Tsar Putin spreads his tentacles

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110506/ap_on_re_eu/eu_russia_putin;_ylt=Av43gte3uRPcOnrDABpjshd0bBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJsdmQxbm43BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNTA2L2V1X3J1c3NpYV9wdXRpbgRwb3MDMQRzZWMDeW5fcGFnaW5hdGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNydXNzaWFzcHV0aW4-

By LYNN BERRY, Associated Press – Fri May 6, 3:53 pm ET

MOSCOW – Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has proposed creating a "broad popular front" ahead of Russia's parliamentary election, in an apparent attempt to counter growing public discontent with his political party and solidify support.

Putin's United Russia has a majority in Russia's parliament and is the dominant party in regional legislatures and governor's offices across the country. Polls, however, show its support declining as Russians increasingly associate the party with a corrupt bureaucracy.

Russia holds a parliamentary election in December that will set the scene for a presidential vote three months later in 2012. Putin, who stepped down as president in 2008 after serving two terms, has not said whether he will run, but his actions increasingly signal that he intends to reclaim the presidency.

Speaking Friday before hundreds of party members in the southern city of Volgograd, Putin said the new front should include not only United Russia but also other political parties, trade unions, women's organizations, youth groups and veterans' associations.

"It is important that everyone should have the possibility and the right not only to formulate their ideas and proposals for how best to develop Russia, but should be able to suggest their candidates, who would be able remain as independents but would be able to enter parliament on the United Russia ticket," he said in the televised address. Party members responded with raucous applause.

The ultimate goal, as his spokesman later made clear, is to solidify support for Putin across all segments of the Russian population.

The popular front will be formed "not on the basis of the party but more likely around Putin, the author of this idea," spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian reporters traveling with the prime minister.

Putin's initiative would appear to undermine small, Kremlin-friendly parties that had hoped to benefit from United Russia's declining popularity.

"It seems to me that this is an attempt to make a one-party system, not only de facto but de jure," Leonid Gozman, co-leader of the pro-business party Right Cause, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

The leader of another party came under more direct pressure Friday. Boris Gryzlov, a leading member of United Russia, and the speaker of parliament's lower chamber, called for replacing the speaker of the upper chamber with a member of the dominant party.

The current speaker, Sergei Mironov, represents A Just Russia, a party that was created with the hope of luring away votes from the Communists, but it has had little success. A vote on ousting Mironov was set for later this month.

[Brad and Vika 129]

And if people don't want to join the united front, there is always the alternative - taking a beating from the associated youth organization, then a short stint in detention.

[Captain Hammer 113]

And if people don't want to join the united front, there is always the alternative - taking a beating from the associated youth organization, then a short stint in detention.

Ahhh democracy!

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

And if people don't want to join the united front, there is always the alternative - taking a beating from the associated youth organization, then a short stint in detention.

The Russian peasants wouldn't have it any other way. They love their dictators...;"A strong leader makes for a strong Russia!!!"

Yeppers...the Russian peasants are going to love him even more while he's bilking Russia for not measly millions, but billions of dollars. Tsar Putin will be president of Russia again while his appointed president puppet Medvedev will fade into obscurity while pondering how to spend his wealth that he reaped while playing the part of Tsar Putin's boot licking lackey.

The only thing Russia has in common with Europe is a border...otherwise Russia is as Central Asiatic in it's thinking/mentality as it gets.

Edited May 8, 2011 by Why_Me

[eekee 182]

The thing is, I don't know what would replace Putin. There are no clear leaders otherwise.

And Russia also is a country that suffers from the "resource curse." Whoever controls the national resources controls the country. In the 90s, that was the oligarchs and despite better freedom of press, etc. economically it was a disaster. Quality of living has improved a lot even just in the 5 years I've been here, nevermind what it must have been like 10, 15 years ago. I can see why people would be reluctant to take a chance and change course. Plus there is an overwhelming belief that politics are meaningless and political participation is a joke, not just in Russia, but everywhere. Nobody believes me when I say that, for instance, Republicans and Democrats are different, or that voting actually means something in the US.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

The thing is, I don't know what would replace Putin. There are no clear leaders otherwise.

And Russia also is a country that suffers from the "resource curse." Whoever controls the national resources controls the country. In the 90s, that was the oligarchs and despite better freedom of press, etc. economically it was a disaster. Quality of living has improved a lot even just in the 5 years I've been here, nevermind what it must have been like 10, 15 years ago. I can see why people would be reluctant to take a chance and change course. Plus there is an overwhelming belief that politics are meaningless and political participation is a joke, not just in Russia, but everywhere. Nobody believes me when I say that, for instance, Republicans and Democrats are different, or that voting actually means something in the US.

How can there be any "front runners to replace Tsar Putin" when all political dissent is dealt with by a beating ? Rigged elections, government corruption, government extortion, a government run by Tsar Putin's KGB cronies, jailing anyone and everyone that has a legit beef with Tsar Putin, murdering journalist, human rights workers, attorney's, ...welcome to Russia!

There will never be democracy in Russia....Russians couldn't handle it. While Eastern Europe got on course with it, Russia back peddled into it's usual ways of corruption and dictatorship.

Tsar Putin tells them when to poop, the KGB ROC Patriarch atm backs him up, and the Russian peasants eat it up.

As far as controlling the resources...regulate it. Other country's manage this, why not Russia ? Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine...all went south so to say. While Europe held elections monitored by the OSCE, Tsar Putin's NASHI Hitler Youth Brigade was busy beating his opponents into a coma while teachers in Russian schools and university's were busy threatening their students to either vote for United Russia or face the consequences. Again it's the Russian way. Never in history has Russia experienced anything close to democracy and most likely it never will. It's corruption, beatings, kvass, vodka and a strong Russia with a strong leader.

Edited May 8, 2011 by Why_Me

[eekee 182]

Nations that are rich in oil and natural gas that have been able to regulate it already had solid, democratic forms of government in place when said resources were discovered. Think Norway, Canada. Countries that discovered national resources BEFORE the advent of democracy have yet to find a way to reconcile the development of a democratic society with a wealth of national resources. Saudi Arabia was a bunch of tribes kickin' it in the desert with camels before oil was discovered.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Nations that are rich in oil and natural gas that have been able to regulate it already had solid, democratic forms of government in place when said resources were discovered. Think Norway, Canada. Countries that discovered national resources BEFORE the advent of democracy have yet to find a way to reconcile the development of a democratic society with a wealth of national resources. Saudi Arabia was a bunch of tribes kickin' it in the desert with camels before oil was discovered.

Iv'e heard this before...Russia is new to democracy it takes time...etc, etc..

The resource reason is a new twist. Tsar Putin is corrupt. Russians are corrupt, and there will never be a democracy in Russia...resources or no resources. Tsar Putin and his KGB mafia will keep on screwing the peasants, and the peasants will keep on existing. It's the Russian way. We are talking about a people that have never known anything else in their entire existence. This is partly to blame on the Mongol invasion of Russia imo. It made a severe impact on the way Russians think and act and it's been like that ever since. While Europe was having it's enlightened period, Russia was thinking of new ways to control it's peasants. Russia can send all the men to space it wants but in the end it's still going to be Russia.

[eekee 182]

Well, at the time of the Revolution Russia was the fastest-growing economy in Europe, was in the Silver Age of culture, etc.

One thing that has always confused me is why Russians reject things that are GOOD. They shot Alexander II, who was a reformer and freed the serfs, etc. instead of say, his dad, who was totally not a reformer. They had the Revolution at a time when Russia was on track to being a major player in Europe.

The Resource Curse is not a new theory and has been around a long time. I'd link to it on wikipedia, but Gary would get mad. But basically Russia is sitting on a ton of money and people who are in control of it will always have a vested interest in remaining in control of it, at the risk of lots of other things.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Well, at the time of the Revolution Russia was the fastest-growing economy in Europe, was in the Silver Age of culture, etc.

One thing that has always confused me is why Russians reject things that are GOOD. They shot Alexander II, who was a reformer and freed the serfs, etc. instead of say, his dad, who was totally not a reformer. They had the Revolution at a time when Russia was on track to being a major player in Europe.

The Resource Curse is not a new theory and has been around a long time. I'd link to it on wikipedia, but Gary would get mad. But basically Russia is sitting on a ton of money and people who are in control of it will always have a vested interest in remaining in control of it, at the risk of lots of other things.

I call it the Mongol Impact.

http://www.stetson.edu/~psteeves/classes/mongolimpact2.html

The Mongol cultural impact, Vernadsky believes, was considerable. By a process of osmosis Turkish, Persian, and Arabic words entered the Russian language as late as the 17th century. Some of the descendants of Tatars who settled in Rus, such as Karamzin and Peter Chaadaev, became outstanding intellectual leaders. Russia adopted the stiff, formal diplomatic ritual of the Orient from the Mongols. In a sense, concludes Vernadsky, Russia itself was a successor state of the Golden Horde.

http://www.sras.org/the_effects_of_the_mongol_empire_on_russia

As the evidence stands, the effects of the Mongol invasion were many, spread across the political, social, and religious facets of Russia. While some of those effects, such as the growth of the Orthodox Church generally had a relatively positive effect on the lands of the Rus, other results, such as the loss of the veche system and centralization of power assisted in halting the spread of traditional democracy and self-government for the various principalities. From the influences on the language and the form of government, the very impacts of the Mongol invasion are still evident today. Perhaps given the chance to experience the Renaissance, as did other western European cultures, the political, religious, and social thought of Russia would greatly differ from that of the reality of today. The Russians, through the control of the Mongols who had adopted many ideas of government and economics from the Chinese, became perhaps a more Asiatic nation in terms of government, while the deep Christian roots of the Russians established and helped maintain a link with Europe. It was the Mongol invasion which, perhaps more than any other historical event, helped to determine the course of development that Russian culture, political geography, history, and national identity would take.

[eekee 182]

Also, German influence.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Also, German influence.

German influence imo had a small impact if any. Sure ethnic German rulers such as Catherine had an impact, but only after her Russian husband was deemed weak. A lot of Germans were moved to Russia for their skills...but anyone who compares German culture to Russian culture knows that they have about zero in common. One trip to Germany and then to Russia solves that question.

Mongol rule was alive for 300+ years in Russia and it's impact was significant enough to where it changed an entire people in regards to politics...and more. Russia has St. Petersburg which is meant to look like a European city, but past that they don't have a lot in common with Europeans other than a border they share with European country's. Russia imo resembles it's Asiatic and Turk neighbors much more than it's European ones.

Edited May 8, 2011 by Why_Me

[eekee 182]

Germany is where the love of bureaucracy comes from, though.

[Milushka 22]

The election campaign started with the metro double explosion on March 29, 2010. Thats how 'they' (federals) do divert citizens' attention from shitty political programs which low wages, rise taxes and all sorts of payments in no visual improvement conditions. That is how Mr Putin became a president in 99', explosions of civilian buildings, where over 300 ppl were confirmed dead - highered up the ratings drastically in no time with the words of revenge.

Hope this new century Hitler burns in hell with his united front (sole party power grabbers).

Edited May 9, 2011 by Milushka

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

The election campaign started with the metro double explosion on March 29, 2010. Thats how 'they' (federals) do divert citizens' attention from shitty political programs which low wages, rise taxes and all sorts of payments in no visual improvement conditions. That is how Mr Putin became a president in 99', explosions of civilian buildings, where over 300 ppl were confirmed dead - highered up the ratings drastically in no time with the words of revenge.

Hope this new century Hitler burns in hell with his united front (sole party power grabbers).

Tsar Putin used those apartment explosions as an excuse to re-invade Chechnya. Like you pointed out...those bombings were rigged by KGB.