Trump adviser’s public comments, ties to Moscow stir unease in both parties

[Skidmore]

http://linkis.com/washingtonpost.com/a1HfZ

In early June, a little-known adviser to Donald Trump stunned a gathering of high-powered Washington foreign policy experts meeting with the visiting prime minister of India, going off topic with effusive praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump.

The adviser, Carter Page, hailed Putin as stronger and more reliable than President Obama, according to three people who were present at the closed-door meeting at Blair House — and then touted the positive effect a Trump presidency would have on U.S.-Russia relations.

A month later, Page dumbfounded foreign policy experts again by giving another speech harshly critical of U.S. policy — this time in Moscow.

The United States and other Western nations have “criticized these regions for continuing methods which were prevalent during the Cold War period,” Page said in a lecture at the New Economic School commencement. “Yet ironically, Washington and other Western capitals have impeded potential progress through their often hypocritical focus on ideas such as democratization, inequality, corruption and regime change.”...more

[vlyons]

1. Never thought I would say this . . .

America, love it or leave it

[duncang]

2. Seems like dipshit donnie does vet his campaign people

His questionnaire for vetting probably has 1 question.

1. Which country is better. The U.S.A. or Russia.

If you pick U.S.A. they escort you out the door.


page seems to have the same admiration for dictators as dipshit donnie does. Don't worry if they kill people who disagree, don't worry if they are corrupt, just look the other way.

[MBS]

3. "unease" understates my own feelings.

I have never seen a phenomenon like this in a major-party nominee and his staff. The links of so many in the Trump campaign, including Trump himself, to Putin (autocrat, international bully,and abettor of right-wing white nationalists everywhere) and their open admiration for Putin, is astonishing and scary.

If anything, this article somewhat understates the problem. There are so many people in Trump's campaign with weird ties to Putin that it's getting hard to keep track. Besides Page and Manafort, the article doesn't even mention Trump's close foreign policy advisor, retired lieutenant general Michael Flynn, maybe the creepiest one of the lot, whose recent behavior seems to me increasingly unhinged and borderline treasonous.
And this guy is getting security briefings with Trump. :
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/08/15/trump-adviser-michael-t-flynn-on-his-dinner-with-putin-and-why-russia-today-is-just-like-cnn/

[woodsprite]

5. Trump, Putin -- Birds of a feather....

Ironically autocorrect tried to make me say "Birds of a fester". Autocorrect may be a Dem!

[beachbum bob]

4. another point hillary can hammer from now to the election...a vote for trump is a vote for Putin

[Hortensis]

6. Under Putin, Russia is taking a strong fascist turn.

Putin is a charismatic hyper-masculine strongman with personality-cult status in Russia. This is the model of a fascist leader.

Trump imagines himself as another Putin, surrounding himself with people like Carter Page and Gen. Flynn -- but, as leader of the U.S., stronger of course.

"I have no relationship with him other than he called me a genius. He said Donald trump is a genius and he is going to be the leader of the party and he's going to be the leader of the world or something," Trump said, embellishing Putin's praise.

Trump's not going to turn America fascist. I don't think he knows what the word is, actually. He's an idiot and he's going to lose, and with him will go the chance of fascistic supporters to name Supreme Court justices who would support further moves toward an American christo-fascism.

What concerns everyone is that Trump's personality cultists really would elect him if they could, with the help of the relatively decent "other half" Hillary speaks of, who think "fascism" is a dirty word but have at least some weakness for authoritarian leaders. And fascism, religious fascism, business fascism, nationalist fascism, anti-democratic fascism are in the air.