Did anybody else notice when the GOP started becoming Pro-Putin?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

I know that we're all starting to realize that it's not only Trump who appears to be in thrall to Russia/Putin but also several Republican members of Congress but did anybody else start noticing Pro-Putin attitudes start to filter into the GOP over the past few years as well? I remember right-wingers start to develop a bit of a love-fest with Putin when they started comparing him favorably over President Obama in terms of how he conducted foreign policy. I remember some people weirdly obsessing over the idea that Hillary was going to pick a fight with Russia and using that as their justification for voting against her last year. What did everybody else observe over the past few years?

[AlexSFCA]

1. must be 2012

with the passage of magnitsky act. That’s when putin ramped up his propaganda effort that accelerated after citizens united ruling

[SummerSnow]

2. As the saying goes...this isn't your grandfather's GOP

[Bongo Prophet]

37. True, unless your grandfather's GOP was part of the Walker/Prescott Bush Nazi supporters

that "allegedly" tried to assassinate FDR. The part of GOP that was less toxic NE moneyed class was less noxious than the Strom Thurmond dixiecrats. History wiggles through time like a meandering river. So it goes.

[KT2000]

3. I didn't pick up on it

until tRump.

[Eliot Rosewater]

4. Two years ago for me.

It was clear , crystal, that the party as a whole was willing to accept Putin if it meant defeating Obama or Hillary or whoever.

[delisen]

25. Good for you . I only noticed when Trump the Candidate

professed his admiration.

the intersection of faux christianity, whiteness,misogyny,and big money--in retrospect I could see the path but I did not predict it.

I remember when Putin showed up and professed his Christianity, after G W weaseled into the White House and weaseled us into war.

[Iahotdog]

5. When the russian money started flowing in I'm guessing

[Irish_Dem]

9. Bingo. When the money and help rigging elections arrived. nt

[Iahotdog]

20. Wow!!! I had no idea about that roy moore russian video!

I wonder how many other republican congress members speak fluent Russian!!

[Irish_Dem]

34. I know, raises questions doesn't it? Is he another Russian asset?

Putin has been busy cultivating and recruiting American politicians.

[Kirk Lover]

6. It was obvious at the Republicon Convention. n/t

[OnDoutside]

17. Or just before it...there was a point where the RNC were completely

Anti Trump, and suddenly did a 180. Priebus will have questions to answer.

[librechik]

7. I did notice Roy Moore speaking fluent Russian for the microphone

http://www.wusa9.com/news/local/verify/is-video-showing-roy-moore-speaking-russian-praising-vladimir-putin-real/498730684

RW Townhall says it's fake. It is not fake.

[OnDoutside]

16. I'm surprised that didn't get more attention.

[delisen]

26. I figured he studied Russian at West Point during the Cold War. didn't figure

that once the Russians gave up "godless communism" there would be so manifold warriors eager to make nice.

[kairos12]

8. The Rethugs are despicable traitors. Putin boot lickers all.

[Joe941]

10. When obama told romney Russia wasn't america's greatest threat.

Repukes immediately started rooting for Putin.

[TheBlackAdder]

11. Well, Sarah Palin was flapping her gums about how Putin was going to make Obama his b***h.

.

Now, it looks like he made Trump his.

November 17th, 2015... Palin then began to praise Putin for defending his country against ISIS.

.

[SixString]

12. GW Bush 2001

"I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy. We had a very good dialogue. I was able to get a sense of his soul; a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country."

[Proud Liberal Dem]

13. Oh yeah

forgot about that one.

[RandomAccess]

36. There are a LOT of connections --

EVANGELICALS:
The emerging alliance between Putin and Trump’s God squad; The unlikely partnership is years in the making.
https://thinkprogress.org/religious-right-russia-3e80e2ea2e4a/

Reverence for Putin on the Right Buys Trump Cover
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/us/politics/putin-trump-conservatives.html?_r=0
The veneration of Mr. Putin helps explain why revelations about Russia’s involvement in the election — including recent reports that members of Mr. Trump’s inner circle set up a meeting at which they expected a representative of the Russian government to give them incriminating information about Hillary Clinton — and Mr. Trump’s reluctance to acknowledge it, have barely penetrated the consciousness of the president’s conservative base.

Guns and religion: How American conservatives grew closer to Putin’s Russia
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-the-republican-right-found-allies-in-russia/2017/04/30/e2d83ff6-29d3-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html
Growing up in the 1980s, Brian Brown was taught to think of the communist Soviet Union as a dark and evil place.
But Brown, a leading opponent of same-sex marriage, said that in the past few years he has started meeting Russians at conferences on family issues and finding many kindred spirits.
Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, has visited Moscow four times in four years, including a 2013 trip during which he testified before the Duma as Russia adopted a series of anti-gay laws.
“What I realized was that there was a great change happening in the former Soviet Union,” he said. “There was a real push to re-instill Christian values in the public square.”

How Russia Became the Leader of the Global Christian Right
While the U.S. passed gay-rights laws, Moscow moved hard the other way.
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/02/how-russia-became-a-leader-of-the-worldwide-christian-right-214755

RACHEL MADDOW: Russia makes inroads with American right via guns, religion DURATION 6:10
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/russia-makes-inroads-with-american-right-via-guns-religion-986677827557
Richard Engel, NBC News chief foreign correspondent, and NBC's Kelly Cobiella look at how members of the American political right are building an appreciation for Vladimir Putin through guns and Evangelical Christianity.


CAMPAIGN MONEY:
GOP campaigns took $7.35 million from oligarch linked to Russia
Dallas Morning News
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2017/08/03/tangled-web-connects-russian-oligarch-money-gop-campaigns

Russian influence over GOP goes back as far as Tom Delay and Jack Abramoff
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029420281

Over 400 Trump Docs Leaked: Russian Money Tied to McConnell, Cruz, Rubio, McCain, and RNC
http://www.bluedotdaily.com/over-400-trump-docs-leaked-russian-money-tied-to-mcconnell-cruz-rubio-mccain-and-rnc/

McConnell linked super PAC took $2.5 million from a pro-Putin Ukrainian businessman

Link to tweet

(THREAD) 1. Why Mitch McConnell is sabotaging Russia investigation–dark money trail leads right to him–Blavatnik, is pals with Putin crony Vekselberg

Link to tweet

https://goo.gl/2PWGDD

McConnell, Ryan, Gov. Walker up to their eyeballs in Russian money https://www.democraticunderground.com/10028981065
Adam Khan has been busy in the past few hours with info about McConnell's SuperPAC funded by Russian money, primarily Blavatnik.
Keep reading through the feed to another didturbing news story about Chao/McConnell family shipping business. Unbelievable how news gets buried.
The Repugs are SO FAR deep into Russian money. Good ole dark money coming to light!
March in June being organized regarding corruption and demand for Trump/Russia investigations.


I'll stop there -- I actually have more.

[Bongo Prophet]

38. Exactly that. It did raise my suspicions...

especially considering how much I trusted dry-drunk conman GWB to have an an accurate read of another, smarter, conman oligarch.

It's interesting how many people who still think of Russia as communist, though. "Why do these cold warriors embrace commies?" I hear too often. but seriously, i tell them, "these are not communists anymore, but rather fascist money grabbers, who will don any sort of ideological garb that enables them to collect more, more, more." Nihilists! Lol, sad.

[rogue emissary]

14. Noticed around Obama's second term.

After reading stories about how they would use racist caricatures to insult Obama. I thought even the GOP would stand up for the president of the USA.

When the stories about the LGBT community were being attacked in Russia and they were enacting anti-gay laws. During that same period, LGBT people could serve openly in the military and the eventual passing of gay marriage in the US. It became clear to me that Putin and the GOP shared common enemies.

That Roy Moore interview, where he came out in support of Russia anti-LGBT propaganda and then spoke Russian didn't surprise me in the least.

[blm]

15. It began when Putin targeted gays. He let street thugs beat them without

having to face any charges. He made sure western media covered that news.

The Republicans fighting against equality here ate it up with a spoon.

[XRubicon]

32. This is funny

Not questioning what you posted but the first russian crap memes I remember seeing on the internets was putin riding a horse without a shirt on...

[blm]

41. Yep - when Putin's cynical use of gaybashing turned him into a hero for RW Repubs

they all started worshipping his 'manliness'.

[safeinOhio]

18. We can now call DC

Moscow on the Potomac.

[peggysue2]

19. It was while President Obama was in office

I specifically recall thinking: what's all the Putin-love about? Initially, I believed it was merely a way to dig at the President: Putin = strong, Obama = weak. That didn't make much sense, of course, because an autocrat is always the strongman. Otherwise, he wouldn't survive. And so you have all these pictures of a bare-chested Putin riding a horse, chopping wood, etc. Stongman = endurance, vitality and power over your life. And death. Bears no comparison to a leader of a free society, a Democratic Republic.

But recently, I've wondered if the strange Puty-love was tied to something else--money and/or favors or who knows what? It never made any sense that the Party of Reagan would turn on a dime and embrace a former KGB officer. In fact, I suspect old Ronnie has flipped in his grave several times.

During this same period, we had revelations on the NSA, serious questions about our intelligence community's credibility, Wikileaks and Snowden etc. Was that timing coincidental? Or were the doubts about our own system and the era of Puty admiration more than random in nature? That's not to say that all doubts or disappointments were baseless. But we now know the power of social media, the way it can capitalize on vulnerabilities, steer discussions, amplify emotional reactions and actually effect the way people perceive issues. And then, act accordingly.

I've frequently read that the Russians are experts at playing the long game.

Pretty chilling when you think about it.

[NewsCenter28]

21. And to be more precise and crystal clear

I was over at freeperville during the Syrian Crisis in August/September 2013, and that is when the hero worship of Putin began. Remember when President Obama wanted to stop the slaughter after the chemical weapons attack but he wasn't allowed to by the Reich Wing? I remember being appalled and stunned at their hero worship of Putin even then, and more than a little scared.

[Blue_Tires]

22. Yes... Yes I did...

[Sneederbunk]

23. While I understand Trump may be owned by the Russian mafia,

I don't get GOP Russia admiration before Trump.

[delisen]

28. Capitalism always seeking new markets. I had no idea there were so many

Republican business interests in Russia-even Huntsman.

[GoCubsGo]

24. A long time ago. n/t

[Hoyt]

27. Recently, when Trump vowed to deport millions of immigrants and white wing bigots found out Russia

was helping him.

[catbyte]

29. I noticed the shift in 2008 after Obama was elected. They panicked, saw their bleak future

as demographics start to overtake them so they've embraced Soviet-style authoritarianism over multi-racial democracy. They know they're dead meat unless they are able to gerrymander their districts to dilute Democratic influence. It really took off in 2011 after the Republicans took over so many statehouses--then they really got started with the voter suppression and gerrymandering. They hate Democracy now because they know they will soon be irrelevant.

[Initech]

30. I noticed it during Glenn Beck's reign of terror.

When the Koch Bros first started getting noticed for their shady after hours activities financing these horrid monsters. When Putin first appeared on the scene and he started mirroring things that the end times wing of the GOP was saying I knew we were headed for trouble. I just didn't know when.

[Yavin4]

31. If the Republicans love money sooo much....

We should do one huge fundraiser and ask them to go away entirely.

[FM123]

33. 2011 when NRA president Keene was introduced to Russian senator Torshin

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/10/3/1703716/-The-NRA-Has-Been-Cozying-Up-To-Putin-s-Allies-For-Years

[McCamy Taylor]

35. Yeah, during the Clinton administration, when Russia tried to protect war criminal slavs

who were committing genocide in the Balkans by courting Republicans and encouraging them to object to the humanitarian US intervention.

The GOP has been in Russia's pocket for decades---and there are a lot of reasons why Putin hates the Clintons. And Russians pretending to be Americans have been posting on message boards like these for a long, long time. It is just that in recent years they have gotten better at it. In the 1990s you could spot them a mile away. Now, you have to read a few of their posts to get the picture.

[spanone]

39. Richard Painter today, why is congress so interested in protecting trump from russia investigation?

damn good question

[Xolodno]

40. GWB

"I looked into Putin's eyes...."

[hunter]

42. I think it's all about bad money and arctic resources (especially oil and gas) as the earth warms.

Many uber-wealthy Russians and U.S. Americans have invested their fortunes in tax havens that are essentially Ponzi schemes. (Bitcoin is a minor one.) To those invested in these schemes (and the money laundering machinery behind them) these economic charades must be protected at all costs. This explains Trump's Russian connections. Trump is not uber-wealthy himself but he is an agent of the money laundering machinery.

Secondly, if you look at a map of the arctic, Northern European Democracies and Canada occupy about half, Russia and the U.S.A. the other half.

The true first world nations will share the wealth created by arctic resource development with their people. The U.S.A. and Russian oligarchs will develop these resources only to enrich themselves.