Putin and the Weaknesses of the West

[ProfessorPlum]

KGB Grandmaster Putin surveyed the landscape and his political rivals for geopolitical power. His gaze came to rest on Russia's old rival, the United Kingdom.

An old democracy with a still semi-functioning safety net and a cushy sinecure within the EU, the UK was fairly secure and prospering.
He contemplated their weaknesses and came up with: xenophobia, an old feeling that the UK was not part of "Europe", and racism.

Pressing his dirty thumb on that weakness, and releasing his various Russian and Balkan online trolls and trouble-makers, he helped to engineer Brexit. The UK is now on the brink of an enormous economic disaster of its own making, because a hard core minority of its people believe that Brexit will begin manufacturing unicorns for them, just as soon as they kick out the foreigners.

His eye then fell upon the USA. And he perceived racism, xenophobia, and the electoral college as our greatest weaknesses.

Pressing his dirty thumb on those weaknesses, he elevated a stupid but fascistic imbecile who was completely in his pocket to take over the most racist group in the US, the GOP. And then he and his Russian and Balkan online monkeys began working on the demographics of the electoral college. The USA is now on the brink of an enormous economic disaster of its own making, because a hard core minority of its people believe that "the wall" will begin manufacturing unicorns for them, just as soon as we kick out the foreigners.


I am embarrassed that the USA and the UK have been so comparatively easy to (nearly) topple. With nary a shot fired. But I have to say that Putin perceived our weaknesses quite perceptively.

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. And we have been that easy to topple. Racism is all it took.

NOBODY is confused that rump works for the russians and yet 35% still support him doing that.

McConnell is personally owned by Putin, obviously, and is therefore incapable of doing the right thing.

If he isnt, and he is doing all this anyway? then he will burn in hell forever, if there was a hell. Think about it, if he is doing all this and isnt being blackmailed...wow

[AJT]

2. Very concise and well written.

[BigmanPigman]

3. They have been setting this up for 20 years.

They planned for the future. For a country who has the same economy as Italy they sure do know how to put their money to good use. Cyber warfare (hacking, bots, troll farms, etc). was cheap and easy. They cultivated the moron in hopes of some day being able to "use" him for something. They are decades ahead of us in this area and we'd better catch up fast.

[ProfessorPlum]

4. it's amazing to think that they finally came up with a use for this imbecile

after decades of just using him to launder money.

[BigmanPigman]

6. Malcolm Nance said that the Russians do this all the time.

They try to get dirt on everyone in case they can use it someday. Malcolm said they throw spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks. The moron stuck to the wall and then we got stuck with him as the fake POTUS.

[ProfessorPlum]

7. So he's the stickiest thing that got thrown. Makes sense

[bluestarone]

5. My thoughts as well!

May be too late. I'm afraid the senate is owned by Russia

[anarch]

8. it is impressive, in its sinister way

Much like you have to admit the Wehrmacht were an impressively formidable military force, or that the 9/11 attacks were pretty well organized and effective, you have to hand it to the old spymaster.

While the U.S. spent untold trillions building up conventional military forces, Russia developed top-notch capabilities in cyber-espionage and social engineering. The war is over, and we lost.

I don't really know what's next, but there's no undoing the damage that's been done to our country.