Friday, May 19, 2017

Are Russians Laughing At The U.S.?

Russian President Putin with Russian Prime Minister Medvedev

Leonid Bershidsky, Bloomberg: Russians Are Laughing at the U.S., Not Just at Trump

To many Americans, this is his mess. But to outsiders, it's about America's weakness.

President Donald Trump was only half wrong when he tweeted last week that "Russia must be laughing up their sleeves watching as the U.S. tears itself apart." Russian officials are laughing quite openly.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's trolling of FBI Director James Comey's firing was relatively benign; ostensibly, Lavrov's mock surprise at being told of the firing could be taken for a diplomat's polite refusal to discuss the host country's domestic politics.

This week, however, the Russian jokes at the expense of the U.S. got positively unpleasant. First, President Vladimir Putin offered to provide the U.S. Congress with a recording of Lavrov's conversation with Trump, in which the U.S. president allegedly revealed highly classified information (the word Putin used, zapis, cannot really be translated as "transcript", as the Kremlin later claimed). The suggestion, of course, was sheer mockery -- it's impossible to imagine the Congress making such a request of Putin, and U.S. legislators tried to answer Putin in kind, Senator Marco Rubio suggesting that if Putin sent the information by email, he "wouldn't click on the attachment."

Read more ....

WNU Editor: When it comes to issues on Russia .... I am usually in agreement with my fellow Russian Leonid Bershidsky. But on this story .... he is behind the times. Yeah sure .... in the past year allegations that Russia swung the U.S. election, that President Trump is a Russian stooge for Putin, that the Kremlin is undermining U.S. democracy, etc. .... all of this produced quite a few laughs in Russia .... because we know that it is not possible .... we know our failings and limitations. But we have to laugh ..... because the impression that Russians are getting from the U.S. media is that the U.S. views Russians as 10 feet tall, super brilliant, and like a bad James bond movie .... always plotting on how to undermine the U.S..

But no one is laughing now. There are a lot of issues and crisis points that need to be resolved between Russia and the U.S. .... and it is not possible with the current environment in Washington. When you have your foreign minister show up in the Oval Office to discuss a wide range of issues that impact the security of both nations .... and you then have it leaked out in the U.S. press that sensitive intel was given resulting in the shut-down of any meaningful progress between the U.S. and Russia to destroy ISIS .... it does no one good.

Update: I am someone who is sceptical on the power of social media .... as I had mentioned in this post yesterday .... Time Magazine: Russia Used Social Media To Swing The Election To President Trump (May 18, 2017). But my position is a minority one in both Russia and in the West .... that is why stories like this one are now raising concerns that the anti-Russian rhetoric that is out there may be getting out of control and is now influencing U.S. - Russian ties and cooperation on critical issues .... Democrats are falling for fake news about Russia (VOX). I hope that this story is wrong .... I guess we have to wait and see.

Update #2: Just another point .... and it is something that I have noticed in the past year .... many in the U.S. main stream media, the political class, and I would say the general public .... many are completely unaware on how pervasive and massive the Russian presence is in the U.S. today. Banking, real estate, owning high tech companies in Silicon valley .... Russian influence, money, and individuals are everywhere .... especially in "big business". If I was to do a study and survey on how "big" this involvement is .... I would not be surprised if I found every major U.S. politician and businessman having a Russian connection somewhere in their pocket. That is why I am not surprised that the Trump family has many Russian contacts .... that is the business world of today .... and that trend is not going to change. But U.S.-Russian citizens are not going to stop there .... with economic power comes political power ... and with time I have no problem predicting that the U.S.-Russian community will be having an even greater and more direct impact on politics as American citizens .... not this make-believe stuff that they are exercising power over President Trump .... which they are not.

6 comments:

D.Plowman said...

I doubt they're laughing. They clearly want to work with Trump, but there are many obstacles in the way to prevent that from happening.

Frustration is what they may be feeling, not laughter. And possibly anger at the McCarthyism going on right now in America.

For the ones who are actually doing the laughing, are people like myself.

I just look at America, shake my head and sigh... and be very, very glad that I do not live in America, or are even neighbors.

I'm glad I do not have Trump governing my country; sure, he's a breath of fresh air in some areas, but his flaws will outweigh the benefits in the long-run. I like the fact that Trump isn't PC. I like the fact that, generally speaking, he speaks his mind, even if not everything he says is to my liking. But Trump isn't likable. You don't have to be likable to be a good President however, and its still far too early to see what kind of President he will be, but Trump is creating far too many problems for himself. Yes, he's fighting an uphill battle against a heavily biased media who are out on a witch-hunt, but Trump, being Trump, gives them the ammunition to use against him. That needs to stop.

I'd still vote for him over Hillary any day of the week, although he would lose my vote to Bernie Sanders who I felt would have been good for America, despite his disappointing but rather predictable endorsement of Hillary Clinton, albeit somewhat delayed endorsement.

America has some troubling times ahead. It's going to be a rocky road.

A Trump impeachment would be absolutely terrible for America. There would be civil unrest with the Trump fanboys, vs those who are very much anti-trump. America would be in turmoil.

My advise to Americans; take your tin-foil hats off. Stop blaming the Russians. Deal and work with what you have. You have Trump. Congratulations or Sympathies. Whichever one it is, learn to live with it!

You have roughly 4 years until the next presidential election. Not happy with Trump? Ensure he doesn't get re-elected.

TWN said...

Since the Clinton administration I haven't been laughing, I've been sick at the decline of the US. I realize as a Canadian the fate of Canada is directly linked to that of the USA. The more I learn about the goings on among the Political, Media and Financial elite of the US and see how it has and does effect Canada I don't so much want to laugh as to cry. It all seems similar to the decline and paralysis that effected Rome, going forward I expect this to continue till the US tears it's self apart, and since Canada is so linked with the US we'll be torn apart with it, in some fashion. The So Called Leaders of the US and the West in general are no laughing matter.

B.Poster said...

D.Plowmam,

You are spot on. There's little to add, however, I would point out for better or worse Bernie Sanders would have handily won the general election against any Republican had the Democrats not taken the nomination from him.

As an American, I cannot laugh at this. I can see how someone from another can. So far most Americans still seem to be dismissing the ridiculous nonsense of Russian intereference.

As far as civil unrest should DJT be impeached, very respectfully not likely. The do called Trumpkins have to work for a living and lack the time or resources to organize such a thing. If he's not impeached, this could lead to civil unrest. To such people the truth doesn't matter.

If he's impeached especially under the current kangaroo court/witch hunt situation, this will have blowback. For starters Russian frustration will turn to real anger. St that point, Americans will get really hurt. This diplomatic process took years to carefully put together. To recklessly destroy this because petty small minded people could not accept the fact that they lost or why they lost is truly sad. Additionally, for a countty that claims to value the rule of law and an equitable judicial system this hypocrisy will be obvious to pretty much everyone and will pretty much destroy relations with every one of consequence.

Unknown said...

So Hillary is a man. Well that explains a lot. Little bit of linguistic slip up. Maybe you need to be investigated.

Bernie Sanders the savior?

Bernie Sanders is a fuck up. He could not make an honest living as a carpenter. So his 1st wife got smart and left him.

Mr Sanders 2nd wife is a prize. Not many people can say they have killed an entire institution. Mrs Sanders did exactly that. She killed a college.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/435483/bernie-sanderss-wife-burlington-college-lesson-financial-mismanagement

Burlington College was a private, non-profit liberal arts college located in Burlington, Vermont

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burlington_College
survival/

Mr & Mrs Sanders. Idiots of a feather flock together
"The fate of Burlington College remains uncertain. The school is running on fumes as it attempts to strike a deal with real estate developer "

https://vtdigger.org/2014/12/21/burlington-college-fight-

D.Plowman said...

@Aizino Smith

Your failure to comprehend structured sentences is not surprising considering your own many mistakes, thankfully I'm not a grammar nazi, although it is amusing regardless.

Let me educate you - "Yes, he's fighting an uphill battle against a heavily biased media who are out on a witch-hunt, but Trump, being Trump, gives them the ammunition to use against him. That needs to stop." Notice I'm still talking about Trump here.

Now I hope your paying attention for the next part, - "I'd still vote for him (Trump) over Hillary any day of the week, although he (Trump again) would lose my vote to Bernie Sanders who I felt would have been good for America, despite his disappointing but rather predictable endorsement of Hillary Clinton, albeit somewhat delayed endorsement."

Now I recommend the ABC's for your daily reading so that you can avoid getting confused again.

Unknown said...

I misread the sentence although it could read the way I read it.

Certain languages do not have gender specific pronouns. So when those speakers say him or her they get it mixed up and use a masculine pro noun for a female. It usually is good for a few laughs.

Bernie Sanders? Really? If that guy had not entered politics he would be a abject failure and a pauper now. Bernie is about as mysterious as Grahamnesty. Somehow Bernie is just not a real man.

Bernie's wife while not a pauper is an expensive failure. It was very expensive for other people. They had to pay for her incompetence. Bernie sat back and let her do "Hey watch this" when it came to her mis-governance of Burlington College? Does he even talk to his wife or did he think overextending the college's finances and lying was a great idea?

Trump makes a lot more sense than say some erudite northeast liberal like Jeb Bush, whose big plan was to run against 'his base'. I voted against Trump in the primaries, but I like him a whole lot better than the establishment. Trump could deliver amnesty and be re-elected by his base. The thing is Trump would have the wall built fist and statistics showing that the illegal border crossing were down 90% or something. Then he would 'open the doors in that beautiful wall'. Everyone else in Washington talk tough on illegals for 2 to 4 months during election time and then has their fucking friends in the press tell us how xenophobic we are after the election.

I am not seeing Trump as the problem so much as the mandarins (the educated class of China that kept killing Chinese empires' and the new mandarins of the Potomac swamp, who are intent on killing America.

WNU has written several times about seeing zero evidence on the Russian connection and the press simply will not let it go. Of course this is the same press (Daily Beast Newsweek) etc that said Burlington College was a swell place. No wonder Newsweek went bankrupt.