I never thought of it that way thanks for posting

that could be true, now that they kissing the ring of Putin they are all in.

Well put.

Granted, Republicans are all about the money. However, I think patriarchy piece is part of it, too.

We were in Europe this summer, Scandinavia and St. Petersburg. We saw one (1) black person who was not a tourist, in St. Petersburg. One.

Last edited Tue Jan 28, 2020, 06:11 PM - Edit history (2)

They look at it and see a super-white country. With nukes, and a pugnacious, bullying attitude... so to our Republicans it's "STRONG" in all the ways they define "strong." Trump's 4th favorite word after I, Me, and Trump.

And if you think America is racist -- which of course it is, racism's pretty universal -- Russia is even worse. More people even disguise it less there -- tho of course they hypocritically condemn America for the same thing.

Putin also comes down HARD on Islamists. Repubs dream about being able to do that.

As for border security, it isn't an issue there because nobody's clamoring to immigrate INto Russia, but rest assured Russia is serious about protecting... and expanding... its borders. (Trump saw Crimea and E. Ukraine and desperately wanted to do that himself... see "Greenland." )

And yes there's no risk of women becoming powerful in Russia. Putin had Pussy Riot beaten -- publicly and humiliatingly WHIPPED -- by Cossack thugs, and the young mothers in Pussy Riot separated from their children and thrown into icy Siberian prisons 1000s of miles away. America's Party of White Male Power sees that kind of stomping on uppity, progressive women and LOVES it. Russia's autocrat is a posturing, macho, womanizing, short-man-syndrome misogynist who can and does simply quash anybody who dares question him. And like a number of American pols we could name, he takes special relish in crushing women.

As for the press, Putin simply kills reporters who piss him off... yet another fantasy of America's far right.

So OF COURSE 21st Century Republicans love Russia.

They passionately want America to BE a lot more like Russia.

...as an explanation for Republicans' Russia Love, too.

That explains most of why the 1% adore and envy Russia, and want America to BE Russia. In a word, boundless greed.

What I described explains why the voters they need and have agitated and suckered into supporting them, also are drawn to Russia.

Putin, I should have mentioned, for political purposes walked away from Soviet era state atheism and has warmly embraced the Russian Orthodox Church as a partner in and beneficiary of his autocracy. Every bit as disingenuously and cynically as many in the Republican elite here have done with Evangelical Christianity.

Those fuckers don't care about anything except oligarch protection and promotion and stealing our money for themselves & their oligarch friends. Russia said we'll fund FB ads, twitter bots, your campaigns, you personally and ensure your winning as long as you only vote for the benefit of rw oligarchs worldwide, no matter what the topic. Then Russia hacked their server so now are threatening them with personal dirt as well - using the carrot and stick routine.

I guess Citizens United wasn't good enough, they need that dark money too.

Zuran Orb, from Magic the Gathering:

.

There was something else that changed the dynamic, whether honey pots, money, strong-arming kompromat.

.

Money, the apple.

his FOURTH bankruptcy. He's a terrible businessman and now he owes them bigly.

I wouldn't want my nickname to be "Deep Throat", however.

It’s not exactly the most diverse or tolerant of countries. Might explain why David Duke lived in an apartment in Moscow for a while.

It's because trump loves Putin and Russia

Long time lurker( and old poster under Keepthemhonest from the Bush years) had to find my password and login to disagree.

I think that it's that Russians are white people and now that whites( which I am) are not going to be holding the majority and the republicans can no longer get elected without gerrymandering or cheating, they are resorting to whatever they can do to hold power.

So to me it's White power and Hold the power by any means necessary. Russians are white and helping them remain in power.

Putin is an iron fisted bully who kills people who disagree with him. It is how he handles dissidents that is most attractive to the far right. They are on the losing side of a cultural war here in America and are attracted to any regime that shows them how to deal with it.

exactly right anything to keep Non whites from getting power. This is going to be bad.
Hopefully the blue wave Tsunami will wipe them the rest of the way out. I live in the Newt Gingrich's old Gerrymandered district the 6th of Georgia and we managed to turn that blue with the blue wave!! We can do this if we get people out to vote in huge numbers. Yes they are still going to cheat and steal some seats just like last time but mostly we can overtake them.

... a party, truly done not just half way no one likes them shit.

I think they love Americans on their anti-depressants and looking at puppy pictures on the internet and not worried about politics. This November election is our last hope as I see it to save our Democracy.

Once the uppity women, people of color, and gays started demanding equality and equity in the system, and we had the numbers to vote for those things, then everything changed. When we voted a black man to the WH, they lost their minds and pulled out all the stops, from election fraud, to openly showing their bigotry and hate in public, to doubling down on the most corrupt and incompetent man to ever hold the office of president. I'm embarrassed and ashamed of everyone I know who still identifies as republican and I'm sorry to say, that's a fair number of people.

exactly my thoughts CrispyQ and it drives me insane when they act like he got in there with out a ton of help! Some of these reps and senators that are super unpopular like McConnell it makes me think that their States are cheating too. I live in Georgia and I DO NOT trust these voting systems. Kent placed himself into office and then deleted everything off the machines so no one could go back and double check anything.

I hope though with these giant blue waves we come out again in such big numbers it makes it really hard or better yet impossible to cheat.

I think Nelson and Gillum won in Florida, I think Stacy Abrams won in Georgia and we should have our first black Governor here and I think it's very likely that O' Rourke won in Texas, I mean how the hell can a guy help a ton of other little districts bring out a ton of voters but not when, by Republicans stealing the election and electronic voting systems that's how.

That's my rant.

skeptical of Kemp and whatever he buys.

... racist.

you're right definitely both greed and racism at play here

The Repub Party has been drifting authoritarian for years upon years. Hell, Lincoln warned us about big corporations.

The Bushes weren't the only ones cozying up to Hitler in the 30's. They admired him for "getting things done." Mussolini was praised for "making the trains run on time" although actual historical evidence has mixed reviews on that.

Reagan was openly admired for his "Imperial Presidency" largely because he dressed up the White House security staff in falshy new uniforms. Bush Jr was the "decider."

Trump has just let them be more open about it, and loving dictators around the world is just one manifestation of it.

they began to favor putin/russia over dems/usa

that got real as manafort became mcccain's campaign cochair and it looks like manafort was working for the olis then and they got limbaugh to withhold support for mccain until within minutes of his announcing his choice of palin, on the eve of the GOP convention. limbauhg used the announcement of palin to announce he could finally support mccain.

palin was being wooed by russian oil and gas interests. a convention without limbaugh's endorsement would have bene a disaster for mccain

later we discovered re mueller that manafort's job description was getting politicians elected for putin in foreign countries

Dipshit Rick Perry involved in Ukraine.

Why didn’t I think of that?

has been that the Republiicans want to grow up to be corrupt oligarchs like the ones who run Russia.

More seriously, yeah, spot on.

Well said. And illustrated.

yes!

greed for money and power; Kompromat; winning at all costs; anger; hatred; racism; sexism; fear (of those "other" people, as in immigration) and change generally. Then there is the "I'm right and you're evil." doctrine straight out the evangelical playbook. NOT last but not included so far is homophobia (homosexuality is illegal and "banned" in Russia as if that were enforceable).

Keep 'em coming, folks; you're on a roll.

Putin knows how to privatize "big gubment" and make himself filthy rich doing it so Republicans are naturally interested in his expert advice.

The party establishment... that's a whole other ball of wax. See: NRA/Campaign donations/Honey pot Russian/etc.