The thing about republicans and putin’s-russia is that they are basically aligned on Putin’s most important international issues.
Putin is mainly a fossil fuel oligarch. Republicans favor power for oligarchs and maximum dependence on fossil fuels.
The only way in which they aren’t aligned is that Putin would like the US to be as chaotic as possible, internally and externally, because then we can’t apply pressure to him. The republicans don’t actually favor that but they certainly deliver it, and Trump is the pure distilled essence of chaotic incompetence.
So, I’m kind of amazed that the connections between Russia and the Republicans appear to be so direct and real. Occam’s razor had me thinking it could, and therefore probably would, be a lot simpler.
Kremlin giving money to the campaign is essentially equal to Putin paying him. Actually, Putin paying him might be legal (if they set it up right), whereas getting campaign money from a foreign government certainly is not.
McCarthy’s remark sounds like a bad joke, as his spokesman claimed, but the issue is not whether Trump was actually receiving rubles from the Kremlin. McCarthy and fellow Republicans betray in this episode both a recognition of the degree to which Trump was behaving as Vladimir Putin’s lapdog and their own lack of seriousness about a presidential nominee who, if elected, would pose a threat to the United States’ national security. The glib, cavalier treatment of a potential national security threat reveals a level of immaturity and irresponsibility that we do not expect from elected officials, especially those in top leadership roles.
If only. Look at Pasteur’s work with the silkworm industry in France. The crops were being devastated by disease. He directed that the entire diseased crop had to be destroyed to save the industry.
The same thing is needed in the US. It will be a bit harder.
I agree, so many people have been getting thrown under the bus by this administration and its allies that anyone with half a brain should have a solid “cover your ass” strategy in place.
Yes, I equate Putin with the Kremlin, but there is a distinction between Il Douche being paid directly and paying the campaign. The distinction is necessary, but either should wreck his presidency.
Someone who is no better than Trump at reading, perhaps? I dunno, but if you are handed a couple of billion for just existing, why bother doing things the hard way?
