https://mobile.twitter.com/emptywheel/status/1231043776501731328
It doesn’t cost Putin much to hedge. You know, just in case Trump fucks up.
I dunno I think Russia is in for a world of shit if a democrat gets into office. Someone who actually allows the intelligence agencies/FBI to freely investigate everything that has happened and allow for the information to get out.
Seems like under a democratic administration more sanctions and international pressure on Putin is a lock.
So I feel like its kinda do or die for them. Right wing media screaming about how Putin helped Bernie while Bernies FBI/intelligence agencies go HAM on Russia and propose a bunch of sanctions etc isn’t gonna help Putin very much.
Seems like a better hedge would to to try and make sure Mitch controls the Senate in 2020 even if Trump fucks up so at least he can block new sanctions etc. Only thing that will help them is Republicans staying in power somewhere. Anything else is them getting fucked.
Also right wing media turning Russia into the boogieman for them too makes them double fucked. The left already considers Russia super dangerous, but as of right now right wingers lover Russia and Putin.
If the right pushes the narrative that Putin helped take down their god king then there will be nobody left to help them.
They need Republicans to still think they’re on their side. like if trump loses but mitch keeps control of the senate, and right wing media is pushing hard that Putin took out their god king in favor of Bernie, gonna be a lot harder to stop all those election security bills and block all those sanctions the dems will wanna put on Russia.
But if Russia stays in good standing with Ya’ll Queda, Mitch can still protect Russia and say the dems are trying to start WW3 or some dumb shit to justify protecting Russia.
Probably the best thing a US President could do for Putin would be to restrict the US development and export of fossil fuels.
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Hmm I’m not educated on this subject at all. So you think Putin legit wants Bernie as president because his stance on climate change? Does Bernie have specific plans to restrict US development and export of fossil fuels?
I think the US voter should give zero consideration to what Putin wants. He’s an Obama → Trump voter.
There’s never a discussion of what the sanctions are, what they should be, what policy should be in ME, what is best for everyone - it’s just what Putin wants or doesn’t want?
I don’t think Bernie will automatically be for harsh sanctions against Putin.
Of course Bernie has specific plans to restrict US development and export of fossil fuels (which is very good for Putin - and the atmosphere as well!). He’s the sponsor of the Ban Fracking Act among many other things.
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Trying to game out what Putin wants is a fool’s errand
Hi Stim… Putin has already got what he wanted, protection from the Russia people and a lifetime in politics until he dies of old age, he’s solidified his friends and more Russian people see him as a hero after taking on the US and winning…
Sanctions only affect the common people and they have the UK to help assist now in draining more from mother Russia.
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Problem is worst case scenario for GOP is not bad. Dem wins spends four years fighting to undo all the horrible things trump did while the economy comes home to roost and republicans retake the White House in ‘24.
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Yeah thats true and I’ve made lots of posts about the economy crashing during the next term is gonna be bad. It’s especially scary with Bernie because even the centrist media is gonna try to blame it on him being a progressive so who knows how far that sets us back.
At the same time a lot of olds die in 4 years and they aren’t being replaced with more Republican voters. Though I don’t know exactly how that plays on in swing states. Like does it hold true in swing states that people under 45 are dems by like 70% clip>
I feel like Obama did a pretty good job with stuff like the magnitsky act specifically targeting Russian oligarchs instead of the Russian people. Is that not true?
I feel like they definitely need to do something to discourage these monsters from interfering in our elections. Though I guess we could just try and focus on election security and getting people to vote, but all it takes is for Republicans in power to ignore that.
I can only go on what I know from the Russians who play my online game and Moscow and St Petersburg are the only 2 city’s in Russia with decent work and trade…
Watching Bald and bankrupt travelling through All of Russia its in a heluva state outside the main city centres.
While the Maginsky act is very good (I don’t know all the details) it will also affect the people because the Oligarchy have private planes.
These dudes are in the UK atm Dining on fine wines and are partying in the palaces of England at The Moment with our government.
Oh and I don’t have the tweet atm but Russia attacked Ukraine again a week ago ramping up the attacks and not 1 peep from the European Union said a thing.
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If Idiocracy came out now it just wouldn’t work the same way. Too realistic.
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I could be wrong, but I thought Mitch was enabling Russia because it’s what Trump wants. If a Dem wins the Presidency and Congress wants to amp up sanctions, I assume the GOP will go back to being Russia Hawks and develop 4-year amnesia.
This is why I think all the “this is the end of the GOP” predictions are way off base. They have no actual political principles beyond holding onto personal power so their policies are astoundingly malleable, and FOX has taught them they don’t even need to justify policy flips; just deny them. “The GOP has always been the pro-abortion party, the anti-gun party, the M4A party!”
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That we’re sitting here discussing all this shit about what Putin wants, who he wants to see win, what would be good for him, etc., shows that he’s already won. He’s completely fucked the U.S. up from multiple angles.
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The producers of the Apprentice had to do that also. He would fire some random person who did nothing wrong and they would have to try to scramble to edit the show to make it look non-idiotic.
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