November 22, 2020

"There’s nothing to damage, they’re already ruined."

Said Vladimir Putin when asked if his declining to congratulate Joe Biden might damage U.S./Russian relations — Bloomberg reports

Putin's position on the election is lucid: "We will work with anyone who has the confidence of the American people. But that confidence can only be given to a candidate whose victory has been recognized by the opposing party, or after the results are confirmed in a legitimate, legal way."

127 comments:

Leland said...

He's not wrong.

Attonasi said...

Are you surprised that Putin has a better grasp of this election than you do Ann?

steve uhr said...

He is having difficulty accepting that he no longer can control US policy from the inside.

Attonasi said...

Is Putin on the outside of a group looking in?

Joe Smith said...

Putin knows election law better than NBC, ABC, CNN, etc., etc.

Either way, he will walk all over drooling Joe.

tim in vermont said...

But the New York Times has declared Biden the winner!

Look at how the New York Times recuits “straight news” reporters to cover Russia.

Vladimir Putin’s Russia remains one of the biggest stories in the world.

It sends out hit squads armed with nerve agents against its enemies, most recently the opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. It has its cyber agents sow chaos and disharmony in the West to tarnish its democratic systems, while promoting its faux version of democracy. It has deployed private military contractors around the globe to secretly spread its influence. At home, its hospitals are filling up fast with Covid patients as its president hides out in his villa.

If that sounds like a place you want to cover, then we have good news: We will have an opening for a new correspondent as Andy Higgins takes over as our next Eastern Europe Bureau Chief early next year.


"You furnish the pictures, and I will furnish the war.”

It’s immoral to subscribe to that rag.

tim in vermont said...

"He is having difficulty accepting that he no longer can control US policy from the inside.”

Ha ha ha ha. And fire can’t. soften steel, right steve?

tim maguire said...

Given what an all-purpose bogeyman Putin has been for the Democrats, Putin has no reason to be nice to Biden even if Biden's policies are more favorable to Russia then Trump's.

Readering said...

He's saying that Trump is f*cking things up for the country with his behavior.

Dude1394 said...

I literally trust Putins opinion more than the democrat propaganda media or the democrat leadership. And I am NOT exaggerating.

ga6 said...

He's saying that Trump is f*cking things up for the country

Vlad's or ours? Which you like?

jaydub said...

I think Bloomberg did their part to poison our relations with Russia with four+ plus years of the Russian hoax. They are only concerned about relations with Russia now because they believe raising such concern helps their tribe. F'em!

Ann Althouse said...

"Are you surprised that Putin has a better grasp of this election than you do Ann?"

When did you stop beating your wife?

Wince said...

Putin is saying US/Russian relations were already damaged, contra the narrative.

In Biden, Putin sees $90/bbl oil.

There, the congratulations would be Putin’s.

Narr said...

Putin didn't become Nogoodnik-in-Chief by being stupid.

He has mastered the art of watching 'Murkins roil themselves about him, anyway.

Narr
The John Birch Society should sue the Dims for copyright infringement

Achilles said...

Readering said...

He's saying that Trump is f*cking things up for the country with his behavior.

BLM/Antifa supporter be mad at people for fucking up the country.

The election was fraudulent from the moment they kicked the GOP poll watchers out.

The rest of this is just details and people complicit in destroying our election outing themselves.

hombre said...

Trump’s Presidency has exposed Democrat/mediaswine sedition, corruption and bad faith to the nation and the world. Amoral elements will be lying or in denial about that, but it will never go away. His last gift may be to expose Democrats stealing an election.

Most of us despised Obama, his incompetence and his corrupting of our government, but we would not have stood by if he had been treated as Trump has been treated. The Tea Party was not BLM/Antifa/Resistance, phony impeachment or DOJ/FBI corruption, nor would Trumpers ever have exploited a pandemic for political gain.

The country is broken. Democrats broke it. They are too crooked and immoral to participate in healing it.

TwoAndAHalfCents said...

That’s some quality trolling on Vlad’s part.

Quayle said...

Trying to think of the evidence of Putin influencing U. S. policy in past 4 years. About what is Putin so happy? Steve Ur? Can you point to the things Putin is happy about right now, that he got Trump to do?

Attonasi said...

Ann Althouse said...

"Are you surprised that Putin has a better grasp of this election than you do Ann?"

When did you stop beating your wife?

Riposte! Excellent! Let's do this.

When will you stop letting your husband beat you?

Readering said...

Nuts

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

Anyone want to take bets on how long before the word "unexpectedly" shows up in reference to US/Russia relations?

daskol said...

David Goldman, who writes the Spengler column for an Asian paper, said something to the effect about Chinese officials, whether corporate or political, that one would encounter in any international context have a very high minimum intelligence--much higher typical than their counterparts. The Chinese system, honed over millennia and with the apparent support of (enough of) the people, identifies, elevates and respects the clever. Something similar must be the case in Russia, where it's not a Confucian style meritocratic system but rather a harshly Darwinist system, but it strikes me that in most countries, the quality of the leadership is a lot higher than ours: smarter and better than the average person, usually by far. How long we can stumble along elevating the mediocrities who show the servility and cunning necessary to speak for whatever interests actually run things here, is anybody's guess. But Putin is a far more impressive man and leader than any political hack who's risen in the US.

daskol said...

And he's playing this perfectly. Whatever moral high ground America enjoyed is squandered on the altar of our foreign misadventures, laid bare in the digital age, and the embarrassing degradation of our own political systems, now subject to the same intelligence driven manipulations that we've conducted abroad for several decades. America remains exceptional, but only our most deluded and dim citizens still think our govt now speaks with moral authority on the global stage. We are rich and strong in many respects, and still fearsome, with the best people on the planet congregated on our shores, but our civil institutions are a worldwide and domestic joke. So Putin has noticed.

hombre said...

That’s some quality trolling on Vlad’s part.

But no worries. Beijing Biden and CNN are more than a match for him. LOL.

Achilles said...

hombre said...

That’s some quality trolling on Vlad’s part.

But no worries. Beijing Biden and CNN are more than a match for him. LOL.


Putin owned Hillary.

He knows that the Chicoms own Joe.

He is not in a good spot.

YoungHegelian said...

Lucky for Putin, he's still got Russian assets on the ground like Jill Stein & Tulsi Gabbard to work his evil will on our country! /sarc

Honestly, can you believe someone as high-up as HRC actually publicly said that?

Leland said...

It would be awesome if somebody could explain exactly what they think Putin is getting from Trump. I hear the accusation, but I have yet to hear one specific example. Is it not having to push a silly "reset" button with Hillary? Not sending hundreds of billion to Iran to continue to destabilize the Middle East and drive up oil prices for Russia? The demand that NATO countries spend more money on defense? The sending of anti-ballistic missile technology to Poland. Support for the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline while criticizing Merkel signing a long term natural gas deal with Putin?

I know Ukraine received economic aid on time and without the requirement that they fire their AG for daring to investigate Burisma.

Michael K said...

Vlad is just opening the bidding now that he has a mark. Joe is for sale. Everybody knows it.

Readering said...

Difference between Putin and Trump? Only one is a muti-billionaire.

Howard said...

You people's second favorite Strong man tipping his cap to his favorite marionettes.

Drago said...

steve uhr: "He is having difficulty accepting that he no longer can control US policy from the inside."

Think about how dumb you would have to be to write what steve uhr writes.....and then to actually believe it.

Trump was the ONLY thing standing in the way of Nordstream II. The ONLY thing.

Trump was the ONLY one advocating build up of US military ties with the eastern european nations...which Putin definitely does not want. Including advanced defensive missile systems which obama/biden denied Poland.

Trump was the ONLY one who would have allowed the US forces in Syria to destroy 300+ russian mercenaries headed to the oil fields to secure the oil for PUtin.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/battle-syria-us-russian-mercenaries-commandos-islamic-state-a8370781.html

Trump was the ONLY one who forced NATO partners to actually increase spending on defense "partners" who have been living off the US like leeches for decades.


Don't expect Li'l stevie uhr to know anything about any of that. You see, he's in direct competition with readering to determine which Althouse lefty can post the most disconnected-from-reality-geopolitical-hot-takes.

So far readering remains far ahead, but I can see a path to victory for stevie uhr if he works hard.

Drago said...

I almost forgot to include Howard in that competition.

Not that he can keep up with readering of course. But still.

Readering said...

What's the prize?

Drago said...

And it appears that our Althouse lefties don't want to have to deal with the direct payments to the Bidens by Putin/russian connected Ukrainian energy oligarchs as well as Putin's good buddy the wife of the Moscow Mayor simply sending $3.5 Million directly into the Biden family coffers.

Of course, compared to the $1.5Billion the ChiCom military has invested in Hunter's "Investment" management firm (no, Hunter had zero experience in investment management, duh), that $3.5Million probably rings up as petty cash.

Spiros said...

Something happened during the vote counting. Even Al Gore stated that it was absolutely necessary to "count the legal votes."

narciso said...

Gusteriev one who was bought out by putin, sent 200 million to hunters fund.

Drago said...

Readering: "What's the prize?"

For Putin in a Biden presidency?

LOL

Almost too many to list.

The US shutting up about Nordstream II an the other energy projects that will cement Putin control over a majority of the energy needs of key western european nations, most notably Germany.

The US no longer demanding NATO members meet minimum investment or commitments to military preparedness (which was on full display with obama/biden when Putin just took the Crimea and obama sent.......blankets and pillows and a few medical kits.....but no offensive weapons)

The US no longer supporting sales of modern US equipment to eastern European nations like Poland.

The US not stopping Putin from collecting what he wants from Assad in Syria: the oil assets because that's all the russians have to peddle on the world markets for hard currency due to the astonishing brain drain that has occurred over the last 2 decades

Relaxation of US measures to stop industrial espionage

Biden returning to the moronic Iranian Deal which guarantees that Iran, a russian client state, will have increased access to capital to pay the russians for their nuclear expertise and straight-line pathway to development and deployment of nuclear missiles

The list of pro-Putin democratical policies is endless.

alanc709 said...

steve uhr said...
He is having difficulty accepting that he no longer can control US policy from the inside.

Putin no longer needs to control US policy from the inside, he has Biden for that.

Readering said...

Prize for beating Uhr and Howard I was wondering.

Achilles said...

Readering said...

What's the prize?

From us open mockery. We are going to be honest about how stupid we think you are.

While the people you support and vote for they are going to lie to your face, and then attend stockholder/donor meetings and laugh at you cretins.

Achilles said...

Drago said...


The list of pro-Putin democratical policies is endless.

You forgot the most crucial one and really the only one that matters to Putin: Banning Fracking.

Humperdink said...

If Trump was in Putin pocket, the price of oil would be $100/barrel. For some reason, Trump liberalized fracking, which has kept oil at $40 +/-. What has this done to Vlad the Impaler's economy? Maybe steve uhr can enlighten us.

(Hint: It's in the tank)

Readering said...

Thanks for reminding me of your opinion Achilles. It's what keeps me from posting here.

mccullough said...

Joe could keep the oil and natural gas production up and keep the Iran deal dead if he doesn’t want to help Putin.

That would show strength against Putin.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Putin knows that when your enemy is tearing itself apart...you should just maybe stir the pot a bit and sit back to see who you get to make a deal with.


He doesn't care if our elections are fair or legit. But WE do ....so stir it up--- stir it up. Let the turmoil continue. It is all to his benefit.

Iman said...

Readering said...
Nuts


Things you wish you possessed...

narciso said...

The dossier (which marc elias) financedc came from a suspected russian spy, igor danchenko.

Achilles said...

Readering said...

Thanks for reminding me of your opinion Achilles. It's what keeps me from posting here.

Ann. Please help Readering out. Please demonstrate that cruel neutrality means protecting leftists from criticism of their obvious stupidity.

Readering thinks that this is a subtle plea for censorship.

So subtle.

Pathetic.

Readering said...

I mean if I don't post how can Iman impart his wisdom?

narciso said...


Evergreen

https://mobile.twitter.com/LeeSmithDC/status/1330544456290996227

doctrev said...

Achilles said...

While the people you support and vote for they are going to lie to your face, and then attend stockholder/donor meetings and laugh at you cretins.

11/22/20, 11:57 AM

I imagine the elites have some respect for us. Oh, they want us dead, BADLY, but the ones at the top have to secretly hold some admiration for people who aren't buying into the 24/7 gaslighting on Facebook and Twitter, any more than they themselves are. I'd ask, but I don't really care.

Right now most conservatives are being primed to accept the "Supreme Court Ruling" argument, but if anything Powell's saying is true, Trump will not be staking his presidency on it. He'll act even without the SC ruling. Conversely, if everything Powell's saying is a lie, then Donald Trump certainly does not deserve to be President, and will be very lucky to leave Washington alive. Althouse doesn't cover any of that- she's not a terribly serious person, but to be fair few people are able to process a scandal of this magnitude, especially with Fox News being on the side of the enemy.

If you're smart, you've prepared for the worst.

Achilles said...

doctrev said...

If you're smart, you've prepared for the worst.

+1

On all of it.

narciso said...

General flynn still hasnt been absolved despite evidence of fraud by the bureau and the doj

narciso said...

https://sharylattkisson.com/2020/11/hard-to-find-2020-election-fraud-stories-and-links/

Joe Smith said...

@Wince

"In Biden, Putin sees $90/bbl oil."

This is the key.

If Biden caves on any of the green new deal bullshit/fantasy we will all be paying $5/gallon for gas.

Talk about a tax on everyone.

Putin's coffers will be filled and he can once again start bankrolling terrorists around the globe...

Chennaul said...

when asked if his declining to congratulate Joe Biden might damage U.S./Russian relations


...................

Sheesh, the media thinks in only one way. I am not a Putin fan at all but...reciprocity— media— google it.

Sit down for two minutes, get off “Team Biden” and perhaps think of how the Democrat party turned Russians into the villains like it was Tom Clancy/Hollywood movie.

Maybe that damaged U.S./Russian (Putin) relations more because it was non-stop for 3 1/2 years after Hillary sat down on election night to figure out What Happened!?

Vikn said...

steve uhr said...
He is having difficulty accepting that he no longer can control US policy from the inside.

I agree with Drago- you are dumb and disinformed to actually believe that Putin ever controlled US policy during Trump's presidency.
Russia is just quietly watching how US is self destructing by all the division and hate forced on American people by identity politics, by lies of MSM, by lies of Hillary about Russia to divert attention from all her doings.
US is now called by Russians "Divided States of America" ( if you abbreviate it in Russian РаША).

Russian saying these days "You don't get to choose your Motherland, your parents and the president of Russia". Putin is a very impressive leader and the quality of life improved dramatically over his reign... But yes - not much freedom of speech...

I truly hope that US does not become the country where you don't get to choose/elect your President.

Kate said...

Since we're talking about Russian smarts, let me put in a plug for "The Queen's Gambit" on netflix (if you still subscribe). Very good acting, prod value, and chess. Just finished the 7-part series last night.

Earnest Prole said...

Those couple hundred-thousand dollars that Russia spent on facebook ads to divide America have to be the most cost-effective strategic investment in human history.

Chennaul said...

Just to add maybe the only good thing to come out of all that is the Dem base coming to some real politik stance when it does come to the Russians.....I remember when Obama made fun of Romney for being all old and stuff because Romney still thought the Russians were not exactly friendlies.

So Russia getting at least bogie maybe even bandit status with the Dem base......maybe worth it. Although they will probably forget and go back to full commie spit swapping adoration in no time flat.

rehajm said...

Putin is a man who doesn't need spies to recognize a rigged election.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Democrats are worse that Puitn.

doctrev said...

Earnest Prole said...
Those couple hundred-thousand dollars that Russia spent on facebook ads to divide America have to be the most cost-effective strategic investment in human history.

11/22/20, 1:04 PM

No, it's NOT. From the Russian perspective, those ads have cost them years of sanctions and constant wariness about whatever the next neocon administration is going to do to their country. From the perspective of someone trying to destabilize America, and alternatively from the perspective of American nationalists, it didn't work: Donald Trump won for many other reasons besides "Russian Facebook ads." And from the perspective of the neocons themselves, the outcome of the last four years are hardly ideal.

Even as a joke, this falls terribly flat.

Chennaul said...

But Putin is a far more impressive man and leader than any political hack who's risen in the US.

....................

Well if you only measure him by his own survival and corruption, while tossing out ethics, free speech and media—sure—Putin doesn’t come up short.

Maybe also toss out politicians getting poisoned and— hell— doctors getting dropped out of windows like it was Springtime (for Putin) in Prague again.

Chennaul said...

steve uhr said...
He is having difficulty accepting that he no longer can control US policy from the inside.
.............

Iran has always been a satellite or puppet of Russian influence if Putin controlled Trump policy Pompeo’s strategy towards Iran would have looked very different.

doctrev said...

Chennaul said...

Maybe also toss out politicians getting poisoned and— hell— doctors getting dropped out of windows like it was Springtime (for Putin) in Prague again.

11/22/20, 1:17 PM

Ah yes: Novichok, the poison Vladimir Putin uses when he wants to have more sanctions inflicted on him. The problem with 27-year old juiceboxers, the Ezra Klein types, is that they're far too stupid to realize what a plausible false flag looks like. If the dissidents were killed horribly, along with hundreds of people unfortunate enough to be in the same neighborhood at the time, I'd say "shit, looks like Putin really Novichoked those poor people." Now, of course, the culture is so poisoned I'd be far more likely to believe a Vindman type ordered that kind of mass murder on Western soil.

Attonasi said...

Earnest Prole said...

Those couple hundred-thousand dollars that Russia spent on facebook ads to divide America have to be the most cost-effective strategic investment in human history.

Do you think Putin being set up as the scapegoat by the globalist regime that is heavily influenced by China makes him happy?

Do you think US elections are the most important factor in Russian stability?

If you were Russia and you saw China, whose only limiting factor is energy production and US hegemony, belligerently expanding it's borders. What would you be thinking right now?

Do you honestly think things are going well for Putin right now?

doctrev said...

Of course, Putin almost certainly DOES order the murder of his political opposition, but is likelier to hand a mafioso $10k to beat them to death with a wrench. And I'm not even sure he'd need to pay them money: usually just waiting for the right offensive news article, and promising the police won't investigate too deeply (while guffawing loudly) would carry the same message of impunity.

Michael K said...

The list of pro-Putin democratical policies is endless.

That's a pretty good list, Drago but the lefties think those are all positives.

I can remember when people said optimists learned Russian and pessimists learn Mandarin.

Here we are again.

Earnest Prole said...

From the perspective of someone trying to destabilize America, and alternatively from the perspective of American nationalists, it didn't work.

Apparently you're new here. Grown American men with comfy lives spend their days thinking of nothing but Civil War.

Chennaul said...

The Chinese system, honed over millennia and with the apparent support of (enough of) the people, identifies, elevates and respects the clever

................

The lack of free media means there is no way to truly expose the Russian and Chinese counterparts therefore by that alone they can “appear” as more intelligent.

Also his analysis of how elements rise up in China and Russia completely misses those that gain advantage and rise up via corruption and/or family ties. See the Princelings in China as an example— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princelings

One example but there are probably many more but again the inner workings of the CCP are very opaque.

Ever been in certain Chinese cities during a party meeting? The Great Firewall gets higher.

Chennaul said...

Ah yes: Novichok, the poison Vladimir Putin uses when he wants to have more sanctions inflicted on him. The problem with 27-year old juiceboxers, the Ezra Klein types, is that they're far too stupid to realize what a plausible false flag looks like. If the dissidents were killed horribly, along with hundreds of people unfortunate enough to be in the same neighborhood at the time, I'd say "shit, looks like Putin really Novichoked those poor people." Now, of course, the culture is so poisoned I'd be far more likely to believe a Vindman type ordered that kind of mass murder on Western soil.

............

Eh, Russians have a flair for the dramatic. Sometimes you want your examples to be made with flair and to demonstrate— reach.

After all if you don’t make headlines the terror is not as useful.

Vikn said...

@Attonasi...
Excellent questions

doctrev said...

Chennaul said...

Eh, Russians have a flair for the dramatic. Sometimes you want your examples to be made with flair and to demonstrate— reach.

After all if you don’t make headlines the terror is not as useful.

11/22/20, 1:40 PM

Russians, maybe. Personally I've never met a more stoic people. But Putin hasn't used such tactics in the west for some time, even assuming that the polonium incident with Litvenenko was Putin. If anything, he'd probably be well-advised to execute an Applebaum type, for two reasons:

1) Make clear that further movements towards war are going to first consume the influential people calling for one, and
2) Give the President a chance to cool things down. I mean, is there anyone on the planet who'd demand bombing Russia over Anne Applebaum??

narciso said...

The in bruges crew were so ineffective they didnt actually kill the main targets.

narciso said...

Litvinenko was one that was seen as having defected over to the enemy (the chechens) i dont agree with the solution but i understand it.

narciso said...

Pinochet blew up an exiled foreign minister in dc, along with an american radical activist right on the street.

doctrev said...

narciso said...
Pinochet blew up an exiled foreign minister in dc, along with an american radical activist right on the street.

11/22/20, 2:11 PM

Inspiring a similar scene in Scarface, with a very different ending. Which is why I can't be terribly mad at Oliver Stone no matter how kooky he is.

Inga said...

Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America.

Robert Cook said...

"The election was fraudulent from the moment they kicked the GOP poll watchers out."

The election was "fraudulent" to the degree that Americans were led to believe there was any real choice to be had between Trump and Biden. Either one could be counted on to serve the interests of the wealthy (and their own and their families') and to ignore or actively harm the interests of the people. So it has been, and so it shall be.

Chuck said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Mike of Snoqualmie said...

The country is broken. Democrats broke it. They are too crooked and immoral to participate in healing it.

The sad part is that most Democrat voters don't know that. They continue to read and watch the DNC "news" outlets and never read or watch any contrary views.

Robert Cook said...

"The country is broken. Democrats broke it. They are too crooked and immoral to participate in healing it."

You're half right. Your error is one of omission.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

t would be awesome if somebody could explain exactly what they think Putin is getting from Trump. I hear the accusation, but I have yet to hear one specific example.

Trump talks nice to Vlad. He doesn't yell and scream at poor, Ol' Vlad. That's why Trump is Putin's puppet.

Trump is following Teddy Roosevelt's maxim: "Speak softly but carry a big stick." Also, Machiavelli's "Never do an enemy a small hurt." Trump's big stick(s) are energy prices and trade policies, with some small military actions, like taking out Solemeni.

Robert Cook said...

"You forgot the most crucial one and really the only one that matters to Putin: Banning Fracking."

It also matters to people anywhere who want non-toxic air and water free of carcinogens where they live.

Narr said...

Just figure out who profits from more attention to Putin (tm) and less to more important actors, and it will become clearer.

Narr
Bad Vlad. Bad.


Mike of Snoqualmie said...

Inga said: Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America.

Yes, he was when he realized that his bought and paid for presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, lost to Donald Trump. Vlad directed in excess of $145M to the Clinton Foundation, $500K to hear Bill speak in Moscow plus all the moolah he spent for Uranium One. After the Uranium One deal was finalized, Hillary got a big fat payoff from Uranium One.

Michael K said...

Blogger Robert Cook said...
"You forgot the most crucial one and really the only one that matters to Putin: Banning Fracking."

It also matters to people anywhere who want non-toxic air and water free of carcinogens where they live.



Cook is a fan of the Green Nude Eel. What a surprise. Comrade Stalin should be here to enjoy the end of the Petroleum Age. Horses and wagons in your future.

Iman said...

“Snark... snark... OrangeManBad... snark... snarkety snark snark”

—- Readering

Matt Sablan said...

I don't think the left was planning to work with Russia anyway.

Robert Cook said...

"Cook is a fan of the Green Nude Eel. What a surprise. Comrade Stalin should be here to enjoy the end of the Petroleum Age. Horses and wagons in your future."

As usual from this source, an incomprehensible and evasive non-sequitur.

Rory said...

Hillary Clinton, on the 2011 Russian legislative elections:

"And as we have seen in many places, and most recently in the Duma elections in Russia, elections that are neither free nor fair have the same effect. We have serious concerns about the conduct of those elections. Independent political parties, such as PARNAS, were denied the right to register. And the preliminary report by the OSCE cites election day attempts to stuff ballot boxes, manipulate voter lists, and other troubling practices.

"We’re also concerned by reports that independent Russian election observers, including the nationwide Golos network, were harassed and had cyber attacks on their websites, which is completely contrary to what should be the protected rights of people to observe elections, participate in them, and disseminate information.

"We commend those Russian citizens who participated constructively in the electoral process. And Russian voters deserve a full investigation of electoral fraud and manipulation. And we recognize the Russian Government’s willingness to allow the OSCE to observe these elections, we now hope and urge them to take action on the recommendations that will be forthcoming from the OSCE electoral observer mission.

"The Russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted. And that means they deserve fair, free, transparent elections and leaders who are accountable to them."

Bob Loblaw said...

He is having difficulty accepting that he no longer can control US policy from the inside.

Oh, I'm sure Vlad isn't still pining for the Obama days.

Drago said...

Inga: "Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America."

Remember 15 minutes ago when Inga claimed she was not into all that conspiracy stuff anymore?

LOL

Someone above added the most critical to Putin economic move an American administration could make that would immediately double/triple cash revenues to the Putin team: banning/significantly reducing fracking.

And which party wants that?

Joe Smith said...

"Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America."

This take is as dumb as the rock on campus.

Trump bankrupted Russia with his energy policy.

Biden-Whore-is will make him rich again.

Humperdink said...

Allie Oop said: "Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America."

You just flat-out lack common sense.

Jim at said...

I always get a kick out of people who spent the entire Cold War openly rooting for the Soviet Union suddenly turning on a dime and say stupid shit like this:

Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America.

Birkel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Birkel said...

Is Putin saying he has less or more flexibility after this election?

Clues? said...

Joe Smith replied to the comment...
"Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America."
This take is as dumb as the rock on campus

Yeah, but that rock is also stable, balanced and grounded. How about: This take is as dumb as the rock controversy on campus

n.n said...

I don't think the left was planning to work with Russia anyway.

Russia, like South Africa, Libya, Zimbabwe, etc., are mineral resources. Elements of the left and right without borders will work with anyone willing to place special, peculiar, and personal interests ahead of the native population. Putin is an unlikely choice, but there are Russian competitors salivating at the opportunity to back a coup in Russia and bypass native protections. From Tripoli to Kiev.

n.n said...

Putin is sad/mad that he lost his best asset in America.

A competing interest, but not a social justice/war-monger. The former is market economics in a world with finitely available, accessible resources. The latter is single/central/monopolies and elective/unpredictable choices.

Birkel said...

Daniel Yergen on Line 1 for readering.

historyDoc said...

If you were trying to help Putin, you would halt fracking or make it much more difficult. Let's see where Biden stands on this.

gadfly said...

Russia worked directly with the Trump team during the 2016 and 2020 elections - so what would we expect from Vlad in 2020 when Trump did himself in by screaming to his followers, "Don't use mail-in ballots."

My thanks to my brothers among Republican Never-Trumpers who ran a brilliant anti-Trump campaign from the Lincoln Project office which should be named "Ford Theater 2020."

mccullough said...

Gadfly,

You are as deluded as the They Stole The Election from Trump crowd.

Enjoy your conspiracy theories.

bagoh20 said...

If Biden manages to prevail, it's going to be the most expensive education in history, and like history itself, it still will not break through the hardened skulls of the left. The near future is going to be one long embarrassment for those who voted Democrat, and I hope the spineless majority that accepts whatever trash they are fed enjoys it.

I will savor the chance to be part of the patriotic opposition. It's will be an exciting and invigorating opportunity to their rub noses in their choice for four years as we have with the unprecedented Trump successes and accomplishments they had to endure, while they tried every illegal means possible to prevent them. Trump brought in an incredible number of new conservatives among minorities. The Democrats just showed how little respect they have for the votes and the country that millions of those minorities call home. Fake votes and the dead are not real real support. The millions who just woke up to their lies are.

Enjoy your prize.

Skippy Tisdale said...

Are these cookies racist? They're made at Cookie Cart , a nonprofit that helps inner-city youth here in Minneapolis.

https://www.facebook.com/Cookie.Cart/

https://scontent.ffcm1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-0/p526x296/126516832_10158527468770255_7596423714011364790_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&ccb=2&_nc_sid=8bfeb9&_nc_ohc=cHBe4F_RFZIAX8wiq2x&_nc_ht=scontent.ffcm1-1.fna&tp=6&oh=216153ee52df70c1106c3b865d93d60d&oe=5FE1F43B

Joe Smith said...

"My thanks to my brothers among Republican Never-Trumpers who ran a brilliant anti-Trump campaign from the Lincoln Project office which should be named "Ford Theater 2020."

So now you're talking assassination? Enjoy your Secret Service visit.

The Lincoln Project guys are a bunch of cuck grifters who conned lefties like you out of millions.

And at the same time they made themselves the bitches of the Democrats.

That's nothing to be proud of. I couldn't live that way.

But I'm not a good little socialist with a room-temperature IQ as you seem to be.

Bob Loblaw said...

Russia worked directly with the Trump team during the 2016 and 2020 elections - so what would we expect from Vlad in 2020 when Trump did himself in by screaming to his followers, "Don't use mail-in ballots."

Show your work here. You're going to have to do better than the dossier that Hillary paid for.

Bob Loblaw said...

If Biden manages to prevail, it's going to be the most expensive education in history, and like history itself, it still will not break through the hardened skulls of the left. The near future is going to be one long embarrassment for those who voted Democrat, and I hope the spineless majority that accepts whatever trash they are fed enjoys it.

They're leftists. If thy didn't take ownership of 100 million dead in the 20th century, they're not going to take ownership of the Biden years. It'll be Trump's fault, or the Russians, or the wreckers and capitalist roaders.

effinayright said...

Blogger gadfly said...
Russia worked directly with the Trump team during the 2016 and 2020 elections - so what would we expect from Vlad in 2020 when Trump did himself in by screaming to his followers, "Don't use mail-in ballots."
***************

Yeah, they really listened to him, and didn't vote at all. That's why he got millions MORE votes this time.

Dope.

As for Trump and Russia working together, it takes a Certified Fool to believe that after the Mueller fiasco came up completely dry.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Fool is likely the only thing these trolls could possibly excel at.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Putin is likely to know more about the election than our TV networks do.

Iman said...

My thanks to my brothers among Republican Never-Trumpers who ran a brilliant anti-Trump campaign from the Lincoln Project office which should be named "Ford Theater 2020."

True Asshole Buddies.

Michael K said...

Blogger Robert Cook said...
"Cook is a fan of the Green Nude Eel. What a surprise. Comrade Stalin should be here to enjoy the end of the Petroleum Age. Horses and wagons in your future."

As usual from this source, an incomprehensible and evasive non-sequitur.


Cook, as usual, you have trouble with analogies. Just think about Comrade Stalin and you will feel better.

n.n said...

They're leftists. If thy didn't take ownership of 100 million dead in the 20th century

Tomb of the Unknown Deplorable, Jew, etc. Also, whether one-child or selective-child, Tomb of the Unknown Baby. For ever occasion a wicked solution to reduce a burden.

Mike of Snoqualmie said...

China Joe was against fracking before he was for it before he was again' it before he was for it.

He's managed to straddle the for/against line so many times it's become a light-year wide.

Kirk Parker said...

The prize, readering, is another dunce cap for your growing collection.

Readering said...

Doubt it.

Amadeus 48 said...

Team anti-Trump (readering, Uhr, Cook and others) has never come to terms with Walter Russell Mead's observation from 2017:

If Trump were in Putin's pocket, he would be doing the following things:
--Limiting fracking as much as he possibly could
--Blocking oil and gas pipelines
--Opening negotiations for major nuclear arms reductions
--Cutting U.S. military spending
--Trying to tamp down tensions with Russia’s ally Iran

In fact, he did none of them. Trump did the opposite. But Obama did them, and Biden is about to do them again.

Who is in Putin's pocket? The Democrats.

Michael McNeil said...

“You forgot the most crucial one and really the only one that matters to Putin: Banning Fracking.”

It also matters to people anywhere who want non-toxic air and water free of carcinogens where they live.


One might ask where Cook gets his information in this regard. Polemical leftist propaganda rags? Likely funded by Russia or China? Tell us it ain't so, Robert!

For a person who constantly alerts us to the spuriousness of propaganda messages constantly issuing forth from both political sides in this nation, our Robert Cook appears oddly accepting and trusting of this supposed datum: “fracking bad — fracking poison!” — constantly issuing forth from the environmental left.

Yet, that's not what (Obama's) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — in its big study of fracking published December, 2016 (just before the Trump administration took office!) — concludes.

It's true that the EPA notes half a dozen or so bad practices that might be employed during the process of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking” for short) which are capable of affecting the quality or quantity of groundwater in a given locale: bad practices such as (e.g.) simply drawing too much water from local aquifers during times of low water availability for use in fracking — or installing wells with defective casings, allowing seepage of oil and fracking chemicals into local groundwater — even improperly leaving ponds of noxious chemicals inhabiting unlined pits on the surface, where it can percolate into groundwater; and so forth.

In the end, though, the EPA states that it really can't say whether these kinds of “bad practice” issues with fracking are in general causing trouble or not. One might note, too, that many of the listed bad practices could easily result in similar problems utilizing conventional oil-production techniques — despite those more traditional oil-mining methods not (yet) having been slapped with the kind of horrifying “frankenfood”-style opprobrium which has been so successfully latched onto fracking by so-called environmentalists and the left.

That's the science, as it exists today. Beyond that, it's indisputable that both air and water in America are far cleaner than they were a mere half century ago.

Robert Cook said...

"Yet, that's not what (Obama's) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — in its big study of fracking published December, 2016 (just before the Trump administration took office!) — concludes."

Why insert Obama's name parenthetically? Do you think this will cause me to want to retract or rethink my statement? Obama was just another hustler working for the financial and corporate entities who are vampires on the world, a war criminal and an enabler of war criminals and torturers, (not to mention an enabler of corporate and financial predation), a betrayer of all to whom he promised "hope and change."

"It's true that the EPA notes half a dozen or so bad practices that might be employed during the process of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking” for short) which are capable of affecting the quality or quantity of groundwater in a given locale: bad practices such as (e.g.) simply drawing too much water from local aquifers during times of low water availability for use in fracking — or installing wells with defective casings, allowing seepage of oil and fracking chemicals into local groundwater — even improperly leaving ponds of noxious chemicals inhabiting unlined pits on the surface, where it can percolate into groundwater; and so forth."

There, of course, is the tell. If there are bad practices that will cause fracking to poison the air, land, and water in the region, you can be sure they have all occurred. The ongoing incidences of tanker oil spills in the ocean over the years shows how carelessly the oil companies tend to their safety obligations. The corporations will spend the least they can on safety practices and safeguards in order to maximize their profits, and the result will be, as it has been, bad practices and despoliation of the environment, (one example) (and another) (and another). One can find more.

Michael McNeil said...

Of course, your answer Robert is the leftist/progressive answer: ban it. All the while ignoring my point that much the same potential problems can also occur utilizing conventional oil technology. Also ignoring what has allowed the American environment to be vastly cleaned up over the last half century despite extensive use of oil and other mineral-extraction technologies out in the U.S.A. hinterland: regulation to make sure that bad practices are minimal and insignificant.

The evidence of this is precisely that the air, water, and land have been cleaned up.

Robert Cook said...

"The evidence of this is precisely that the air, water, and land have been cleaned up."

Only to be despoiled again by new technologies.

Robert Cook said...

Also, to the degree pollution in the air, water, and land has been cleaned up over time, it has been as a result of stringent government regulatory requirements...you know, those "tyrannical" regs hated and condemned by every true-blooded conservative. As regulations are being relaxed, rescinded, or simply ignored in recent years, companies have little incentive to adhere to any requirements that remain, such that, as the headline states, we're going backwards.