I don’t think Putin is genuinely to the left of even Obama.
Putin might not be. United Russia certainly is though. I feel like this is dropping off into great man theory, Putin is just one person, not the entirety of government running every single aspect and detail of the country.
We don’t heed American “socialists” saying VOOT BLOO there’s even less of a reason to heed Russian “socialists” saying to vote for Putin.
This is silly. There are conditions where it is absolutely necessary to support people we may dislike. Like when failure to support them would set us back by 100 years. It's not even a difficult calculation, if Russia succumbs to nato aggression in Europe everything is fucked, the world WILL return to pre-ww1 situation, on top of burning, and the wars. The success of repelling the attempted colour revolutions in Belarus was absolutely critical and right now Ukrainian fascism is the front that is being pushed.
If socialists don't support him what happens is a collapse of the country's stability into disunited factions. This will inevitably be used as an opportunity to split parts of the country off, it would result in some temporary small socialist regional gains that would then fail because nato control of the Russian state would occur. This would swiftly send millions of people into the shitter in Russia.
There is currently a very precarious balance occurring. Yes Socialists might want to build a socialist russia but the principle threat of nato on the doorstep is preventing socialists from making that push, if socialists make that push nato will take control in the chaos and the opportunity will never arise again.
Remember, the Bolshevik revolution was extremely well timed, it came when world capitalist powers were distracted with other issues. Had they not been distracted at the time their revolution would have failed, that's where socialists in Russia are right now, unable to make a push because to do so would be to destroy the country and fail. The only option is to currently support stability and wait for an opportunity. Any instability is doom for everyone.
Yes Putin knows this. Yes Putin uses this. Yes it's also why Putin is anti-imperialist and helps the left in nominal ways -- it helps him manage the left factions in the country and keep them happier. Yes this is annoying. But no, there isn't another option.
Reason it out yourself. I'm sure you can see this delicate balance. Like I keep saying, you really don't have to be super happy about it or anything, but recognising it's the only strategy available and must be followed is important. A lot hinges on Russia staying stable right now for us all.
Putin is anticommunist. There is no reason any socialist, anarchist, communist, leftist, whatever should support him. He has always been anticommunist, he is still anticommunist.
I'm not going to keep responding, but I'll leave it at this: I would never vote for someone who wants me in jail. Instead I would spend time organizing and agitating.
That's not really true, he is in opposition to communists yes, and a supporter of liberalism, but he frequently helps and supports communists as well, has opposed removal of communist symbols, has waved fines that communists have earned for activities they shouldn't have been up to, and has prevented some of the worst right wing excesses of his party on a good few occasions. He also supports and probably arms the communist militia that have been working to help Donbas and Crimea fight fascists.
It feels like that "someone who wants me in jail" statement is weird hyperbole of a caricature you have in your head created by liberal media's portrayal of his persecution of the EU-backed opposition he has. You seem to forget that the communist party is the majority opposition party in Russia, which holds many seats itself. They are not in jail, the fascists are in jail. I feel like you've gotten the wrong picture from liberal media crowing about Putin's persecution of their candidates, and you've extrapolated that incorrectly into a belief that socialists receive that same treatment.
Do not mistake the people that the liberal media get upset about (Navalny etc) for your allies, they are supporting and backing literal actual fascists.
but he frequently helps and supports communists as well, has opposed removal of communist symbols, has waved fines that communists have earned for activities they shouldn’t have been up to, and has prevented some of the worst right wing excesses of his party on a good few occasions. He also supports and probably arms the communist militia that have been working to help Donbas and Crimea fight fascists.
And he frequently jails anarchists and communists that actually do shit and not just play opposition in the parliament. What you said is lip service. Also gonna need a source on that communist militia in Donbas because if it's true, that militia is fighting together with hungarian fash who get paid fortunes to go there.
Putin might not be. United Russia certainly is though. I feel like this is dropping off into great man theory, Putin is just one person, not the entirety of government running every single aspect and detail of the country.
This is silly. There are conditions where it is absolutely necessary to support people we may dislike. Like when failure to support them would set us back by 100 years. It's not even a difficult calculation, if Russia succumbs to nato aggression in Europe everything is fucked, the world WILL return to pre-ww1 situation, on top of burning, and the wars. The success of repelling the attempted colour revolutions in Belarus was absolutely critical and right now Ukrainian fascism is the front that is being pushed.
If socialists don't support him what happens is a collapse of the country's stability into disunited factions. This will inevitably be used as an opportunity to split parts of the country off, it would result in some temporary small socialist regional gains that would then fail because nato control of the Russian state would occur. This would swiftly send millions of people into the shitter in Russia.
There is currently a very precarious balance occurring. Yes Socialists might want to build a socialist russia but the principle threat of nato on the doorstep is preventing socialists from making that push, if socialists make that push nato will take control in the chaos and the opportunity will never arise again.
Remember, the Bolshevik revolution was extremely well timed, it came when world capitalist powers were distracted with other issues. Had they not been distracted at the time their revolution would have failed, that's where socialists in Russia are right now, unable to make a push because to do so would be to destroy the country and fail. The only option is to currently support stability and wait for an opportunity. Any instability is doom for everyone.
Yes Putin knows this. Yes Putin uses this. Yes it's also why Putin is anti-imperialist and helps the left in nominal ways -- it helps him manage the left factions in the country and keep them happier. Yes this is annoying. But no, there isn't another option.
Reason it out yourself. I'm sure you can see this delicate balance. Like I keep saying, you really don't have to be super happy about it or anything, but recognising it's the only strategy available and must be followed is important. A lot hinges on Russia staying stable right now for us all.
Putin is anticommunist. There is no reason any socialist, anarchist, communist, leftist, whatever should support him. He has always been anticommunist, he is still anticommunist.
I'm not going to keep responding, but I'll leave it at this: I would never vote for someone who wants me in jail. Instead I would spend time organizing and agitating.
That's not really true, he is in opposition to communists yes, and a supporter of liberalism, but he frequently helps and supports communists as well, has opposed removal of communist symbols, has waved fines that communists have earned for activities they shouldn't have been up to, and has prevented some of the worst right wing excesses of his party on a good few occasions. He also supports and probably arms the communist militia that have been working to help Donbas and Crimea fight fascists.
It feels like that "someone who wants me in jail" statement is weird hyperbole of a caricature you have in your head created by liberal media's portrayal of his persecution of the EU-backed opposition he has. You seem to forget that the communist party is the majority opposition party in Russia, which holds many seats itself. They are not in jail, the fascists are in jail. I feel like you've gotten the wrong picture from liberal media crowing about Putin's persecution of their candidates, and you've extrapolated that incorrectly into a belief that socialists receive that same treatment.
Do not mistake the people that the liberal media get upset about (Navalny etc) for your allies, they are supporting and backing literal actual fascists.
And he frequently jails anarchists and communists that actually do shit and not just play opposition in the parliament. What you said is lip service. Also gonna need a source on that communist militia in Donbas because if it's true, that militia is fighting together with hungarian fash who get paid fortunes to go there.
Look up Essence of Time