Social Question

seawulf575's avatar

Why is the Left so against Russia?

Asked by seawulf575 (16673points) May 19th, 2019

I’ve seen a lot of angst from the Left involving Russia in many conversations. Yet in this country, the Left are the ones that want Socialism and Communism. Why would they be so upset with a country that has such a history of both?

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20 Answers

kritiper's avatar

There are over twenty different types of Socialism and we want our own style, not theirs.

jca2's avatar

We’re a superpower: lots of land, lots of money, lots of weapons.

Russia is a superpower: lots of land, lots of money, lots of weapons.

See any potential conflict?

Demosthenes's avatar

One could easily ask why the Right is so gung ho about Russia when they’re a former Communist state.

I think @jca2 is correct that we’re going after other superpowers more generally. Both the Right and the Left are “so against” China. Either way, I don’t think Russia’s former communism has anything to do with how most people feel about Russia today. Only their status as a superpower and their attempt to meddle in American elections.

seawulf575's avatar

Does anyone see any potential problems with socialism and communism in this country based on Russia’s past? How about China? Venezuela? I think the question is really, why is the left pushing so hard for socialism and communism when it has failed miserably around the world? I understand the idea that another nation may have attempted to interfere in our election. I suspect we have done the same in other nations and don’t agree with it. But the left has turned Russia into some sort of evil tag, like “nationalist” or “right-winger”. But Russia was very much a socialistic nation.

jca2's avatar

@seawulf575: There is a dDifference between socialism and communism. Russia is not socialist. It is communist.

MrGrimm888's avatar

Why does the right support a wannabe dictator?

seawulf575's avatar

@jca2 Actually, Russia is no longer Socialist (as in United Soviet Socialist Republic) or communistic (as was pushed by Marx). It is actually more capitalistic, though to be honest, Putin has set himself up more as a monarch than a president.

seawulf575's avatar

@MrGrimm888 we don’t…we never wanted Obama in the first place.

rebbel's avatar

You wrote me wrong.

josie's avatar

Because they set such a bad example for statism and centralized power.

flutherother's avatar

The objection is to the present form of government in Russia rather than what happened in the past. Russia under Putin has seen the suppression of the media and promotion of rule by a small wealthy elite. The main opposition leader has been imprisoned and critics of the Putin regime have been attacked at home and abroad, most notoriously Sergei Skripal who barely survived an attack with a military nerve agent in Salisbury last year.

It isn’t just the “left” who object to such tactics.

seawulf575's avatar

@flutherother didn’t that stuff go on for the past 100 years or so? Government suppression (or control) of the media, promotion of rule by a small wealthy elite, etc?

MrGrimm888's avatar

@seawulf575 . Actually, multiple conservative jellies have declared that they voted for Obama in at least one of his two elections…

JLeslie's avatar

Russia is not progressive, we don’t want to be them. We don’t approve of them interfering in our elections. The majority of Democrats are not fighting for anything close to communism. Most Democrats want some social systems but not outright socialism. Russia is homophobic at the state level, it’s a fairly macho country, it’s really not what Democrats are in line with.

The big thing about the Russia thing is if the Russian interference had come to light as having helped Obama get elected the Republicans would have been insane about it. Russia would have been said to be communists, and that’s why Obama was fine with it, etc. the hypocrisy and dishonesty about it is ridiculous.

Why do Democrats go on about Russia? Because historically the religious right would be the most up in arms about those atheist commies trying to rule the world. Same reason Democrats go on about Trump fucking any girl that will let him, because the religious right is supposed to be disgusted by that.

seawulf575's avatar

@JLeslie Have you read the proposals in the Green New Deal? Yeah, that is pure socialism if not communism. And most Dems signed off on it…they are using it as talking points for campaigns. So yes, most Dems DO want outright socialism.

JLeslie's avatar

^^I haven’t read it, but anyway that’s politicians signing it, not the American people en masse. President Trump was elected, but a whole bunch of republicans who voted for him didN’t vote for him in the primary, and aren’t happy with many things that he did. A lot of my pro-life friends are horrified by the new AL law about abortion. You can’t always tell the will of the people by what the politicians are doing.

Remember when gay marriage finally became legal in NY? A republican rep said, “I can’t vote against this anymore, I don’t care what it does to my career.” They are motivated by what they think will keep them in their position.

Communism is the government owning everything, I have not seen anything close to that. People won’t be unable to own a business in anything I’ve heard.

kritiper's avatar

@seawulf575 As I said before, there are at least 20 different forms of Socialism. All The US needs to do is craft their own style to make it work. And even if it didn’t work, the fact remains that every single democracy throughout history (without exception) has evolved into something else after about 200 years. We are headed for change, no doubt about it! What would you have us evolve into if not some form of Socialism??

stanleybmanly's avatar

Russia is in fact the very model of the fascist ideal. The state is in effect a barely disguised criminal enterprise with a veneer of laws to provide some semblance of order. The plain and rather stark truth is that there is only one law in Russia that matters, and every Russian knows it. Russia is a straight up honest to god fascist kleptocracy. That is the fact which so charms our own idiot of a would be fascist.

stanleybmanly's avatar

And in view of this fascist embrace, the question becomes why is the right apparently so enamored with the popovs?

MrGrimm888's avatar

Some like the prospect of being able to publicly hurt the people that they don’t like. I think they like having a powerful leader, and military too. Some take pride in their ability to be bullies. Some just like to be on the winning team. Putin has his share of bandwagon fans…

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