A few notes about the GOP Congressmen supporting Trump's coup attempt. One, the damage doesn't end on Jan 20. Trump won't be president, but he and his supporters will play the victim role forever.
Two, this creation of a permanent anti-democracy wing of a major party is not sustainable. I don't know what Republicanism means now, but if it's attacking legitimate election results, it must be destroyed.
Three, there isn't a Republican in America who knows more about socialism than I do, or who despises it more. The far left is a danger. But leaving the Senate in McConnell's hands is unacceptable after his defense of Trump & Trumpism.
Four, the ugly surprises aren't over yet. There are still 16 days left in Trump's term. He will use them all to cause trouble, to rally his supporters against the rule of law, and to weaken Biden's presidency.
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With great sorrow I share the news of the passing of my mother, Klara Shagenovna Kasparova. My role model, my greatest champion, my wise counsel, and the strongest person I will ever know. I love you, Mama.
Thanks from me and my family for all the kind notes and acknowledgements of condolence here and elsewhere. May we all love and be loved just a little bit more in her memory.
It's all been overwhelming, so apologies for not being able to respond. But we do very much appreciate the kind thoughts. More about Klara Shagenovna Kasparova here: kasparov.com/a-short-tribut…
My new CNN.com op-ed on Putin's assassination attempt on Alexei Navalny. From invading neighbors, to hacking, to murder at home and abroad, the thugs are getting bolder. cnn.com/2020/12/25/opi…
We can cheer Navalny's narrow escape from death and the assassins' incompetence, but it's nothing to be happy about when they can keep trying with impunity.
After four years of Trump refusing to even criticize Putin, and boasting of his friendships with despots, we will see if Biden has the will to stand up to dictators.
History is written by the winners, and it remains to be seen if this becomes a badge of honor of shame. For the success of the American experiment and the world, we must fight to ensure it is the latter.
Republicans signing on to Trump's coup attempt reminds me of the Russian parliament voting to extend Putin's term of office. Loyalty only to a man and hoping to be rewarded, not to the people, the country, or the Constitution.
Trump's plan is Putin's: Never concede & treat Biden like an illegitimate leader. Dictators like Putin don't like having their illegitimacy pointed out. Now he'll have the former US president saying it about Biden.
American leadership in promoting democracy and fair elections around the world will be challenged not just by Putin & Xi Jinping, but by a former US president. It's all of Putin's whataboutism dreams.
This was Trump's message from the start, the "we've done lots of bad stuff too" remarks when asked about his fondness for Putin. It's also the message of every dictator. "Sure, we're corrupt, but we're ALL corrupt."
Putin is in no hurry to acknowledge Biden’s victory because there’s no benefit. But showing loyalty to Trump, like a Godfather to a foot soldier, still bears fruit and likely will even after Jan 20.
Easy to picture Putin inviting Trump to conferences in St Petersburg to join him in condemning the “hoax” of US democracy, the “warmongering” Biden and NATO, etc. They’ve been aligned on so many issues all along, so why not?
Or the next step of Putin offering Trump a job, the way he hired Germany’s ex-chancellor Schroeder at Gazprom and as propagandist. Trump’s debts disappear and he barely has to change his message at all!
While most concerns about the US becoming like Putin's Russia focused on an authoritarian president, I'm starting to worry about an enfeebled Congress with extremist wings like Russia's: Nationalists and Communists!
Such extremes can push people toward a relatively reasonable sounding authoritarian. Putin had the nationalist ranting of Zhirinovsky and the Communist Zyuganov to make him look like the only sane choice.
As I wrote years ago about this radicalization trend, the "Spanish Civil War" model, this isolates the middle. But that presumes an eventual victory by one side. Instead, it can leave an opening for a opportunistic agnostic like Putin, who cares only for power.