The ascending demagogues

[ApatheticAustrian]

as long as they have common enemies they stick together.

i suspect this is long-term moscow-planning but erdogan and putin found common ground again very fast after the russian aircraft was downed.

i guess, if germany and the broader, liberal EU are crushed too, on an ideological level, they are going to form new alliances....i wonder how china is going to be a part of this picture.

[ApatheticAustrian]

somehow the republican talking point is something like...

- OBAMA WAS A WEAK, APOLOGIZING DICTATOR

which means....

- NOW WE CAN INSTALL OUR OWN AUTHORITARIAN TOO

sounds somehow...not very convincing.

[ApatheticAustrian]

besides the fact that the vote counting is quite.... "original" ...especially in the russian hinterlands....anti-establishment candidates are most of the time not even on the ballot, the vote threshold is ridiculous and the only parties who are usually able to enter the parliament are part of the system (united russia/ a just russia/ liberal democrats) or the classical communists, who cooperate with the new national-conservatism on a couple of projects.

and ofc most russians...even those who don't like putin very much....think that the opposition is even worse.