Putin says he may seek 4th Presidential term

[7962]

Source: AP

VALDAI, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Thursday he may run for a fourth presidential term in 2018, confirming the expectations of most Russians and frustrating those now working to restore free elections in Russia.

If Putin runs and wins, it would keep him in power for about a quarter century and make him the nation's longest-serving leader since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/putin-says-he-may-seek-4th-presidential-term

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At least he'll be in good company. Although some here on DU may think this is a GOOD thing......

[William769]

1. He's a fucking asshole and I hope he rots in Hell! nt

ETA:

[jessie04]

41. Ditto

.

[onehandle]

2. Time to starve Russia again. nt

[Sunlei]

3. is there anyone still alive or not in sibera who would oppose him

[7962]

5. And there's the problem. nt

[DeSwiss]

4. ....

[center]Anybody got a problem with that?

No? Good.[/center]

[KamaAina]

6. I hope he's not counting on the LGBT vote

[MADem]

11. His buddies will count the votes.

Everyone in Mother Russia could vote for Frosty the Siberian Snowman, and the result would still show Pootsie by a landslide.....

[David__77]

7. What a terribly propagandistic article.

What's with the Stalin reference? Such nonsense. You can oppose Putin, but a "news" article isn't the place to smuggle it in.

[William769]

8. Truth hurts. nt

[MADem]

10. Nothing propagandistic about it--he's a dictator, and so was Uncle Joe.

Like Bill said--Truth hurts.

[David__77]

15. My point is, should the editorial policy be to state that in the implicit way it was done?

They could be more honest and simply state "Russian dictator Vladimir Putin." I would think that preferable to the implicit editorial statement. And I'm not arguing that Putin is a democrat by any means, so I do not think there is a disagreement there.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

24. They stated a historical fact

Just because the guy tied with that fact is a dbag....

[David__77]

29. You can smuggle in all sorts of facts.

But the article was not about Stalin. I'm sure German politicians could be compared to Hitler - you could smuggle such a comparison in to just about any article, but it would not mean that it was not a case of implicit editorializing.

[geek tragedy]

16. Historical fact nt

[former9thward]

27. Its a historical fact that Putin has killed millions?

Under Stalin there were no opposition parties, newspapers or demonstrations. Putin is a dictator with reference to the American system but not in comparison to Stalin.

[geek tragedy]

31. the duaration in office is a simple fact. nt

[MADem]

9. Gee, ya think? Think he'll get his KGB thugbuddies to count the votes again, too?

He's Stalin riding a bear, shirtless...and Stalin had much better hair!

[Blasphemer]

12. I remember Wes Clark warning us about this back in 2003/2004

The man will be running things until the day he dies whether overtly or covertly.

[CreekDog]

13. Though it will still be his first term as Dictator/Monarch

[alcibiades_mystery]

14. In Russia, fourth term seek you

[freshwest]

22. You're scaring me here. Must know something the rest of us don't...

[Ash_F]

17. Booooo /nt

[Hayabusa]

18. Just go ahead and call yourself Dictator for Life, hell you already are...

[Cryptoad]

19. Is Comrade Snowden going to be his Campaign Manager? nt

[freshwest]

23. He'll have Putin run on the Airport platform. (Mac, wireless, you know. Wouldn't mention the other)

[Cryptoad]

25. Thats funny,,,,,thx

[pampango]

20. And after his 4th term, he will serve as prime minister for 4 years, then run for terms 5 and 6

as president. I assume he is grooming someone to be the next Medvedev in 2022 to serve as interim president for 4 years.

[freshwest]

21. No, he should be the new Czar of the Holy Russian Empire. Everyone loves Putin!

You can always count on me to *go there* for you. I know some Russians who think it's time to go back to the future. Or the past, as the present is confusing.

Quit fooling around Putin! As we say at the DU, 'I, for one, welcome our new ______ overlords.' Fill in the blank.

Some want Putin as a hero, others don't. I'm neutral on Vladimir, full steam ahead on Barack, totally repelled by Rand.

Michael Praed is someone's hero. He even kept his shirt on, see?

[Benton D Struckcheon]

26. Russia's an energy supply region.

It will continue along on this path because of that fact. Same as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, you-name-the-country. If you depend on a single commodity or narrow set of commodities for all your export earnings, then the game is to be the one who owns access to that commodity. That pretty much dictates (no pun intended) the politics, which will be restrictive to dictatorial. Sad because post-Gorbachev there was every reason to think it wouldn't end up this way. Putin deliberately steered the country into this dead end.

[go west young man]

33. Economy of Russia.

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

Not dead end at all, but expanding in almost all areas. I've pointed this out to DU'ers multiple times. They are growing. Economic growth tripled under Putin. It's leveled off in 2013 but growth was rapid from 2000 until the global recession in 2008. Crime is down by two thirds.

Across DU peoples perceptions of Putin get in the way of taking a look at the data. Here it is plain to see. US propaganda gets in the way of realist pragmatic thinking I believe. It's quite paradoxical as it is the former Soviet Union we are in reference to.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

35. Did you read your cite????

My point was this: most of their export earnings are made from sales of energy. That makes them an energy supply region.

From your own cite:

Natural resources, especially oil and gas, dominate Russian exports. Oil and gas exports continue to be the main source of hard currency.

That was and is my point, nothing else. I don't care if they have lots and lots of barber shops, beauty salons, ski resorts, or whatever. DOES NOT MATTER IN THE LEAST.
As Putin knows very very well, the only thing that matters is what earns you hard currency.
Consider: the ruble isn't considered one. There's a good reason for that.

[go west young man]

38. Also from my own cite: a 3.5 % yearly growth rate in all areas.

Exports and Hard Currency are not overall economic growth. Hard Currency just translates as banking and investor faith in the economy for investing. Domestically growth is expanding as those oil and gas dollars make their way into other areas of the economy.

From the same cite:

In Russia, services are the biggest sector of the economy and account for 58 percent of GDP. Within services the most important segments are: wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles, motorcycles and personal and household goods (17 percent of total GDP); public administration, health and education (12 percent); real estate (9 percent) and transport storage and communications (7 percent). Industry contributes 40 percent to total output. Mining (11 percent of GDP), manufacturing (13 percent) and construction (4 percent) are the most important industry segments. Agriculture accounts for the remaining 2 percent.

The IT market is one of the most dynamic sectors of the Russian economy. Russian software exports have risen from just $120 million in 2000 to $3.3 billion in 2010.

As of 2013, Russians spent 60% of their pre-tax income shopping, the highest percentage in Europe.

Your argument that they depend on oil and gas may have rung true back in 2005 but the economy as a whole has evolved. Many other areas are thriving. Read the full report and not just the part that fits your argument. The report cites 90 new shopping malls.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

39. The only significant part of what you quoted is the software exports.

That is a hopeful thing. The rest doesn't matter.
What matters is how you earn your way in the world. I'm a programmer, so my well-being depends on the supply and demand for IT folks. My wife's a doctor, so her well-being depends on the supply and demand for medicine. Russia makes the majority of its money selling raw materials - mostly oil and gas, but also some minerals - to the rest of the world. Its well being is therefore tied to the supply and demand for raw materials.
The difference with raw materials is they're finite. If you own the access to them, I don't. This is different from any other economic activity. Elon Musk's ability to produce electric cars doesn't hurt Ford's ability to produce them, for instance. Kohler's ability to produce plumbing products doesn't diminish Chicago Faucet's ability to produce them.
Given the finite nature of raw materials, you get an elite who has the access to them, and everyone else. That leads to a restrictive political system, since the politicians have to cater to that elite. Thus, Putin and his monopoly on power. It's less restrictive than the Saudi royal family, but it's still restrictive.
Russia may be a lot better off than Venezuela, say, but that just means Putin's a better manager of the economy.
Not my point. My point is their political system is restrictive because the basis of their economy is restrictive because it's based on something that by its very nature is finite. That's all.

[go west young man]

40. I do understand your point.

I have been to Russia 7 times in the last 9 years. I have seen the growth personally with lots of new cars, new shops and new malls. I just don't see it the way a lot of folks here in the the US do. Those jobs are here to stay. They are on the upswing. On my last 3 visits alone I saw a new mega mall in the city of Voronezh each time I came. That's 3 new mega malls in 3 years. One with a full size amusement park inside. I also have seen more and more brand new cars on each subsequent visit. And I'm not talking Skoda's. i'm talking BMW's, Audi's and Lexus's which cost twice as much in Russia as they do in the states. Yet they keep buying them and they pay cash as they have no proper credit system.

[Zater]

28. If it's legal and constitutional in Russia, go for it

If the people don't want him, they will vote against him.

[gopiscrap]

30. Welcome to DU

[7962]

32. Thats right, voting against him should get rid of him!

[Ash_F]

37. Yes it would.

Barring any tinhat theories which are not based on anything, Russia has been moving to the right for a long time and Putin is a product of that, unfortunately.

[arely staircase]

34. and why shouldnt he?

He protected Saint Eddie and smote the popagandizers of children.

[dipsydoodle]

36. That's Russia's affair

Nobody else's.

[treestar]

42. Scary

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