Quite the double standard, isn't it? Putin is systematically oppressing and imprisoning any relevant opposition and hasn't faced a free and fair election in 20 years, yet his democratic legitimization isn't questioned like Zelensky's.
Isn't it? I think western media pretty much trumpets every opportunity to call Putin a dictator. All the loaded language that professional journalists are supposed to use to presume a neutral POV are thrown out the window and we go well beyond criticizing Putin for his repression and totalitarianism and step into questioning his legitimacy and whether Russians actually support him.
I was referring to Trump, not the Western media in general. Trump publicly calls Zelensky a dictator and not sufficiently legitimized to represent Ukraine during the negotiations, yet
he clearly has no such qualms with regard to Putin. I agree with Trump far more often than not, but in this case, he has adopted a really shitty and plain untrue talking point peddled by the Russians.
We all know what's really behind his remarks: he dislikes Zelensky and doesn't want him to sit at the negotiation table out of personal and tactical reasons. He wants to engage in naked power politics with Putin and thinks Zelensky or the Europeans would only stand in the way. He should just be honest about it instead of hiding behind such a bs excuse.
You wouldn't be making unfounded accusations that Putin hasn't been freely elected, if the United States did not rig the 1996 Russian presidential election to get Yeltsin another term so the plunder under privatization could go on.
Putin is popular because he was the candidate that was supposed to continue the status quo for the oligarchs, but instead when he got in office he had a round table meeting where he gave them two options either they sign over their shares of the industries that got sold to them under privatization, or they go to the Gulag.
This was really popular with the Russian people who had seen no greener pastures after switching to a private enterprise economy that went nowhere through the 1990's
I don't question his ability to get re-elected by wide margins, we can look at other countries who have re-elected the same person, FDR in the United States got elected for four consecutive terms, Bibi Netanyahu has been Prime Minister of our shining Democratic ally Israel for the last 17 years.
Even The United States held elections during its civil war, and there are plenty of people saying Churchill was illegitimate and the cause of WW2.
Ultimately the people remaining in Ukraine need to be given a choice, even if its only those remaining in Western Ukraine.
I don't question that Putin was legitimately elected. But since then, he has systematically cracked down on the opposition, the media and any kind of dissidents. His rule in Russia is virtually unchecked these days. Even if FDR or Netanyahu got elected many times, they always had to face legitimate opposition and a press which was free to criticize them without fear of ending up in a gulag. Likewise, they suffered multiple major defeats in front of the courts. Dito for Trump, Biden, Obama, you name it. When was the last time any Russian court struck down a law or decree by Putin? Did he EVER suffer a major defeat in the judiciary?
This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Feb 20 2025 01:33pm