This page has been archived and commenting is disabled.

Putin Loses Majority In Russian Elections As Communist Party Soars

Tyler Durden's picture




 

With 70% of the votes counted in Russia's parliamentary elections, something odd is happening: Putin's United Russia party has seen a major drop in popularity from the two thirds constitutional majority it held over the past 4 years, and will likely not even have an absolute majority in parliament, forcing it to form a coalition government with less than 50% of the vote going its way. The vote comes at a sensitive time for Russia which has lately seen verbal escalation with NATO and the west, going so far as to put various radar installations on combat alert, and attempting to expand its zone of influence into Iran. As RIA Novosti reports, "Sunday’s vote was considered an important test for Putin ahead of the presidential election next March and analysts said the reduced support for United Russia increased the likelihood that Putin, who remains the most popular politician in Russia, may not win outright in the first round. "It will depend upon whom other parties nominate and how well they campaign,” political analyst Yevgeny Minchenko said. He added, however, that the mitigated outcome for United Russia would force the party accustomed to passing legislation without regard for support from others to negotiate and cooperate with competing political parties. “By all means, this is good for the development of political culture in Russia,” Minchenko said." One thing is certain" the biggest winners from today's turnout are the former Communsits, the CPRF party, which has about 20% of the vote, or a doubling in popularity by Russian widely becoming dissatisfied with the Putin approach to power.

More from Reuters: "Just 20 years ago, they seemed consigned to the dustbin of history. At Sunday's parliamentary polls, Russia's communists drew students, intellectuals, even some businessmen in forging an opposition to Vladimir Putin's wounded United Russia party. The Communist Party (CPRF) for most Russians evokes images of bemedalled war veterans and the elderly poor deprived of pensions and left behind in a "New Russia" of glitzy indulgence. Large swathes of society have appeared beyond the reach of the red flag and hammer and sickle." Ironically for many a vote for communism has become a vote against the corruption and authoritarianism many associated with the Putin control: "With sadness I remember how I passionately vowed to my grandfather I would never vote for the Communists," Yulia Serpikova, 27, a freelance location manager in the film industry, told Reuters. "It's sad that with the ballot in hand I had to tick the box for them to vote against it all." And while there is still a substantial buffer from the ruling party, how much longer until nostalgia for the old days grips the bulk of the population and, by means peaceful or not, Putin is replaced by someone far more appearling to the Russian grass roots dissatisfaction?

The voter turn out at last check:

More from RIA:

With more than 67 percent of the ballots counted, the ruling United Russia party had picked up nearly half (49.93 percent) – a far cry from the commanding two-thirds constitutional majority the party has held in the State Duma, the lower house of parliament, for the past four years, according to the official count.

 

If born out by the full vote count, the result would mark a major electoral setback for the political party that Putin leads and that has been the dominant political organization in Russia for much of the past decade.

 

The Communist Party (KPRF) has 19.45 percent, the moderate A Just Russia got 12.97 percent and the nationalist Liberal Democrats (LDPR), 11.91 percent. Voter turnout was above 50 percent, according to preliminary results.

 

Both Putin and Medvedev appeared intent on emphasizing the legitimacy of the election and the balance of political forces it would yield in the next Duma, with Medvedev saying that United Russia had run a convincing campaign and even a 50-percent result “testifies to real democracy.”

 

Medvedev acknowledged, however, that United Russia, long able to impose its will on the national legislature with or without the support of other political parties, “will have to join coalition bloc agreements” in order to get its legislation through the Duma.

 

“This is normal, that is what parliamentarianism is,” Medvedev said. “That is democracy, and our colleagues and leaders of the relevant fractions said that they were ready for that.”

 

The elections were punctuated by thousands of claims of violations both from independent observers and the government, with the Interior Ministry alone announcing it had received and would investigate more than 1,000 complaints of irregularities.

And Reuters on Russia's longing for a more normal past:

In a bizarre flip, today's communists have benefited from satire on Russia's vibrant blogosphere comparing Putin's party to the all powerful Communist Party of Soviet times.

 

One popular image shows Putin's face aged and superimposed on a portrait of doddering Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, mocking the prime minister's plan to return to the presidency in March for two possible terms until 2024.

 

Voters wary of United Russia said their decision was purely a matter of cold electoral arithmetic, backing the party most likely to cross a seven percent threshold and win enough seats to act as a counterweight to Putin's party.

 

"I am voting against Putin, to weaken his party, so it makes sense to vote for a party that will make it in," Sergei Yemilianov, 46, a mathematics professor, said.

 

Analyst Masha Lipman of the Moscow Carnegie Center described votes gained by the Communist Party as "similar to writing a four letter word on the ballot."

 

"It's a sign of defiance," she told Reuters. "The government has turned this election into a farce and in response people are turning their electoral choice into a travesty."

...

One communist lawmaker hailed the victory as "a new political reality" on Sunday evening.

 

"They are a different party than in Soviet times," Anna, 21, a student of mechanics at the Moscow State University, said. "I have a lot of friends who are activists for the Communists Party. It's become popular."

 

Young Communist Party deputy Yuri Afonov, 34, told Reuters by telephone from Tambov that people were upset with the political order and many saw the Internet as the only place in which real opinions were voiced.

 

The Communist Party may be a long way from fundamentally changing its image. Its success may reflect disenchantment with Putin and his party far more than a new yen for communist order.

 

But one contributor to the Communist Party's chat forum offered a new genre of 'communist cool' with a rap composition.

 

"Want to get back what they took from me
Free schooling ain't no free lunch
Free medicine is my right, you see
What matters to you? Whose side you on?
Want to help your country
So it's our choice and it's our rap
So we go vote for the CPRF"

Come to think of it, in America they also rap about communism...

 

 

 

- advertisements -

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.
Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:33 | 1945112 Snakeeyes
Snakeeyes's picture

Oh great. I thought all the Communists were in Europe and the USA. The Borg Collective in Action!

Have The Fed and Treasury Run Out of Magic Bullets? It Takes a Village … to Destroy a Global Economy

http://confoundedinterest.wordpress.com

 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:37 | 1945116 malalingua
malalingua's picture

Nah, it's the Communists that have had sleeper cells.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:57 | 1945163 The Big Ching-aso
The Big Ching-aso's picture

 

 

Russia doesn't know if it's commieng or going.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:34 | 1945251 chumbawamba
chumbawamba's picture

Putin is such a douche, he makes communism look good.

I am Chumbawamba.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:40 | 1945405 Mauibrad
Mauibrad's picture

Communist Party makin' a come back the world over?  

"The First Time I Heard Of Barack"

pt1of4  2of4  

3of4  4of4 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:59 | 1945459 Mauibrad
Mauibrad's picture

How did that lady know about him?  He attended The Patrice Lumumba School in Moscow, Russia, sometime in the period between 1988 and 1989 http://articles.latimes.com/1993-02-16/news/wr-268_1_patrice-lumumba-uni...  When he was suppose to be at Columbia and wasn't.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 01:47 | 1945837 caconhma
caconhma's picture

·       Russia did not have honest elections for the last 100 years.

·       The Russian ruling elite always manipulates and falsifies the election results.

·       No real opposition was/is allowed in the present mafia Russia.

·       Putin is a professional thief and an assassin. All his past opponents were assassinated.

 

So, what is going on? How come it was not a landslide for the Putin’s political party? The answer can be that the overwhelming majority of Russian people are about to revolt against Putin and his mafia friends.

 

Consequently, two processes are going on

·         There are a split in the ruling elite and a search for “fall and evil fall guys”. I assume that the present Russian president Medvedev will be the fall guy.

·         The ruling elite is playing for time trying to show an appearance of “fair and honest” elections and to save their regime under a new façade.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 06:41 | 1946059 jeff montanye
jeff montanye's picture

try reading your letter substituting the u.s. and bush or obama for russia and putin (or medvedev).  with the possible exception of the line about all his past opponents were assassinated (and i have seen it claimed using hillary clinton the line stays in), it reads pretty well.  maybe our general elections were technically more honest; the party(ies') control of the acceptable discourse and candidates scarcely less so.   

the worm is turning, all over the world.  imo in the next year and those following a great revulsion for the various incumbent regimes and elites will be expressed through whatever old and new tatters of democracy remain/appear in what orwell so presciently saw as a global authoritarian hegemony.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:18 | 1945354 ISEEIT
ISEEIT's picture

Mind blowing. I was sure that the painfuly beautiful brown haired hotness would have put(h)im over the top. Maybe even vodka hasn't yet destroyed the human spirit?

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1090589

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 01:14 | 1945706 The Big Ching-aso
The Big Ching-aso's picture

 

Not much rootin' for Putin.   I bet he wants to break some legs for good luck.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:37 | 1945120 TheArmageddonTrader
TheArmageddonTrader's picture

2.8% for the soft opposition, strong opposition not even allowed in the race. A bit of a morale boost to the opposition but hardly a threat to Putin's rule.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:42 | 1945129 Long-John-Silver
Long-John-Silver's picture

Communism is like cancer. You never get control of it, all you can do is slow it down for a while. Then it comes back and destroys everything.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:43 | 1945135 grey7beard
grey7beard's picture

>> and destroys everything.

So then it's actually like capitalism.

 

 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:03 | 1945182 flacon
flacon's picture

Capitalism destroys poverty and even has positive unintended consequences. Too bad those outcomes aren't what pepople really want. 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:05 | 1945187 knukles
knukles's picture

Or the Demopublicankleptocrats.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:23 | 1945227 economics1996
economics1996's picture

We don't have fucking capitalism.  Are you retarded?  We have elites ripping off the peasants.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:37 | 1945261 Hugh G Rection
Hugh G Rection's picture

Thank you.

It's rape not capitalism.  Socialism for the elite/TBTFs and fascism for the rest of us.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:05 | 1945330 Bring the Gold
Bring the Gold's picture

Yep, and +1 to both of you and Knuckles.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 22:29 | 1945556 Sathington Willougby
Sathington Willougby's picture

 

They do it primarily through the IRS.  Good old American gun to the head freedom.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:40 | 1945403 nmewn
nmewn's picture

">> and destroys everything.

So then it's actually like capitalism."

Of course you know why this got junked (no I didn't, I took it as the joke you probably intended).

True capitalism destroys malinvestment. The losers...lose. The winners...win.

The losers are not supported by the state or charity raffles or MSM good will or promises to repay for the malinvestment incurred. It is expunged from the capitalist system...in your offhand remark...destroyed.

In this way, it takes the best and leaves the rest.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 01:20 | 1945848 squeal
squeal's picture

The winners do win. They have won absolute power over the government, people, the world really. Is this not the free capitalist utopia you imagined? All that "greed is good" talk not working out so good? Capitalism never was about the greater good. That's just a pleasant story to make you more compliant as they suck more and more out of you.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 03:21 | 1945965 Lednbrass
Lednbrass's picture

If we had actual capitalism, the "winners" you are talking about would have been largely destroyed 3 years ago. You cant criticize a system for failing when it isnt what we had.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 06:33 | 1946060 covsire
covsire's picture

Derp.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:11 | 1945201 FeralSerf
FeralSerf's picture

Like Zionism?

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:50 | 1945290 john39
john39's picture

isn't that what it all boils down to?

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:13 | 1945343 dark pools of soros
dark pools of soros's picture

actually really boils down to ursury, false flags & preying on the weak willed

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 00:03 | 1945732 unclebill
unclebill's picture

You mean Rape!!!! and say thanks!

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:31 | 1945237 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

sounds like global elitism... the current US government.

Globo-Zionism.

No, you are NOT one of them.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 22:38 | 1945581 prole
prole's picture

Communism is like cancer. You never get control of it. All you can do is slow it down for a while. Then it comes back and gets adopted by the US government and destroys everything.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:43 | 1945136 willien1derland
willien1derland's picture

Shortest Dwarf Theory continues to assert itself...unfortunately, the western developed nation's of the world have not done a very good job at demonstrating a version of capitalism that is desirable...Quite frankly, bank oligarchy looks a great deal like Putin's presidency...so Communism as an alternative seems like a 'reasonable' alternative...if you define reasonable as anything other than the current trend of collapse of the Icelandic economy, the severe austerity being planned in Europe, and the circus like fun associated with the antics surrounding the US debt ceiling, et al - one can appreciate choosing a different path... 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:44 | 1945137 non_anon
non_anon's picture

catchy little tune

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:45 | 1945139 Mr. Magniloquent
Mr. Magniloquent's picture

Fascinating display of cognitive dissonance. Communism is merely Facism with a populist rhetoric and they know it--yet they vote for it.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:07 | 1945191 knukles
knukles's picture

"with a populist rhetoric and... yet they vote for it."

Sounds all too familiar and close to home.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 01:07 | 1945825 Ahmeexnal
Ahmeexnal's picture

Fascism disguised as HOPE AND CHANGE.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:31 | 1945243 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

Like Amerika

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:52 | 1945297 BigJim
BigJim's picture

Exactly - the differences between fascism and communism are so thin as to be illusory.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:46 | 1945140 d_senti
d_senti's picture

Yeah, cuz combining Putin's regime with Communist Russia is definitely the best way to get Russia on track...

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:33 | 1945248 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

Dump Putin, go communist, start sabre rattling, and America will become nationalist again; because the system now is bullshit.

Reading about a russian cultural revolution where a few billionaires get hung for treason sounds about right for todays times...

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:48 | 1945145 bob_dabolina
bob_dabolina's picture

its britney bitch

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:52 | 1945152 AndrewCostello
AndrewCostello's picture

The public in every country is sick and tired of the fraudulent system that only benefits a few fraudsters.  It's that simple.

 

Read:

http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Wealth-Mr-Andrew-Costello/dp/1463523017/ref

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 23:49 | 1949651 Rynak
Rynak's picture

If we distill it to their essence, we have neither "true communism" nor "true capitalism".... more importantly, if we look through the popular dichotomy, the goals of "true capitalism" as well as "true communism" aren't that different.... because they are simply grounding in a reductionism/holism dichtomy: One side thinks that the majorty of individuals should be well - the other side thinks that the majority of the collective should be well...... that in terms of goals really is just a different way of saying the same thing. Yet funnily they think that there are two totally opposing ways to achieve this (unadmitted) common goal.

The current system runs contrary to both, yet people are stuck in thinking in dichotomies.... so the "divide and conquer"-method still works, and the sheeple, who are calleld like this for a reason, are stuck in shizophrenetically jumping between the two opposing means, without graspiing that their common goal, has little to do with the "sides" offerered to them.

So until people abandon absolutist capitalism and absolutist communism, and instead realize their common goal, and start thinking about how to achive that.... as long as people are stuck in this braindead dichotomy, they will never achive what they claim to desire..... and there will be people willing to take advantage of the civilization-wide mental disorder.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:52 | 1945153 loveyajimbo
loveyajimbo's picture

Most of the opposition candidates should buy big insurance policies...

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:52 | 1945156 WatchnSee
WatchnSee's picture

How quickly the sheeple forget. Out of the frying pan, into the fire, and back again. Useful idiots anyone?

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:53 | 1945157 nmewn
nmewn's picture

From communism to mafia then back to communism.

Those wacky, fickle Russians...lol.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:55 | 1945161 FranSix
FranSix's picture

I like the addage from communist Russia, 'they pretended to pay us, and we pretended to work.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Benefit_Transfer

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:59 | 1945166 bob_dabolina
bob_dabolina's picture

"With sadness I remember how I passionately vowed to my grandfather I would never vote for the Communists," Yulia Serpikova, 27, a freelance location manager in the film industry, told Reuters. "It's sad that with the ballot in hand I had to tick the box for them to vote against it all."

That's exactly  how I felt last election here in America. I looked at the ballot and saw Mccain and Obama and I said ....shit, we're fucked. So that's why I wrote in Ron Paul. 

That's my story of how I helped get Obama elected.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:56 | 1945167 Bam_Man
Bam_Man's picture

We could use another Cold War. Things were a lot better here during the last one.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 19:57 | 1945169 Use of Weapons
Use of Weapons's picture

Headline: US State Department backs Russian Communist party for democracy and geo-political goals.

 

Nope, can't make this shit up.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:07 | 1945190 nmewn
nmewn's picture

"As of now, I'm in charge" Alexander Hillary!...lol.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:35 | 1945252 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

the the globo-zionists are shitting their pants.. they could lose russia if putin falls

 

 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:00 | 1945175 booboo
booboo's picture

so the students and the intellectuals wish for a better life? Against the warnings of their forefathers still? What they really want is a corrupt AND more oppressive central government, at least they can sit in their grey cubes, get drunk and re-tell the same old jokes that grandpa whispered when mom was a kid. Then again President Wilson was a real hoot, he rounded up several hundred thousand Americans too. Past is prologue. 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:24 | 1945224 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

Wilson is rotting in hell now.

And what do you consider todays amercian government? we are a banker elitist dictatorship now; and the facist system is emerging now through the fake laws and political corruption; soon all americans will be criminals.

That aint better than communism.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:04 | 1945327 booboo
booboo's picture

yes of course, communism Is much better, now back to your video game and Cheesy Poofs. 

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 04:46 | 1946009 Incubus
Incubus's picture

doritos, man, doritos.  get with the times.  Jeez...the way you type just tells me you're a geezer.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:33 | 1945183 Motley Fool
Motley Fool's picture

One would think that Russia of all places had learned the dangers of communism.

 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:10 | 1945199 bugs_
bugs_'s picture

When dictators lose the 99%

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:15 | 1945207 Triple A
Triple A's picture

I swipe all day errrr day bittttchhhezzzzz

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:20 | 1945213 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

This is interesting. I see many here are rushing to demonize communism; but consider this;

It is the ultimate opposition to global-elitist-Oligarchy-Dictatorship we have now; and a communist Russia may return the US to some semblance of a constitutional republic again; instead of the garbage it is today...

A dictatorship of Banking Elites; installation of fake laws that serve the super rich, an enforcement paradigm of sold out imbecils selling life and liberty for a paycheck, and a propagandist media..

Sad state of afairs when communism is a more attractive alternative than a facist elitist dictatorship. The elites fucked up.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:24 | 1945223 bob_dabolina
bob_dabolina's picture

Wrong. 

We have socialsim currently. 

If we had capitalism most of the big banks we all despise would have worked through the bankruptcy system by now. Instead the losses are socialized to the taxpayers. Same thing with Solyndra...the elite funneling money to and from eachother for various favors etc.

That's what I couldn't understand about OWS. They were saying the banks shouldn't have been bailed out but yet were slandering capitalism at the same time. It seemed non-sensical to me at the time.

True capitalism is the system that cleanses the bullshit. Wish we had it in America.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:27 | 1945231 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

You are not paying attention.

No way is America socialist.

It is as i said; a dictatorship of the few at the top; they tell your senators when to take a shit.

All americans will be criminals, and subject to the corrupt and ficticious, meaningless legal system; under their gestapo; DHS, FEMA, etc.  

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:34 | 1945239 bob_dabolina
bob_dabolina's picture

America in it's current form is the definition of socialism. Shit look at the disparity between pay in the private sector vs. government. Our financial system has been nationalized and don't get that confused...bank holding company Goldman Sachs (still haven't spotted a GS ATM machine yet though)

It's not a dictatorship it's a pseudo communist regime in my blunt opinion.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:39 | 1945262 66Sexy
66Sexy's picture

that is true about pay disparity... and the EFFECT is socialism, specificallly, corporate socialism; but the CAUSE is the dictatorship of the few; who influence the policy of congress, the mass media, all as they infiltrate opposition like a cameleon chages colors....

The dictatorship of a few over the many, through top-bottom power consolidation. IMO.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:47 | 1945267 bob_dabolina
bob_dabolina's picture

Obama stated on recorded T.V during his campaign that he was going to "redistribute the wealth" you can find it on youtube. It was that segment that made Joe The Plumber famous.

What system is associated with the redistribution of wealth? 

Answer: 

-socialism

or 

-communism

From poster UseOfWeapons above a few comments:

Headline: US State Department backs Russian Communist party for democracy and geo-political goals.

 

Nope, can't make this shit up

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:47 | 1945286 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

Bob... you really don't have a clue what you are talking about, do you?

Is Switzerland a capitalist country?

Can you have property rights in a socialist country?

I understand that you are very mad, but flailing away using labels which you do not understand is hardly a way to change things...

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:57 | 1945293 bob_dabolina
bob_dabolina's picture

Property rights? You must have been absent from the ROBO signing scandal/fraudclosure and what MERS is. 

ZH went through length to explain that 300 years of property rights haven been thrown out the window.

In fact  with the nationalization of Fannie/Freddie the US government is probably the owner of 99% of mortgages in this country.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:58 | 1945312 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

And we'll settle on you being labeled psuedo-intelligent then....

 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:00 | 1945317 bob_dabolina
bob_dabolina's picture

Do whatever you want. 

I'm right.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 02:25 | 1945919 prole
prole's picture

Who is "we" settling on anything?

BD is clearly right. No property rights exist in Soviet America.

What could be more clear than that? Being allowed to rent property from the owner (Big Brother) is not even remotely related to private property rights.

Property tax should be more accurately reefered to as what it is: RENT, you fvcking Soviet Bastard. (OK Sorry abt that I apologize commisar. way out of line)

Fail to pay the rent the owner kicks you out.

Resist the kick out owner has army kill you.

Please explain to me how that is private property rights?

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:09 | 1945334 nmewn
nmewn's picture

Ok...I can't stand it anymore. This stupid ass little mind trick of "labels" being bad or useless.

"I understand that you are very mad, but flailing away using labels which you do not understand is hardly a way to change things..."

The reason labels are used is to convey something known. Same shit with "can't we all just drop the ism's".

No, as a matter of fact we can't & shouldn't. They define the parameters of what we're talking about.

Try driving down an unlabeled street in a strange place and see where you wind up. Is it where you expected to get to? What did you expect to find on an unlabeled street?

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:53 | 1945437 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

I'll break my my self-imposed vow of responding to you only because of the complete and utter asinineness of your statement....

Labels are fine, they work because there is some degree of universal agreement on what they mean. To a student of the political economy, terms like socialism, communism, corporatism, social democracy etc... have a well defined accepted meaning. Bob and a lot of other commentators use well defined labels so incorrectly it is almost like a child looking at a blue ball and saying it's red....

So unless there is some secret code that only applies to ZH, it is safe for me to say that when someone consistently mislabels things that they do not have clue what they are talking about....

----

As for unlabeled streets, You haven't driven in rural france very much have you? 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 22:35 | 1945571 nmewn
nmewn's picture

"I'll break my my self-imposed vow of responding to you only because of the complete and utter asinineness of your statement...."

Why, I don't know if I should be honored or chagrined...lol.

"Labels are fine, they work because there is some degree of universal agreement on what they mean. To a student of the political economy, terms like socialism, communism, corporatism, social democracy etc... have a well defined accepted meaning."

Good I'll hold you to it.

"Bob and a lot of other commentators use well defined labels so incorrectly it is almost like a child looking at a blue ball and saying it's red...."

Perhaps because both socialism & comminism spring forth from the same warped convictions & minds that people get confused. As you know, my famous saying (or infamous saying to you) is...

"A pregnant socialist will always give birth to a bouncing baby communist."

That is something you will have to defend & deal with, not I. How many itenerations does this philosophy have to go through before it is judged, finally, unworkable by the entire world?

We've already agreed before what we see here in America (and I would argue in Europe) is fascism. A product of a wedding between corporate interests & the state. Which is decidely not free market capitalism.

"As for unlabeled streets, You haven't driven in rural france very much have you?"

ROTFL!!!...nor do I have any desire to.

Seeya 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:56 | 1945418 i-dog
i-dog's picture

This is the direction things are headed under the authoritarians (you can call them communists, fascists, eurocrats or pumpkins for all the difference it makes ... they are all centrally-controlled authoritarians adhering to the same elitist theology):

“The conduct of members [of the African National Congress] acting as free agents is a non-option. Equally, public representatives of the ANC are holding public offices at the instance of the ANC. They are therefore bound by policy directives of the ANC and not their whims and thoughts.”

 
http://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/borman-turok-discussed-at-anc-nec-1.1187904 

In other words, your "representative" in the Party is not there to represent your local views or to "suggest" changes, he/she is there to enforce party policy -- which is framed behind closed doors outside the country by a Politburo of unelected elitists -- through mindless, unanimous voting in local stage plays for the masses called "parliaments".

The ANC is just stating publicly what the obvious trend is in the European Parliament and in the US Congress.

You have been warned.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 06:16 | 1946048 nmewn
nmewn's picture

Certainly.

But it doesn't mean they can or will prevail. The wonderful thing (for us) about a room full of egomaniacs is they always wind up fighting and destroying each other.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 05:15 | 1946021 Gavrikon
Gavrikon's picture

Seems like corporate cronyism to me.  Is that facsism?

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 00:35 | 1945780 adhoc99
adhoc99's picture

This is idiotic. If you really think that there is no elitism, no oligarchy, and no dictatorship associated with communism, then you're as idiotic as the post.

There is only one solution, communism obviously ain't it. Duh.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:31 | 1945241 AmazingLarry
AmazingLarry's picture

Knowing Putin taught Chuck Norris the roundhouse, this shall not end well.

 

 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:36 | 1945257 topcallingtroll
topcallingtroll's picture

The new russian communist party may be misguided but they arent nearly as scary as united russia. The new russian communist party has no international ambitions. They are soft and cuddly and nothing to fear. They are similar to starry eyed euro socialists.

The fascist and totalitarian elements left the communist party a long time ago and are now in United Russia.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:41 | 1945271 prains
prains's picture

Always remember , you can't buy a bag of shit in Russia without somebody wanting their palm greased.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:43 | 1945275 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

Waiting for the Samovar Party to emerge.....

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 05:16 | 1946023 Gavrikon
Gavrikon's picture

Or the Chai Party?

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 05:29 | 1946033 Gavrikon
Gavrikon's picture

Or the Chai Party?

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:44 | 1945276 AUD
AUD's picture

the mitigated outcome for United Russia would force the party accustomed to passing legislation without regard for support from others to negotiate and cooperate with competing political parties. “By all means, this is good for the development of political culture in Russia,” Minchenko said."

A significant number of people voted for the 'Greens' rather than the two established political parties here in Australia for the same reason. Now we still have a totally dysfunctional political culture AND a raft of ridiculous new taxes.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 20:55 | 1945304 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

Checked the comments here...

As expected, the standard mish mash of mis-labelling political economies....the usual libertards getting everything ass-backwards...

Time to move along and find something worthwhile to read....

 

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 23:10 | 1945641 topcallingtroll
topcallingtroll's picture

It is really splitting hairs the difference between social democracy and socialism and communism is just a more extreme version. They all destroy the human spirit and energy by punishing productivity and rewarding non productivity. Guess what happens when you reward something. You get more of it.

Once a person gets used to helping himself to another man's money it is a difficult habit to break.

I lump them all together in a single category, foolishness.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:01 | 1945316 Aductor
Aductor's picture

Here we go again, getting jumpy and all because someone mentions the C-word. The votes on the Communist party are not so much votes on the party itself, but a vote against Putin & Co. Relax, the communist martians are not about to invade the US.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 01:58 | 1945899 the grateful un...
the grateful unemployed's picture

they already have the FEd

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 22:14 | 1945321 GoodMorningMr.V...
GoodMorningMr.VanRumpoy...'s picture

The Anglo-American Axis about to go for a power play in the Middle East with war against Syria and Iran.

 

Russia will be temporarily   neutralized by political turmoil as the  power transfer back to Putin  didn't go off without a hitch as Putin planned.

 

Same thing about the upcoming transfer of power in China. It will be "unexpectedly" turbulent curtailing a Chinese response U.S. takeover of the Middle East.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 21:32 | 1945382 indio007
indio007's picture

You can't go to the resturant or McD's with an EBT. A single male only gets like 200/month. He'll be starving in 2 weeks if he buys junk food.

 

In other news, now Putin has a useful idiot to blame bad stuff on.

Sun, 12/04/2011 - 22:53 | 1945611 PapSmear
PapSmear's picture

1 - 7 - 7 - 8... BITCHEZ

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 00:03 | 1945734 niccolo and donkey
niccolo and donkey's picture

So what we see here is Putin's party and its allies like "A Just Russia" have captured 63% of the votes while western backed parties got 3.5%.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 00:47 | 1945794 pointer
pointer's picture

Fuck EBT - and then Putin's girls - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjPO8B92k44

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 00:51 | 1945803 Sokhmate
Sokhmate's picture

one question: do they use Diebold to collect votes?

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 02:07 | 1945905 OneMoreTick
OneMoreTick's picture

Putin didn't lose majority. Because of the voting system, all votes to parties that had less than 7% will go to the ones above 7%, proportionnally.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 02:23 | 1945917 navy62802
navy62802's picture

The EBT vid was a nice touch. Well done.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 02:27 | 1945922 toxic8
toxic8's picture

SpiritofTruth is gonna have a ball with this one..

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 02:53 | 1945936 saiybat
saiybat's picture

Are the Russians going to get free gas and mortgages too?

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 04:13 | 1945987 pcrs
pcrs's picture

This whole idea of voting for who is going to coerce you with their laws and their police and army is so outdated. The US and europe show the way in this respect, no matter who you vote for, it's always the same shit you get imposed on you. It's just more honest;shut up slave, you are ruled, now hand me your propery.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 04:30 | 1946000 boiltherich
boiltherich's picture

The top three vote getting parties in Russian elections are:

Putins personal private political party that will keep him in power, the party that the old Soviet communists set up entirely run by old Kremlin bureaucrats using KGB personnel, and the new communists that are quite simply finished with starving under oligarch rule. 

This can end well. 

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 04:43 | 1946008 unirealist
unirealist's picture

Re: property taxes

Without them, how do you propose the infrastructure is funded?  I.e. the police and fire depts, schools, street maintenance, parks and libraries?

If you hate property taxes, why not move to extremely rural America, to a plot of land that is undeveloped (without electricity or water or sewer or streets).  True, you'll have none of the amenities of social living that you apparently take for granted.  But you will pay almost zero in property taxes.

But you won't do it.  You like the paved streets, the police  and fire dept protection and EMT's.  Maybe even the free public schools and free libraries and parks.

You just don't want to pay for them. 

 

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 08:44 | 1946164 eftian
eftian's picture

So there is NO other way to pay for infrastructure other than property taxes?? How bout ... ehh not worth the effort... do your own research.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 17:47 | 1948386 boiltherich
boiltherich's picture

Oh dear Uni, methinks you stepped in a big steaming pile of FREE RIDER which there are more of those hounds here than any other website I ever saw.  They want ALL the goodies and NONE of the taxes. 

You asked:  Without them, how do you propose the infrastructure is funded?

Their answer will always be some version of USE TAX as long as it only hits the poor.  They don't need cops because the second amendment gives them the right to shoot anyone that pisses them off.  They don't need schools because their kids are all growed up.  Street maintenance?  They have an enormous 4X4 and can go anywhere without no damned pavement.  Parks?  Are you fucking kidding?  Isn't that were I go to shoot endangered Roosevelt elk anytime I please?  And LI-fucking-BRARIES?  Like poor people need to be reading when they SHOULD be working two minimum wage jobs? 

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 06:34 | 1946058 Guerrilla Radio
Guerrilla Radio's picture

People are fed up with rulling party United Russia and its little puppet parties: Liberal Democrats and A Just Russia. The only viable option was to vote for commies, which is somehow an alternative for Putin's regime, but sure everyone here know better than stupid fucking Russians.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 08:15 | 1946133 honestann
honestann's picture

Holy crap!  Talk about "blowback".  If Ron Paul was a bit more aggressive in debates, he could absolutely wipe the floor with the rest of the clowns who make fun of his interpretation of foreign affairs.

I mean, if "the people" in Russia are willing to support the same exact predators who recently finished trashing them in spades for decades, you realize how much the insanity of the neo-evil empire that is the USSA has scared people around the world.  Next, I suppose, Newt Gingrich will say the people of Russia hate the USSA because they don't submit to Muslim law?  Humans are such freaking morons, and politicians are such freaking predators!

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 15:15 | 1947616 e-recep
e-recep's picture

Capitalism is astable and in the long run transforms to Crony Capitalism. We have seen it, it's been proven. Now, lemme hear you, capitalism lovers. How do you think you can stop this transformation? Most politicians are for sale and biggest money buys them. How do you think you can prevent it and preserve capitalism? I am listening.

Mon, 12/05/2011 - 15:16 | 1947643 Flakmeister
Flakmeister's picture

Didn't you know? The market is self regulating....

 

Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site!