LOL: Boston Globe editorial on Russian "rigged" political system

[tom_paine]

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2003/12/09/putins_puppet_democracy/

THE RUSSIAN people will not be getting the government they deserve from Sunday's parliamentary elections. President Vladimir Putin and his ruling clique, having controlled media coverage and manipulated the electoral process, brought forth nationalist, authoritarian forces no genuine democracy deserves. There are many reasons to be dismayed by both the conduct of the election campaign and the outcome. The election monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which in the past has tended to soft-pedal criticism of Russian elections, this time lamented "regression in the democratization of this country."

Echoing the complaints of Russian liberals, the OSCE chastized the Kremlin for using "administrative resources" to bolster United Russia, the party created and sustained by the Kremlin as a parliamentary rubber stamp for Putin's politics. The OSCE monitors also found "a clear bias in the state-owned media in support of United Russia and other pro-presidential parties" as well as "a selective application of registration criteria" to exclude from the ballot candidates who displeased or frightened what Russians call the party of power.

There are various descriptions for Russia's rigged political system. The kindest of these rubrics may be managed democracy. To Russian liberals, this term is little more than a euphemism for sham democracy. Semi-authoritarianism is another label given to Putin's system, in which the state owns or controls all national television stations and uses this egregious media power to denigrate opposition parties and elevate allies.

What happened Sunday looks more like the consequence of mismanaged democracy. In the campaign for the lower house of Parliament, the Duma, the Kremlin overdid things. Putin's lieutenants, wanting to reduce the clout of the Communist Party, which received nearly a quarter of the votes in the 1999 elections, did so by building up two nationalist parties: the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia headed by the illiberal racist Vladimir Zhirinovsky and the Homeland Party led by another demagogue, Dimitry Rogozin.

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http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2003/12/09/putins_puppet_democracy/
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And they say irony is dead! Tell us more about what's wrong with "Russia", oh wise and magnanimous Media Whores of the Boston Globe.

Please. Whatever else is wrong with Russia, and certainly you would expect OTHER TYRANTS to emulate the Bushevik seizure of Imperial Amerika. They have got to be looking at us and saying, "Just why the hell did we disband the Secret Police and try to set up Fair Elections when Amerika is shwoing that the LIKE Secret Police and Rigged Elections."

They have got to be scratching their heads and saying, "Just why did we ever listen to these jerks, anyway? Did we really think for a MINUTE that they gave a shit about their Serfs?"

And the smarter among them, like Putin, have got to be studying Imperial Amerika to try and duplicate the effort that convinces their own populations that they are free, with a free and counted vote, when they have nothing of the sort.

Don't blame Putin, he's just following the example of the Bushes.

[cprise]

1. I thought "state-owned media" was history in Russia

Anyone care to explain?

[Wetzelbill]

2. Why does that sound kinda like the U.S. right now?

[tom_paine]

3. Some answers...

President Vladimir Putin and his ruling clique, having controlled media coverage and manipulated the electoral process, brought forth nationalist, authoritarian forces no genuine democracy deserves. There are many reasons to be dismayed by both the conduct of the election campaign and the outcome. The election monitoring mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which in the past has tended to soft-pedal criticism of Russian elections, this time lamented "regression in the democratization of this country."

Insert "Bush" for "Putin": and you have an accurate indictment of Imperial Amerika. If WE HAD International Observers, undoubtedly they would say the same things about the 2000 and 2002 "elections" replete with Brownshirt mobs, disenfranchisement for undesirable minorities, and the timely and "conevnient" disappearence in 2002 of exit polling, now replaced with "state-controlled" exit polling, as believable as Soviet polls.

Echoing the complaints of Russian liberals, the OSCE chastized the Kremlin for using "administrative resources" to bolster United Russia, the party created and sustained by the Kremlin as a parliamentary rubber stamp for Putin's politics. The OSCE monitors also found "a clear bias in the state-owned media in support of United Russia and other pro-presidential parties"...

Yeah, liberals everywhere make those complaints when confrotned with ruthless Totalitarians like the Busheviks, and very neatly describes the current state of Party-Loyal Right-Wing Sub-Media (in essence, state-owned as the Imperial Family IS the State) and Corporate TV Pravda (controlled by the Party-Loyal Right-Wing Sub-Media).

There are various descriptions for Russia's rigged political system. The kindest of these rubrics may be managed democracy. To Russian liberals, this term is little more than a euphemism for sham democracy. Semi-authoritarianism is another label given to Putin's system, in which the state owns or controls all national television stations and uses this egregious media power to denigrate opposition parties and elevate allies.

Switch "Bush" for "Putin" and tell me that doesn' ring a chord for the condition of Imperial Amerika.

[Wetzelbill]

4. Exactly! BTW, Busheviks...good term

[tom_paine]

5. Maybe irony IS dead...

:kick: