The American right has long admired Vladimir Putin. The Former Guy's groveling to him is of course notorious. Many ascribe it to blackmail, and that might be part of it, but admiration for autocracy among American conservatives is real. Just witness the love for Hungarian strong man Victor Orban, who headlined the recent Conservative Political Action Conference. American conservatives particularly admire Putin because he symbolizes for them a form of machismo that they equate with national power and military effectiveness.
Sen. Ted Cruz tweeted last year that “[p]erhaps a woke, emasculated military is not the best idea,” as he fawned over a video comparing a hypermacho Russian military recruitment ad featuring shirtless, muscular Russian male recruits to a U.S. ad showcasing diverse American recruits representative of what the country actually looks like. In the same vein, BlazeTV host Dave Rubin of The Rubin Report said when comparing the U.S. and Russian recruitment videos: “We’re screwed, people. … Can you imagine that Russian guy coming up against that girl? … If you give me an East Village lesbian versus Vladimir Putin, who’s going to win?” A Fox News article surveying these responses to the opposing recruitment strategies between Russia and the United States highlighted posts by conservatives on Twitter, including one that read, “Pick your fighter.”
The war has united Ukrainians. It's clear that protecting democratic and liberal values are the source of much of Ukraine's will. It's why Vlad Shast, has had no issue being openly LGBTQ while supporting the defence of his country. "I do not have to act like someone I am not here. No one cares about my identity or sexual orientation. There is a big goal - to win and make Russian troops leave our country. No one here cares about who I am, even the most conservative team members prioritize the fight for freedom over their personal views. Everyone is a human being, and there is a frontline for every soldier who joins the defense. We function as a whole body, where each person understands their value and responsibility. The reason for this is of course, the powerful goal to defend our national identity, dignity, and freedom.".
The Russian military has turned out to be grossly incompetent. It's as though the U.S. invaded Mexico and couldn't get past Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez. And the reason is autocracy. Nobody could tell Putin anything he didn't want to hear, while the military was organized to reward cronies, eliminate dissent and prevent the possibility of a coup. Russian soldiers have no idea why they are fighting, and their leadership is utterly incompetent. Even worse, Putin is giving orders directly to generals in the field, which has resulted in such debacles as the Battle of the Siverskyi Donets and the 49 mile long convoy in the failed attempt to take Kyiv.
But, despite the grotesque failure of Putin's 3 day, now 210 day war, he remains in power. The Russian ship of state is going down with its captain. That is the wages of autocracy.
1 comment:
I so sincerely hope against hope that someone does to Putin what the Italians did to Benito in 1945. As the NY Times declared then, "A fitting end to a wretched life."
I'd like to see the entire world put so much pressure on Russia that someone does what's necessary and offs Vlad P., the little psycho with a Napoleon complex. I'd dance in the street.
This autocracy shit has got to stop. And "conservatives" are utterly full of shit to admire anyone who starts a war. This means they like murder, mass rapes and all other atrocities. After just watching Ken Burns' "U.S. and the Holocaust" I'd say ANYONE who starts a war is a psychopath. I wish Uncle JaBiden (they say his name in the media sometimes so that it scans like "Chobani" yogurt) would acknowledge our own outrageous history and declare (like Modi) that the time for war is past and we all need to work together to avert catastrophe.
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