States, born in blood and battle. Obviously, there are ongoing issues - but we fundamentally believe the process will work.
 
They do it because the people who think we can talk our way out of every problem are fooled by it. Think of it. Military action against Russia would be billed as an assault on a "democratic sovereign nation".
 
davlandrum said:
A major issue is that Russia (like many countries in the world) do not have a tradition of democracy.

People who have lived for generations with little or no voice in their government do not just magically change. You see it in a lot of places, not just Russia. There were people in the United States that wanted to make George Washington the King, despite having just thrown off the rule of another King.

One of the funniest things I ever heard was Bush saying we were going to make Iraq into a democracy. There is no chance of that happening. You have deep divisions by religion that go back thousands of years, and a tradition of rule by power.

American Democracy works because we are a young country, and we all believe in the ideals of the United States, born in blood and battle. Obviously, there are ongoing issues - but we fundamentally believe the process will work.
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You're correct sir. The same thing happened in Germany between the wars.
Same thing happened in Korea. It's like the populace has to get it's arms
around the concepts of freedom and choice and get comfortable with them.
Until then, the long oppressed peoples don't know what to do with all the
power they're not used to wielding.
 
They do it because the people who think we can talk our way out of every problem are fooled by it. Think of it. Military action against Russia would be billed as an assault on a "democratic sovereign nation".
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No, that would be most accurately termed "national suicide".
 
On the other hand...

While there's much to criticize about Russian politics...just consider these facts: There are more political parties in the Russian Duma than there are in the U.S. senate and congress. Also note that over 95% of U.S. senators are white male millionaires over age 60. Two of the last 4 governors of my state have gone to prison on corruption charges. One was a Dem. and one was a Repub. In the last 25 years there's been a Bush or a Clinton in the Whitehouse; it's not like we've seen a lot of progressive changes. While Putin is often called an 'oil oligarch' - it's also true that Bush<and his dad>headed an oil company, Cheney headed an oil company, and Condi Rice was on the board of one and has a tanker named after her. Putin was a KGB guy, but Daddy Bush headed the CIA.


Could it be that there is a lot in common? I was flipping a coin recently - heads was McCain and tails was Obama. Sometimes I too ask 'Why bother to vote this time?' Seriously, I look at the election process and it seems so contrived and superficial - and the conventions look like giant infommercials
run by powers that seem to not need or want my participation - just my sheepish nod of approval. :barf:
 
California's elections are as bad a sham or worse than we can claim any other country's to be. Over 95% reelection of incumbants and a disturbing number of uncontested races.
 
Suicide for the US? Don't be silly. Assuming we approached it as a real war (admittedly a large assumption), we'd trash Russia.
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I take it you're impervious to one million degree temps and massive quantitiies of radiation, biological and chemical weapons. Maybe you are but the rest of us aren't. Neither is our infrastructure. And I'm not saying that they'd face similar if not the same thing but YOU would not likely survive if you live anywhere near a large city or you're sitting on top of or near anything they consider "strategic". We have no civil defense.

Oh, and China would undoubtedly wish mop up things and colonize us as they need the resources that we have.

No, all out warfare with Russia IS suicidal.
 
Russian elections aren't much worse then American elections. Russians are allot like Americans actually, I think Russia might be the next America considering our current path.
 
It's truely weird how a certain block of Americans are so reactionary and harsh toward Russia. The same folks seem to accept China without much of a problem, but they blow a gasket when it comes to to trying to accept Russia. It's the same sort of hypocrisy in regard to Cuba ie. Cuba is treated by the U.S. Govt. like some forbidden zone of horror, while U.S. relations are normalized with 'Vietnam.' Seems a bit weird. Castro has been a dictator, but so has Pinochet and Peron and many other Latin American leaders that the U.S. accepted without a 2nd thought.


For example, wouldn't a U.S./Russian Federation alliance make sense? Wouldn't that check China's power? I just don't understand why so many Americans are so obsessed with Russia ie. Russia is not perfect, but it looks like a nation that can be a partner rather than an enemy. Russia has elections.Are they corrupt? Yeah...but corruption is not unique to Russia. The U.S. has its corruption problems too.


Sometimes I get the feeling that the worst thing Russia could do to the U.S.A. - is to build a more vibrant democratic government and society.
Could it be that the U.S. will not tolerate a more open and democratic Russia? Could it be that a Free Russia is just too unacceptable to the Cold War Psyche of the average American? Hmmmmmm. :rolleyes:
 
.300H&H said:
It's truely weird how a certain block of Americans are so reactionary and harsh toward Russia. The same folks seem to accept China without much of a problem, but they blow a gasket when it comes to to trying to accept Russia. It's the same sort of hypocrisy in regard to Cuba ie. Cuba is treated by the U.S. Govt. like some forbidden zone of horror, while U.S. relations are normalized with 'Vietnam.' Seems a bit weird. Castro has been a dictator, but so has Pinochet and Peron and many other Latin American leaders that the U.S. accepted without a 2nd thought.

For example, wouldn't a U.S./Russian Federation alliance make sense? Wouldn't that check China's power? I just don't understand why so many Americans are so obsessed with Russia ie. Russia is not perfect, but it looks like a nation that can be a partner rather than an enemy. Russia has elections.Are they corrupt? Yeah...but corruption is not unique to Russia. The U.S. has its corruption problems too.

Sometimes I get the feeling that the worst thing Russia could do to the U.S.A. - is to build a more vibrant democratic government and society.
Could it be that the U.S. will not tolerate a more open and democratic Russia? Could it be that a Free Russia is just too unacceptable to the Cold War Psyche of the average American? Hmmmmmm.
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What I don't get is the elaborate yet transparent ruse. If Russia wants
a dictator for life, I don't really care. I'm a little bemused about the whole
big production to simulate a democratic process.

China does have its share of hypocrisy, but China's repression of its people
is much more obvious, like running people over with tanks.

Both are bad. One tries to cover up the stench with a lot of perfume.
All you get is Chanel No. 5 mixed with stink of dead corpses, which
smells worse than Chanel No. 2.

:barf:
 
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