February 14, 2004, More Electoral Politics
From Russia... our visit to Pravda this week gives us its skeptical account of the week long disappearance of Russian Presidential candidate Ivan Rybkin , who seemed to disappear first in Kiev, and then popped up in London. At various times he claimed to be fleeing from Russian security forces. In the sense that unlike many Russian political figures, he didn't wash up dead somewhere, maybe we can regard this episode as amusing.
In the upcoming elections, incumbent Vladimir Putin is pretty much a lock. Opinion polls put him off the chart, he controls most of the state media apparatus, and a lot of Russians really like the idea of a tough guy leader (even as they disagree with some of the things he does). The fact is, the ex-KGB man is extremely popular.
As recently as this week, Grover Norquist was railing against H&R Block doing work for the Republican National Committee because it recently hired a Democrat to a senior executive position. In other words, Republican ideologues want a one-party state in the United States. Well, the nascent democracy in Russia isn't quite there either-- though it seems to have effective one-man rule.
As we watch Tom de Lay's Texas two-step gerrymandering, John Ashcroft subpoenaeing partial birth abortion records, lunatic fringe judges being appointed, an environmental record Bush won't even talk about...
the current state of Russia (opposition candidates who credibly say that they are being intimidated or worse by the state security apparatus) should be viewed by us as a VERY cautionary tale. The fact that George W. Bush has told us he has looked into Mr. Putin's heart and told us he liked what he saw should be more than a cautionary tale to us.
It should scare the crap out of us.
Comments
Lest we forget, there was the increase in percentage of media concentration quietly given away by House/Senate Republican negotiators behind closed doors in the omnibus bill as well, despite the votes by majorities in both houses to keep it at 35%.
My high school Russian language courses may come in handy yet.
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