It Was a Nail-Biter, but Russian Democracy Prevailed
The moral and intellectual stagnation is written in stone for another 6 years and looks bleak.
People all over the world sat on the edge of their chairs. Butterflies churned about in bellies from as far off as Bali to New York to the smallest villages of in-the-middle-of-nowhere Russia. The question on the lips of millions was, would “Russian democracy” prevail?
A former colleague in Russia, whom I once held in high regard, told me, “This is a truly historic moment for Russia and the world. Finally, a genuine and true multipolar world has taken shape thanks to Vladimir Vladimirovich — this woman is in her late 30s, and I used to respect her mind.” She was indeed correct. It is a historic moment, and one that history will look back upon with the same fascination it does at Nazi Germany. The question for historians then and now and in the future will be, how and why did an entire nation of people succumb to the obvious transparent propaganda and hate of such a clearly sick, evil, and cowardly little man?
Spoiler alert: Russia-style democracy has succeeded, and Putin allegedly won 87.8 percent of the vote. The Kremlin wanted 90 percent, so by missing that magical number, Russia’s reinvigorated opposition was victorious for at least the next week. The thing is, though, even without the brave protests of primarily women in Russia, Putin would have legitimately received 70 percent of the vote. I mean to say, if the weaker version of Western-style democracy had prevailed and Russians voted freely and without fear of being detained, then Putin would have received an overwhelming majority of the vote.
The majority of Russians are okay with the status quo. They live in a country completely free from the burdens of truth. Conscience, a weight that falls upon the shoulders and souls of brave and moral people, is persona nongratis in Russia. My former colleague snarkily wrote to me when I shared information about the 20 killed during the missile attack on Ukrainians in Odesa: “This is life. Now those people are free to ‘live’ as they wish.” An hour later, after our heated discussion, she posted photos of sitting happily in a bar in St. Petersburg, drinking a fancy cocktail — this is how they do it — blissful, morality-less ignorance.
Russian democracy has succeeded, and Putin, though, the cowardly spy bureaucrat from Leningrad, is not happy. When you are sick with paranoia, 87.7 percent of the vote is like 10 percent. Putin now will make the 13 percent against him pay for their rejection of responsibility. Putin knows Russia is f***** for generations thanks to his historical mistake, and he wants all of them to bear the blame.
Sadly, though, Russia never admits to fault for anything, and this, too, will end. People like my former colleague will then tell tales of how they resisted until the rise of the next Putin.
What a bunch of sad losers, Putinists — and MAGidiots — really are.