A little girl I once knew would always ask when someone said they liked so-and-so, “Would you marry him?” The truth be told, I don’t much care for Putin. I know he’s corrupt and vindictive. There’s not very much that speaks in his favor.
What I do care about is my own government spouse, the one with her hands perpetually in our pockets: Barack Hussein Obama. I used to think that Obama and Putin were very much alike. My only published article (on another website) made the point that Obama was not so much a Marxist as he is corrupt. I have since tempered my assessment somewhat; recognizing that, in the end, it probably comes out to the same.
Obama, unlike Putin, appears to be ideologically driven. Does that make him less or more dangerous than someone like Putin? Hard to say. In Obama’s case it only complicates things. No one rightly knows where Obama’s corruption ends and his ideology begins. The two appear to run parallel. Whereas ideology can be excused by the faithful (and even by those in the loyal opposition), corruption remains a crime in any language.
What is surprising is that Putin appears to be getting away with it. The mechanisms he has put in place are virtually foolproof. Only the truth seems to be leaking out albeit at the edges.
Whereas we can ague openly amongst ourselves as to Obama’s true motives (obviously, ‘socialism’ does not scare anybody anymore), we waste precious time while the dissolution of our nation continues. In Russia, the argument is over. The only thing left is government spin with an occasional endorsement from outside.
Russia is in deep doo-doo. That is, its people are not free. That is to say, it’s people are poor and destined to remain so. There is no ideology to cushion their pain.
It’s winter and it’s cold in both Russia and America. It is of no benefit to share a bed with either one of their leaders.
http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/
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"Obama, unlike Putin, appears to be ideologically driven."
ReplyDeleteOne difference is that Putin is clever and calculating; he rose through the ranks of the KGB; he has amassed power over the years - and doesn't hesitate to use it (consider the number of journalists who have been killed over the past year or two, or the number of industrial tycoons who are now in prison).
Obama shows no evidence of being clever. He thought he could ram his New Healthcare Deal down our throats - after all, he had the generous support of Pelosi and Reid, the gentle persuasion of Rahm Emanuel, the throngs of network-collected admirers - how could he lose?
Extreme ideology (as in North Korea, or perhaps Iran) keeps the People (the proletariat) happy and contented only if they think that this is the best of all possible worlds (as in North Korea). It may even be working a little in Russia (though Muscovites no longer have to go to the train station to have open discussions), but it's definitely not working here (regardless of what the NYT prints). For us, that would be a huge step backwards - back past the 19th century, back even past 1775 - back to Europe and the Huguenot days.
But they're still going to keep trying, and it's up to us to keep fighting back.
(Sinclair Lewis' "It Can't Happen Here" is one grim look at how it just might.)
ZZ - Thanks for the tip. Always looking for a good read.
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