tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640470443420164863.post5925936883855687610..comments2024-03-26T10:26:51.288-04:00Comments on Jim Leff's Slog: The Election Is Now a Historical Turning PointJim Leffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00007232702717055047noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640470443420164863.post-39988171547931181992016-10-10T14:53:58.715-04:002016-10-10T14:53:58.715-04:00vhliv,
Adding Marshall to my feed, thanks.
The a...vhliv,<br /><br />Adding Marshall to my feed, thanks.<br /><br />The article did note (lower down) that this is not some coupe of brilliantly orchestrated and indomitable malevolence on Putin's part. He's just getting a lot of bang from some easy bucks (plus free rides from "useful idiots" like Trump). I thought the upshot was balanced: 1. Beware, Putin's trying to extend his manipulation outside his usual zone of influence, and 2. No need to panic about it.<br /><br />Not sure western recognition of Crimean rule is high on Putin's priority list (though you'd know better). Wasn't that whole maneuver designed to shore up his base? Sanctions were factored in from the get-go. Putin's famously limited in his long game, but these things are two-step cause/effect, no?<br /><br />I see the "new cold war" rhetoric as totally understandable. Whether you're slightly more powerful than the competition, or 20,000 times more powerful, any/all malevolent competition feels existential to general public, no? Perhaps more so in the latter case, when there's further to fall (i.e. the rich worry more about theft than the poor). <br /><br />Look how stirred up we are re: terrorists, who've killed fewer Americans, total, since 2000 than have died in traffic accidents in any single month. Agreed that Obama has been a one-man buttress, working against acting from that irrational mainstream fear. OTOH I'm pretty sure that Clinton, with her baked-in mandate to prove she's the tough iron Lady, will be much quicker to bite at bait from Putin and others. I don't think she's ever not pushed to do so.<br />Jim Leffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00007232702717055047noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640470443420164863.post-15108056594472009052016-10-10T14:12:13.517-04:002016-10-10T14:12:13.517-04:00Thanks Jim. If I may Josh Marshall at Talking Poi...Thanks Jim. If I may Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo is for my money one of the most insightful commentators. Glad you pointed out the significance of the now official accusation of Russia interfering in our election. I would say, however that as someone professionally involved in Russia watching, it is a bit too alarmist. Fair point about the growing sophistication of the Russia intelligence agencies in recognizing the value of attacking the DNC, but the notion that Russia is masterfully manipulating European opinion is hogwash. One of the most striking things is actually how poorly they have done. Russia is no closer to getting the west to recognize its annexation of crimea than it was 2 years ago. The sanctions remain in place and that will obtain for the foreseeable future. The Brexit may have been a victory, but that was as much as anything an own goal for the Conservative Party, which is experiencing many of hte same problems our Republican party is, but handling them less well, even as thie left opposition has proven far less adroit than the Democrats, in part because ultimately even Hillary can pass the buck on supporting the Iraq War., but I digress. The genius of the Obama administration has been to never let Putin find a way to prove he is really to Obama as a second superpower leader. This is why most, if not all the talk suggesting a new Cold WAr is ridiculous, though Putin is pulling all the stops to see if he can trap us into doing that whether it be through meddling in Ukraine, Syria or in the US election process.vhlivhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08014847502010321186noreply@blogger.com