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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Tue Jul 26, 2016, 02:09 PM Jul 2016

Cotton wants Trump to change his mind about Putin

By Steve Benen

Among most congressional Republicans, Vladimir Putin is not a popular figure. The GOP’s foreign policy has been largely defined by skepticism of Russia – even after the Cold War ended – and the country’s authoritarian president has only heightened the party’s attitudes.

And so it must come as something of a shock to Republicans to see their party’s presidential nominee not only speak highly of Putin, and not only cozy up to Putin, but even surround himself with pro-Putin advisers. By most measures, Donald Trump is running as the most pro-Russia U.S. presidential candidate in generations.

That leaves some in the GOP in an exceedingly awkward position. How does a senator like Tom Cotton (R) of Arkansas reconcile his support for Trump’s candidacy with the senator’s antipathy towards Russia’s autocratic leader? CNBC’s John Harwood asked him about this the other day.

HARWOOD: One of the questions that has been raised about Donald Trump is, “Is he more friendly with Russia than it is in America’s best interests to be?”

COTTON: Vladimir Putin was a KGB spy and he never got over that. He does not have America’s best interests at heart and he does not have any American interests at heart. I suspect, after this week, when Donald Trump is the nominee and he begins to receive classified briefings, similar briefings to what I receive as a member of the Intelligence Committee, he may have a different perspective on Vladimir Putin and what Russia is doing to America’s interests and allies in Europe and the Middle East and Asia.


Oh. So according to the Arkansas senator, Trump is only pro-Putin because Trump doesn’t know what he’s talking about. How reassuring.

-snip-

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/cotton-wants-trump-change-his-mind-about-putin?cid=eml_mra_20160726
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liberal N proud

(60,334 posts)
1. I am guessing that Trump is owned by Putin or at lest the Russian oligarchs
Tue Jul 26, 2016, 02:11 PM
Jul 2016

And it would be very difficult for him to get out of the little bromance

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
2. Well, Putin would understand if Trump needed to
Tue Jul 26, 2016, 02:15 PM
Jul 2016

denounce him if that were the case. Need not affect any relationship.

But I think it's way too late to just "change his mind" about Putin. Trump apparently has a number of people around him who've also been closely involved with Russians suspiciously close to Putin's circles, in legitimate business and who knows what else, including at least one of his sons. Russia has been the Christian right's version of "the Great Satan" for a very long time.

 

Sheepshank

(12,504 posts)
6. Several GOP'ers gave Putin public adoration
Tue Jul 26, 2016, 02:35 PM
Jul 2016

and it trickled down to constituency. How strong and masterful he was, how much control he had over the party and the Country, looking at that bare chested horseback rider, I think they confused him with the Marlboro man...but I digress.

Trump was doing more or less what he does. And that is to play to his own pocket book and iterate what the party had already been promoting.

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