General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI've never heard the reason why Jill Stein was at the RT dinner that Flynn attended.
She stands out and I've not been able to figure out why she was there and what connection she might have to the Russians and/or Flynn or the Trump group.
Curious, at best.
tenorly
(2,037 posts)Seems like heresy to say so now; but before the Trump escapade, RT had developed a fairly good (not perfect) reputation for supporting left-of-center policies.
This was true not only of its U.S. unit; but of its other overseas offices as well.
Adrahil
(13,340 posts)So naturally they have tried to sway the opinion of segments of the population potentially hostile the U.S. foreign policy.
tenorly
(2,037 posts)But progressives, lest we forget, don't question U.S. foreign policy to benefit Russia or any other foreign country. One does so if and when there's abuse.
Having said that, I agree that it's incumbent on those who have a critical eye of U.S. foreign policy - or indeed on its cheerleaders - to reject being used by anyone. Putin was clearly trying to do just that.
Frustratedlady
(16,254 posts)VOX
(22,976 posts)But it was another Russian Trojan horse, financed by Putin money, designed to break up the U.S. The guy who was overseeing the initiative has since moved back to Russia, now that the heat's on.
Wolves in sheep's clothing!
tenorly
(2,037 posts)To say nothing of international politics!
Probably one of the most studied such designs came from none other than the Nazis, who made half-hearted efforts to support wht they referred to as Volksgruppenrechte - 'Rights of Peoples'.
The lofty-sounding goal made efforts to foment dissent among ethnic groups in the British Empire, many of which were in fact being brutally exploited and oppressed, to divert British attention and resources away from the war.
Some of these ethnic groups were in Britain itself - notably the Irish (both in Ireland and the U.K. itself), who as you may know were being actively courted by the Nazis and were encouraged to rebel against their often abusive landlords, employers, etc.
So yes: even good causes can be co-opted, if those advocating for them are not careful.
Cha
(295,909 posts)applegrove
(118,020 posts)Last edited Thu Apr 27, 2017, 08:48 PM - Edit history (2)
created bubble for her to realize she was used by them. That her main role was to make sure Hillary would not win.
Sculpin Beauregard
(1,046 posts)Last edited Thu Apr 27, 2017, 08:59 PM - Edit history (1)
Got campaign money from him. She's odious.
Frustratedlady
(16,254 posts)I don't know why, but I didn't care for her from the get-go. Therefore, I didn't really follow her. However, every time I see that photo of her sitting at the dinner table, I question her presence. Wasn't she a green candidate? That doesn't seem to fit with Russia.
Sculpin Beauregard
(1,046 posts)TeamPooka
(24,155 posts)brush
(53,471 posts)It's become pretty obvious. The Greens show up every presidential cycle and run agains the Dems but don't say peep about the repug.
Every four years. You'd think by now they'd have local and state candidates all over the country but you never hear anything but "there's no difference between Democrats and repugs.
kentuck
(110,950 posts)Which she did.
Sculpin Beauregard
(1,046 posts)Same shit happening in France.
Gothmog
(143,999 posts)Frustratedlady
(16,254 posts)It's comforting to know my gut reaction to Stein was on target. I've never understood why anyone would vote for these side candidates when they know that would be a wasted vote.
Igel
(35,196 posts)Lots of people are invited to things for all sorts of reasons. Not just because they're supporters. Sometimes they're involved in some group that is involved with the sponsoring group for non-obvious reasons.
I was invited to a reception with Shimon Peres. I was a grad student. I spoke with him, he speaks Polish so he spoke Polish to me. (I understood, but don't speak the language.) Such things have good food and an open bar. Did I mention I was a grad student?
I was invited to a reception with Gore for the same reason, and accepted for the same reason. Declined the chance to have a meeting with Clinton. All because I was in a student government connected with the university that they were visiting. The Clinton meeting had no food and no bar.
Met all sorts of very wealthy Californians at a weekend retreat. I was there to show how money they donated to endowed chairs would benefit grad students. Stables, good free food, nice digs, and if I golfed they'd have paid my greens fees. Poor grad student.
Wound up at UC regents' meetings for various reasons. Some because of student advocacy. Some because of free food.
At the same time, I've been at receptions with politicians in the Czech Republic because of summer school there (did I mention I was once a grad student?). I've known Russian mafia types because I was an interpreter (a poor grad student?) and I knew hard-core Russian Communists because we attended the same language classes. We even stayed in the same dorm. (Worse, I roomed with a West German VW engineer!)
I've stayed in the house of a rather large British importer because my aunt in her job negotiated vendor contracts with him.
I'd hate to run for office, because every one of those things could be misconstrued and would be misconstrued.
Now, all those things were "contacts." My "meeting" with Peres was in public and discussed his childhood in Poland and the Polish studies field at UCLA, for all of 4-5 minutes. I barely got a hello out of Gore. Most others consisted of handshakes or talking about incidentals. All could be blown out of proportion.
It pays to remember this kind of thing when a "meeting" with a Putin official lasted a minute in public with a hundred other people in attendance. It's one with to meet a person, another to meet with a person.
Oh. And I'm getting waiting to get paid by an organization with direct links to Putin, with various Putin cronies on its board. Then again, they're on a hundred boards, and ... did I mention that besides being a physics teacher I've been a translator? I translated a journal article that organization publishes, a journal that dates back to the 1960s. Check my posts and you won't find much pro-Putin sentiment.