There are many things that I never thought I would live to see much less see before 50

[dsc]

one of the more recent, seeing the right wing of our country praising Russia. I am old enough to remember when the USSR was evil incarnate.

On edit what I am talking about

http://reason.com/archives/2013/08/22/vladimir-putin-is-no-ally-for-the-right

Russian President Vladimir Putin, the career KGB officer who has presided over the rollback of his country’s post-Communist freedoms and revived Cold War-style anti-Americanism, is an unlikely hero for American conservatives. Yet the Kremlin strongman has lately found some fans on the right who see him as a defender of Christian values — most recently, in the imbroglio over Russia’s new legal ban on gay “propaganda.” It is a sad misjudgment that does a disservice to the causes of conservatism, freedom, and religion alike.

Spokesmen for several right-wing groups including the American Family Association have praised the Russian law, which prohibits any pro-gay speech or expression that could be accessible to minors. Veteran columnist Pat Buchanan has joined the Putin cheerleading squad. And, shockingly, the usually thoughtful author Rod Dreher, who blogs for The American Conservative, has added his own “1.5 Cheers for Putin.”

[blkmusclmachine]

1. Both Vlad and the US far rightwing hate GLBT's with the fury of a thousand supernovas.

The final solution is, of course, genocide. Always has been. Always will be. Praise Jesus!

[dsc]

3. yeah we gays are the great uniters

[rdharma]

5. But that has always been the case. nt

[rdharma]

2. Where did you see this? Praised for what?

Never mind. I see what you're talking about.

Yes, the US religious right and the Russians can agree upon their mutual hatred.

[okaawhatever]

8. If you can stomach reading it go to American Conservative or Cato institute website for info

on the current conflict in Ukraine. They both support 100% President Yanukovych. It's actually quite scary. Scarier still if you realize that some neo-con campaign types helped on his campaign, helped in the "investigation" that led to putting the former PM in jail, and Grover Norquist has his hands in affairs as a member of the advisory board of the US Ukraine Foundation.

[rdharma]

13. I checked the American Conservative & Cato sites.....

And I sure don't see them supporting Yanukovich or Putin on the Ukraine situation.

[okaawhatever]

14. Interesting, I couldn't find the article I read at Cato. I didn't go there directly. I was reading

a series of about ten or twenty articles and didn't even know it was a Cato article until the end. There was a trademark at the bottom.

The other I did find and reading the comments gives as much or more insight.

http://www.theamericanconservative.com/why-play-cold-war-games-in-ukraine/

“First, though portrayed as a tyrannical thug, Viktor Yanukovych won the presidency of Ukraine in 2010 in what international observers called a free and fair election. He may not be Marcus Aurelius, but his remains the legitimate government."

Comment:
It’s not so simple. Yanukovich did win the presidential election (with less than 50% of the vote in a 2-person race). The president’s powers were limited and the Opposition was in control of the parliament. Without any new elections, however, he flipped the parliament and gave himself extraordinary powers. Nobody voted for him to do this; indeed he did this as his popularity sank. This, ultimately, was the cause of the protests and rebellion.

Imagine if Obama, after having won the election but faced with a Republican congress and Senate, proceeded to unlawfully and without new elections give himself majorities in both houses, fire conservatives in the supreme court and stack it with his people, and then after achieving total power ramming though controversial laws while his relatives amass hundreds of millions of dollars. Would he be “legitimate” because he won that election? Would rebels be wrong to oppose him?

And

Oleksa says:
February 21, 2014 at 4:18 pm
“Many set up tents and shacks, threw up barricades, seized government buildings, burned the headquarters of the ruling party, battled police and demanded the overthrow of the regime.” – that’s a lie. Barricades and seizures came 2 months after Yanukovych simply ignored millions of people who came voice their opinions. I seriously doubt that any Western government would dare to ignore their citizens for so long. Riots came as response to an unprovoked violence from government forces. From the very beginning Ukrainian protesters firmly demonstrated peaceful and constitutional nature of their actions.
_________________

The article mentions Russia's generous loan package but they refuse the over $30 billion in IMF loans Ukraine has received in the last couple of years. The IMF has been hesitant because the President refuses to meet the requirements. Much of what is troubling in Ukraine is the cost of Russian gas and it's effect on their economy. Putin has jerked around Ukraine over the cost of gas, frequently shutting it off iin the middle of winter, to get them to do what he wants. Ukraine has paid substantially more in the past than EU for gas. The last time Russia reduced the cost of gas was in exchange for a contract to keep Russia's naval fleet near Crimea.

[rdharma]

15. I also found that op-ed by Pat Buchannan on the American Conservative site.....

I missed it on my iPhone but found it easier on my office computer.

Buchannan is a weird duck. Some of the things he says (for example, about US intervention in foreign conflicts) actually makes sense.

But most of the stuff he spouts is bat-shit crazy RW nonsense.

That's the trouble with the Libertarian types. They're all over the map.

[Jim Lane]

16. I've seen the same thing on Free Republic.

They have their ongoing hatred of Obama, of course, but level of venom per post seems higher when they're indulging their homophobia. More than one of them has expressly praised Putin. I even saw Pravda being cited as a reliable source.

[democratisphere]

4. I thought Russia did a great job with the Olympics.

Wish the weather could have been a little more Olympicish. Not quite sure how Russia can justify the $50 Billion Dollar expense, but many large governments throw away billions of $$$$.

[rdharma]

7. That's right. Mitt did give them praise for their organization of the Olympics. nt

[Jenoch]

11. I don't think Russia should be praised

for what they did with the Olympic Games. I read that half of their expenditures went into corruption and that the money eas siphoned off into personal accounts.

[El_Johns]

6. where?

[JaneyVee]

9. Many US conservatives love him and his defense of conservatism.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

10. Plenty on the left praising him too

Of course, I think they are daft.

[Art_from_Ark]

12. It's the old Animal Farm syndrome

Pigs become men, or men become pigs, and the rest of the critters can't tell one from the other.