E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSVladimir Putin easily wins a third-term presidency despite massive street protests and allegations of fraud. NBC's Jim Maceda reports.
Updated at 11:40 a.m. ET: MOSCOW -- Russia's presidential election was clearly skewed in favor of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, international vote monitors said in a report on Monday.
"There was no real competition and abuse of government resources ensured that the ultimate winner of the election was never in doubt," Tonino Picula, one of the vote monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, said in a statement.
Monitors cited "serious problems" with the vote and called for alleged electoral violations in Sunday's election to be thoroughly investigated.
Golos, Russia's leading independent elections watchdog, earlier said it had registered at least 3,100 reports of violations nationwide.
Golos cited received numerous reports of "carousel voting," in which busloads of voters are driven around to cast ballots multiple times.
The Central Elections Commission said Putin got more than 63 percent of the nationwide vote. However, Golos said that incomplete reports from its observers of individual polling station counts indicate Putin hovered perilously close to the 50-percent mark needed for a first-round victory.
Accounts of extensive vote-rigging looked set to strengthen the resolve of opposition forces whose unprecedented protests in recent months have posed the first serious challenge to Putin's heavy-handed rule.
Anti-Putin activists pay high price
Putin said the presidential election had prevented Russia from falling into the hands of enemies. Complaining of widespread fraud, his opponents said they would rally near the Kremlin on Monday night.
His eyes brimming with tears, the former KGB spy defiantly proclaimed to a sea of supporters that they had triumphed over opponents intent on "destroying Russia's statehood and usurping power."
Putin's win was never in doubt as many across the vast country still see him as a guarantor of stability and the defender of a strong Russia against a hostile world, an image he has carefully cultivated during 12 years in power.
'Honest struggle'
Putin claimed victory Sunday night when fewer than a quarter of the votes had been counted. He spoke to a rally just outside the Kremlin walls of tens of thousands of supporters, many of them government workers or employees of state-owned companies who had been ordered to attend.
"I promised that we would win and we have won!" Putin shouted to the flag-waving crowd. "We have won in an open and honest struggle."
He ended his speech with the triumphant declaration: "Glory to Russia!"
Putin was president from 2000 until 2008, before moving into the prime minister's office due to term limits.
Putin, 59, is on collision course with the mainly middle-class protesters who have staged rallies in the capital and other big cities since since December.
Corruption
The wave of protests began after a parliamentary election in which observers produced evidence of widespread vote fraud. Protest rallies in Moscow drew tens of thousands in the largest outburst of public anger in post-Soviet Russia, demonstrating growing exasperation with the pervasive corruption and tight controls over political life under Putin.
The protest organizers, who see Putin as an autocratic leader whose return to power will stymie hope of economic and political reforms, said their demonstrations would now grow.
Russia's presidential election takes place on Sunday, Mar. 4. Rock Center Correspondent Harry Smith journeyed to Moscow where he met blogger Alexei Navalny, a vocal opponent of Vladimir Putin and his party United Russia. Navalny has galvanized protesters through social media and uses his website to expose alleged political corruption. The prospect of Putin returning to the presidency has generated protests in Russia not seen since the fall of Communism. The surging public outrage has left some wondering if a movement is afoot in Russia similar to that of last year's Arab Spring.
"He is forcing things to breaking point. He is declaring war on us. As a result the base of aversion to him is growing," said journalist Sergei Parkhomenko, one of the leaders of the opposition protest movement.
"These elections are not free. ... That's why we'll have protests (Monday)," said Mikhail Kasyanov, who was Putin's first prime minister before going into opposition. "We will not recognize the president as legitimate."
Putin's campaign chief, Stanislav Govorukhin, rejected the claims of violations, calling them "ridiculous."
Putin in power until 2024? 10 key questions about the Russian election
Partial results, with nearly 100 percent of the votes counted, put Putin on almost 64 percent of the votes.
His nearest rival, Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, was on about 17 percent of votes, and nationalist Vladimir Zhirinovsky, former parliamentary speaker Sergei Mironov and billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov were below 10 percent.
Ivan Sekretarev / AP
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who claimed victory in Sunday's presidential election, gets emotional during a rally in Moscow on Sunday.
Prokhorov, the owner of the NBA's New Jersey Nets, won plaudits for his campaign. He said on Channel One television after the vote that his observers had been kept away from some polling stations and were beaten on two occasions.
Zyuganov said his party would not recognize the result and called the election "illegitimate, dishonest and not transparent".
Despite the opposition, mainly among well-educated and relatively well-off young professionals, Putin's support remains high in the provinces and his victory had not been in doubt.
Putin got more than 90 percent of the vote in several Caucasus provinces, including 99.8 percent in Chechnya.
Television presenter and journalist Tina Kandelaki, a Kremlin supporter who nonetheless found her Unreal Politics discssion programme censored last year, was among a panel appointed by Putin to monitor election fraud.
She told msnbc.com on Monday: "Every complaint will be considered separately and we will do our best to punish law-breakers. All those cases are being checked now. If these complaints are confirmed, we’ll submit cases to the court."
However, she claimed a complaint that 300 buses carrying voters from the province of Dagestan to the central Moscow was examined and "after checking it wasn't confirmed".
Asked about the longer-term implications of Putin's victory, she said: "I'm pretty sure that there would be some political concessions...and the situation with the opposition would change as well." She also believes the process of registration for political parties would be "simplified".
Economic boom
The initial challenge for the man credited by many Russians with rebuilding the country's image and overseeing an economic boom in his first presidency, had been to win more than half the votes on Sunday and avoid a second-round runoff.
His clear victory will enable him to portray his return to the presidency as a strong sign of public support against the protesters, whom he has portrayed as a destabilizing minority and pawns of foreign governments.
But the mood has shifted in the country of 143 million and the urban protest movement portrays him as an obstacle to change and the guardian of a corrupt system of power.
Putin, who will be inaugurated in May, is likely to revert to the fighting talk against the West that was the hallmark of his first presidency and his election campaign.
The West can expect Putin to continue the tough policies he has pursued even as prime minister, including opposing U.S. plans to build a missile shield in Europe and resisting international military intervention in Syria.
"Putin is a brave and persistent man who can resist the U.S. and EU pressure," said Anastasia Lushnikova, a 20-year-old student who voted for Putin in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
More from msnbc.com and NBC News:
- 'Glory to Russia!': Putin teary-eyed after election win
- Dozens of cops slain at checkpoints in Iraq
- UN: 2,000 refugees flee Syria for Lebanon amid shelling
- Teen told to clean room finds winning lotto ticket
- Christian war graves desecrated in Libya
- Violence turning Arab Spring into winter, church warns
Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world
Leave a Comment:
Hail Caesar, Eia, eia, eia! Alala!
I wish my good buddy, Russia's latest (elected) president, (honorable) Vladimir Putin, great (democratic) Revolution.
Vodka, anyone?
...and I am Sid Harth@mysistereileen.com
There will be no Revolution. Alot more people support Putin then oppose him. What the media doesn't show you are the rallies in support of Putin all over Russia. Even the opposition leaders in Russia are against the revolution. Russia is not the middle east. The people of Russia are well educated and know what is really happening. President Obama has alot less support then Putin and no one questions him. Look to to the domestic problems in the United States. We are broke and soon we wont be able to pay the credit card bill and repo-man will be mercilless. Russia has a balanced budget and it's national debt is getting smaller and not bigger. American tax payer money are supporting the some of the opposition in Russia. If there is no money, there will be no opposition. How do you feel that your hard earned dollars are going into the pockets of Russian politicians that are opposing Putin?
Look to the Banks of the world and our need for more stuff, for the world problems from war to bankruptcy the banks are involved every step of the way.From crib to grave, They now buy our politicians 42 million to Obama and he says he was fighting them, How much do they give to their friends?
H-Minus,
"Alot more people support Putin then oppose him."
There's a generation gap in Russia. More of the older people who have a sense of dependency on the government because they grew up under communism support Putin; more of the younger generation who did not grow up under communism do not support him.
What a load of crap.
Sure, Putin has a lot of supporters, just not anywhere near 63% of the population.
A deviation of a degree in the 10% range is a clear indication, 100% rock-solid proof, of serious election fraud.
ROFL!!! You must not remember the 2004 Presidential election in the US. 80% of the people going into the polls said Kerry, 65% coming OUT of the polls said Kerry, yet Bush won. The election BEFORE that instead of simply recounting the freaking votes in Florida, Bush challenges the recount and essentially orders the Supreme Court to appoint him President. According to you logic Chris-735081, BOTH of those elections were the result of serious election fraud.
Very telling that Putin declared that his winning would prevent Russia's "enemies" from being in power. Wow...The middle class in Russia as well as other opposition figures have been put on notice. You are the enemy. Good luck to those in Russia that want true democractic reforms.
Putin being the "GREAT" friend to George Bush that he was, is OBVIOUSLY the reason the GOP feel they can suppress the vote and intimidate voters while changing voting law to suit themselves alone while absolutely NO evidence of significance exists to support voter fraud on a widespread leg. ; ]
Cheers
What a shock. With the Russian Mob running the voting booths, their guy gets in again. I bet Russia wishes they still had the Soviet Union at this point.
Putin should pay.......errrr I mean request our Supreme Court to examine the election results.........THEN he would clearly be declared the winner.
It's not my fault you don't understand how polling statistics work.
It's also not my job to give you a stat lesson. Try going to college and get an advanced degree that involves large amounts of statistical analysis.
The math is ridiculously on my side here. I doubt there is an independent mathematician in the world that would say that this election result was anything other than the product of serious election rigging.
I could spend half an hour constructing a model which you wouldn't understand and would immediately ignore even if you could, or I can write you off as yet another internet troll schilling for a worse tomorrow, today.
Rallies across Russia for Putin are STAGED by Putin. I have relatives in Russia that said they were told at work "Go to a pro Putin rally or loose your job"
I see little difference between the "sway" of the Russian vote as compared to the current establishment GOP run. The media only cover the candidates they choose and only write articles that position their candidate in the spotlight and other as "un-electable". Meanwhile the sheeple graze and take in all the media "pasture".
We are doomed to see Obama remain in office, mainly due to the fact that the American Public do not want to take responsibility for themselves. Thus, America, is more like Russia everyday - Socialistic.
Mickey-1983943......
You're WRONG !!!!!
Older peoples actually more support Communists.... YOUNG peoples for Putin....
If old peoples will be start supporting Putin, It will be no competition to Putin at all....
Rigged elections? Sounds familiar.......once bitten twice shy.
There's more than one mobster playing with elections, so much for putting our faith in machines to "read" the votes.
As the above post would indicate, Putin learned a lot from our last election.
As Pepe' LePew would say; "...you were expecting 'Umphrey Bogard?"
HELLO, the man was once head of the KGB! Of COURSE he going to cheat to stay in power.
That country will never see daylight as long as people like him, who have that kind of old communist party ties, stay in power.
They need a completely new generation of young Russians to step forward and take charge.
Questioning the patriotism of his opponents. He'd fit right in with the Teabaggers/GOP here in the US.
What does any one expect if it is fraud, they were tutored by the RNC
Mickey-1983943, Old people that are dependant on government voted for another candidate. Watch some news before writing stupid stuff. There were 5 candidates and one of them was a communist, old people really did vote for him because they want communism back. Another candidate was a stupid clown, thank God Putin was elected! Russian people love him... and he is the reason why Russia is so powerful! I hate when people are writing things without having enough information and without knowing a single thing about this election.
mowdy5gs
The "volunteer" posters are doing the job assigned I see. NOW BUSH did in getting Putin elected again?? You people are past annoying into Saturday night live comedy with this crap. I wonder, will there be Black Panthers at the polling placed in November holding billy clubs in one hand and a sign saying BUSH DID IT! in the other?
And that joke is continued by all the others, sitting in Narwhal I expect, saying how the RNC and the TEA Party taught them fraud. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. It has been proven time and time again that in CHICAGO (you do remember who started there?) dead people vote and the long standing comments on elections is vote and vote often. You people are really rediculous, we know where we have to watch for fraud here.
As to Russia, they have to solve their own problems and out leaders making Putin the enemy will not be in our best interests either. Things were fine between our two countries until the current administration.
bdjb for common sense:
What does an economic policy have to do with the conspiracy allegations a candidates electability? Yes, socialism is an economic policy, not a political one.
This puddin guy looks like a nazi to me. I'm wondering if maybe eva brown didn't have a little affair with one of the russian comrads and told adolf it was his. Then once hitler figured it out and realized that he couldn't of knocked her up because of the gay sex he like, they left the kid off in the Kremlin and whalla you got puddin.
I can't believe how uneducated some people are.... So sad Joe, so sad...
The natural enemy of Russia is China. Russian holds all the natural resources China lacks. Unfortunately, at this time the greatest enemy of Russians are the other Russians under Putin's control. Putin is working hand in glove with the vast criminal network in Russia to keep himself in office. While Putin is grooming his Brown Shirts and Youth Brigades China is making advances on their common border and has established cities within Russia that are poised to usurp the tottering Putin government.
<blockquote>Kam1la
Mickey-1983943, Old people that are dependant on government voted for another candidate. Watch some news before writing stupid stuff. There were 5 candidates and one of them was a communist, old people really did vote for him because they want communism back. Another candidate was a stupid clown, thank God Putin was elected! Russian people love him... and he is the reason why Russia is so powerful! I hate when people are writing things without having enough information and without knowing a single thing about this election.</blockquote>
The people of Russia don't love Putin, they fear him. People who speak in opposition to Putin either end up in prison, or dead. Just look at how many journalist have been assassinated for reporting on Putin's corruption. Russia is so powerful, ONLY because the price of oil jumped sky high, and they are able to extort their neighbors for money by cutting off their natural gas supplies. If it wasn't for that, Russia would still be begging the IMF for loans every couple of years
Kam1la: Your sad about my education? Don't be Kam1la. You should be sad about yours before your sad about anyone elses. See I read a long, long time ago that an educated man wouldn't judge, critisize, or belittle an uneducated man. So Kam1la, maybe you still have a chance, I don't know. I don't know anything about you except, your a teaparty repub. Theres no doubt in my mind that your a repub. So maybe you don't have a chance. Sorry.
Putin winning was a foregone conclusion. Putin winning this election was already a lock when he gave up the presidency to Medvedev back in 2008. Medvedev was just a placeholder for Putin until Putin could run again for two more terms starting this year. Putin has continued to be the one calling the shots the whole time. Putin will serve two more terms and then pick another successor to keep the chair warm for him while he continues to call the shots behind the scenes. Putin is ex KGB and knows where all of the skeletons are burried so it is very easy for him to continue to control things for as long as he wants.
Kam1la- I can't believe how uneducated some people are...so sad Joe, so sad.
I hate when people are writing things without having enough information and without knowing a single thing about this election.
Hmmmm Kam1la these two comments you posted seem to say a lot about you. I think its a lot worse than you not liking mondays too. Really Kam1la, it says it all about you right there. One your wrong and two you seem to be a little miserable too. Read Raddaves comment below yours if you'd like to know whats really going on over there. My post about eva brown and a russian comrad was meant to be on the lighter side of politics on mondays, but you seemed to take it as an education problem I have. lol. Your funny. Your funnier than I thought I was. Oh well. I tried.
Vladimir Putin was inaugurated president on 7 May 2000. He has been in control of Russia for 12 years now.
Hmmm. Sounds like he is their "elected" dictator. We know what happens when anyone opposes this man; they die, or are imprisoned.
I am not saying he should not be in power, he has been good for Russia. I am saying that anyone with the guts to oppose him will pull back a bloody stump, and that he is as corrupt as they come. So much for their revolution; if a king is what they want, a king they shall have.
Pure outright plagiarism. They stole that line from the U.S. republican parties victory acceptance speech against the middleclass should they some how find a way to steal the 2012 elections.
Putin:
Tears of Joy won in a fraudulent election.
The dissidents who are being arrested will be in jail, the others may not find their fate so good.
Yes, Russia, the Friend of Iran, Venezuela, China, and Cuba.
It is still the USSR---Fraud, corruption, and no chattering to others in their "Free Society".
Putin won...and you can only talk, because is nothing else you can do about it.
My wife is from Russia. She just voted for Putin. Don't believe what is written here, most Russians support Putin. The election was not rigged and alot more people are coming out to support Putin then to protest against him. The western media only focuses on the opposition and doesnt tell the whole story. United States spends alot of money to support the opposition. If the money were to go away the opposition would go away. Also other people that oppose Putin have a right to do so. Many people oppose Obama and no one questions democracy in America. NATO wants Putin out of the way so that they can attack IRAN and take over the middle east. I served in Iraq in 2007 for 15 months. What i saw there made me firmly believe that democracy has nothing to do with it. The truth is that Iraqis lived much better under Saddam then under our rule. Alot more people are diying in Iraq now and there are alot more human rights violations after the invasion then there were with Saddam. The war in South Osetia when Georgia attacked South Osettia was financed by the Untied States and the NATO. The Georgian army was trained supplied and recieved logistical support in order to distabilize the cituation in the North Caucus, along the Russian border. I dont know why America is starting all these wars all over the world. But i think one reason for it could be the Jewish pro-Israili lobby APAIC. These wars are not in the national interest of the United States. In fact America cannot afford them and the end result of them will the radicalization of the Middle East against America. That's 1billion people that will be very angry. The muslim population in the United States is growing exponentialy. Someone benefits from these wars but it's not America. The American media is full of propaganda from hollywood to CNN, and FOX. The American people are not getting the full story and are being misled. The only candidate in the American presidential elections are the same, they all stand for the same thing. The differences between the candidates are superficial. What happened to the American politics? Looking at the events of the past twenty years the biggest threat to world peace is America. There is a good documentary called THE MONEY CHANGERS on youtube made in 1996 that i think everyone should watch. Watch the documentary on APAIC, also on youtube. Search for information and form your own opinions, but be careful of the war propaganda that is filling the U.S. media.
Great.
Pro-totalitarian Putin Regime rhetoric combined with Anti-Jew conspiracy theories.
Yeah, this smacks of spin-doctor 'narrative control'.
This is accurate. I've heard the same from my acquaintances there as well. This piece was a typical corporate hack piece generated by the State Dept through NBC. The not-so-sly attempt at saying that Putin protestors are all employees forced out into rallies is hideous Cold War propaganda. Shameful stuff. This is a war betweenthe neo-liberals who already wrecked Russia in the 90s and are the same people trashing this place and Europe these days and Russians who would prefer to control their own destiny.
One of rumors is that Putin's HQ had hired lots of paid agitators. 85 roubles per comment, 200 for a post, right? Or international propaganda is paid much better?
Your not very bright are you Chris? I mean seriously. Do you honestly think that Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Iran are about freaking democracy? Like H-Minus above, I am a vet. I spent 12 years as a Ranger involved in military intelligence. This means Chris, that I have training in analyzing geopolitical events. The series of events that we are all watching have been part of a plan for the last 60 years or so, they are not random.
Tell you what. Go to a mathematician and ask them to calculate the chances of all of these events happening randomly are. Astronomical, that's what they are. The US went to Afghanistan too look for Bin Laden. Yet when they got there they assigned 80 men, out of the 60,000 they sent, to hunt for him while the rest moved to defend the natural gas pipeline running from the Caspian Sea. They went to Iraq to look for WMDs that they had PROOF of. NO WMDs were found. Not one. Nor were any plans to build them found. Western media has been trying for several years to claim that the Iranian President said that when he gets a nuke he will destroy Israel, yet he has NEVER said that. EVER.
Putin learned his lesson about trusting the US and its intentions when we lied (yes LIED.) about WMDs in Iraq. Iraq and Afghanistan are merely staging points for an Iranian invasion. The Iranians DO have a much better military than either of those nations and the US, if it plans to invade, needs those staging points. The US had not only had a hard-on for Iran ever since the Embassy take over and they used THAT to bring down Carter. The CIA helped to plan that rescue and who was the head of the CIA? George HW Bush, the man who would become VP if Carter lost over the botched attempt. Special ops people DO make mistakes my friend. But they don't make THOSE mistakes and they certainly never make that many.
Because some conspiracy theories are nutty, that does not mean they ALL are my friend. We have been trained to think that even THINKING about the possibility of a conspiracy in our government is a silly idea, a training that has been going on since the McCarthy era. Try looking at the FACTS, Chris.
Ya cuz Iraq was way better off getting slaughtered by their dictator
H-Minus, Don't worry we won't believe what is written here. We'll believe what the international monitors have to say about it.
You do not have to rely on the western media to report facts, you can read between the lines when Putin starts announcing that he won before all the votes where in. You can also read between the lines when Putin is standing on stage saying that we have kept Russia from falling in to the hands of enemies.
It is clear he knew he would win and it is clear that he wants people to think that he is the only one who can save Russia. We do not have to listen or believe what the media says, because we can hear what Putin says.
Good conspiracy or bad conspiracy, it is always a great idea to read between the lines. No government tells the truth and no thinking person would ever read the news and simply say that they are being given all the information.
Brian-" Don't worry we won't believe what is written here. We'll believe what the international monitors have to say about it."
Ah yes,the Monitors.Let's see who they are,before we start buying their reports.
Wikipedia:
The GOLOS Association (Cyrillic: ГОЛОС, meaning "vote" or "voice") is a US Government-funded NGO. It was established in 2000 to facilitate Western influence over the electoral proceedings in Russia.
On 2 December, NTV showed an investigative documentary film, "Голос ниоткуда" (Golos niotkuda, translated as "Voice from nowhere" or "Vote from nowhere"), in which the GOLOS Association was accused of making propaganda paid for with foreign money, in particular from the United States.
On 8 December, the Life News portal has announced it had received access to 60 megabytes of secret correspondence between GOLOS administration and USAID (a federal government agency of the United States), and correspondence between GOLOS administration and its activists. The correspondence has shown that GOLOS sent reports to USAID on how the money that was funneled from USAID was being spent. Also the correspondence has shown that activists were bribed for filing each purported violation.
Its obvious what their agenda has been and is.To bring Russia under the control of the West,in particular the US. And to try and delegitimize and destabilize any government that refuses to go along with that control.Well,they have bitten off more than they can chew in Russia. I suspect the Russians will close them down,and bring criminal charges on these so-called activists they are paying.
Except for Ron Paul. He is truely the the only one who wants to stop the wars.
Otherwise you are right.
crying, and he thinks he's out of the woods..lol..
He is out of the woods. Opposition leaders are calling for all protests to stop and are recognizing their defeat. The only ones that won't recognize their defeat are the Communists. Russias second most popular party. Russia has like five or six parties in the parliament. America only two. I am an American citizen and neither Republicans nor Democrats represent my beliefs. I think that many Americans would like an alternative to the Democrat or the Republican parties.
Totally agree with H-Minus, wish we had a real third party. We are either way too much to the left or the right. How about a thrid party which is in the middle? One that speaks correct political jargon and performs them as well.
Very much so... I always hate on Republicans because they're always rudely hating on everyone else but Democrats can be just as ridiculous sometimes :O We all need to fuel the fire for more options now!! Because the ones we have for our own election suuuuuuuuck!!!!
Russia's political parties are simply tools of United Russia. The government vets all the candidates and parties and decides which ones can campaign and run. If any of their candidates step too far out of line the Kremlin clamps down on them. Thus you have an illusion of multiparty democracy while the conclusion is very carefully controlled.
I don't like the two-party system, but in America at least it's an actual contest between the two parties. Too bad they're not even that different from each other.
"Too bad they're not even that different from each other."
That's the problem,they are both sold to the same corporate interests.You hear all the time about companies,and the wealthy here.giving money to BOTH candidates in an election.They can expect from that,whoever wins,they own them.
As to Russia's political parties vetting.Here,before you can get on the ballot you have to show a level of support,that the election boards decide on. The debate groups will only accept candidates in their debates they consider real candidates ie the two parties.The media won't cover third party candidates.And without media coverage a candidate has no chance of winning.Even if the so-called monitors were right in Russia about fraud.Putin still would have won the most votes.Even they admit that.Whereas,in the 2000 US election,even with obvious fraud in Florida,the Democratic candidate received more votes nationwide.Yet,he was denied the victory anyway.Now if they followed our playbook.A Russian government funded monitor group would have proclaimed the election illegal.And paid activists would have been in the streets protesting,soaking up worldwide media coverage.And attempting to bring down the American government.But what we saw instead,was the world media play down the story,no Russian funded groups stirring up trouble,and no foreign paid,protesting mobs in the streets.As well as,since both parties are paid by the same interest groups,the Democrats just shrugged off the fraud.So instead of the real winner,we got GW Bush,and we know what happened to us from that time forward,9/11,wars,billions wasted, civil liberties eroded,Gitmo,loss of world respect,financial meltdown.For 8 nightmare long years of Bush's misrule.All along supported by the Republicans.And with Democrats afraid of being thought disloyal if they stood-up to him.
"with obvious fraud in Florida,the Democratic candidate received more votes nationwide.Yet,he was denied the victory anyway."
Gore wasn't denied victory in 2000 - he lost in the Electoral College which is the process for winning the Presidential Election, duh!!! Our Presidential Election is not done on a straight nationwide majority vote. And, as to your assertion that the Florida vote was fraudulent, the Miami Herald did a thorough re-count of every vote cast and Bush was the winner fair and square. Your leftist crap shows how ignorant you are and is a big reason why this intensely socialist country is broke with no politician willing to make the necessary changes.
"Gore wasn't denied victory in 2000 - he lost in the Electoral College which is the process for winning the Presidential Election, duh!!! Our Presidential Election is not done on a straight nationwide majority vote. And, as to your assertion that the Florida vote was fraudulent, the Miami Herald did a thorough re-count of every vote cast and Bush was the winner fair and square. Your leftist crap shows how ignorant you are and is a big reason why this intensely socialist country is broke with no politician willing to make the necessary changes."
I have to love how right-wingers try to excuse the fraud in 2000.As to the electoral college,in itself a non-democratic institution.The fraud was what made them give the election to Bush.Had the right leaning Supreme Court not denied the appeals,the candidate that actually won the people's vote would have been President.The Miami Herald,another corporate shill is not the best source of truth.As to you,if you think what passes for a left here in the US is really Socialist,your the ignorant one.
Putin- his soul is set for Hell - he leads as a saten backed person that will start a Nuke power strugel all over again and a cold war all ovr again-get ready US -he had us spend Billions to track russia old Nukes because they couldn't and didn't have the money--Being Retired Military and in servise in cold war time they will do all they can to prevent the shild from going up even if he has to start a Nuke build up- and he said he willl- they said no to Libia then Yes and now No to seria- he wants others to die to make russia able to go in and take the oil they need- watch out WW3
Watch the entire Putin's speach during this economic summit. McCain is sitting in the first row. The translation is on point.
Obama told him what to say, Between the two of them I don't know which one is better at taking away our rights and us thinking they are doing a good thing..
Russia supports Putin. Stop listening to what your propaganda boxes tell you.
Stacey, you have nice boobs... too bad your really stupid
So we should listen to what your propoganda boxes tell you instead?
Sorry, I prefer my propoganda box to yours. Mine isn't run by the government.
"Sorry, I prefer my propoganda box to yours. Mine isn't run by the government."
No,yours are run by right-wing corporate interests instead.Oh,that's Sssoooo much better.
It is, actually (if you were to acknowledge that right-wing interests are the source of news, which I do not). But I appreciate the shallow sarcasm.
Putin cries, too? Wow, he's the complete package. [sarcasm]
Did Putin get a face lift? He's got this Micheal Jackson thing going on with his eyes in recent pictures.
The opposition elements in Russia against Putin are financed by the west which do not wish to see the re-emergence of Putin. Putin taks no non-sense from the west and will not be dictated nor bullied by the west.
An assertive Russia under Putin will end the hegemony of the west, sand this is good for the world peace.
He to owes the Central Banks, That who is running the world
Right on Brother :) A strong Russia is essential to world peace. No "policeman of the world" will be tolerated. Go Go Putin :) We know the color of the western supporters' hat, and overcoat :)) And it ain't white :)))
Do you know what you are talking about or has the Vodka gotten to your head again. Better check the door Spetznat might be around corner as too the KGB for your dissentful speech.
From Communism to a Dictator again, Just seems like Russians do not want to be free.. Sort of how America has been the last 10 years or so. Seem people want Government to take care of them. What happens when the money runs out or is not worth anything because of over printing, We all think the last couple of years were tough, Wait to you see where Obama is taking us.
Is America "free" or wholly controlled by BIG BUSINESS? Is that your kind of freedom? Soon we get to the point that if you disagree with BB you lose your job. It's NOT far. And contrary to the belief it is NOT the Government that is BIG BROTHER but it is the BIG BUSINESS. Ain't ot funny both have the same initials. Big Brother, Big Business. Maybe it was always Big Business that pulled the strings.
Yeah, except our nation the government doesn't take care of us but instead takes care of Afghanis and Iraqis. Over one trillion spent on these wars, do you know how much is one trillion? Thats that enough GDP to run two decent countries. Most of our money went on these wars. Wana fix America and lower our debt? Why don't you invent something without relying on Chinese labor and export it to other countries and make sure that you get taxed the way you were supposed to. If you did that America would be saved. The population is always increasing, get used to money being printed. The Russians voted for Putin, its not your place to judge if that is called free or not.
To a much better place than an ignorant republican could ever take us
Sad to say this, but I think Comrade Putin may be the actual best choice for the job unless they plan to revamp the old communist system as the last had some pretty big flaws. As I doubt such a redefinition is possible this man knows the who's who and whats what in Russia he has led the people for some time and does not require being 'read in' to the job.
Goodness Gracious,
Putin can conjure up tears as skillfully as John Boehner and Rush Limbaugh; clearly these gentlemen have spent lots of time studying and channeling the late, great Spencer Tracy's drama queen performance in "Adam's Rib."
It's good that there are monitors who are pointing out flaws in the Russian election. But what about the recent election charades in notoriously corrupt places like Moslem dominated Egypt and Iran? There were no monitors and the media said nothing. You guys sent, and are still sending, the false message that those elections were fair and honest. It's almost certain that those so-called elections in Egypt and Iran were rigged. But you give them a pass.
Those so called "monitors" are all from this side of the River Jordan and are drooling at the sight of the Russian Riches that they will NEVER lay their filthy hands on. Go Putin Go.
Who's John Doing? Putin himself??? This is the dumbest thing i've ever read. Shut up dummy shut up
And its probably because they're terrified to even step foot in either of those countries. Playing the devils advocate now, I want to trust these monitors but who the hell are they anyway?? How do we know anything they report is even true and accurate??? just like anything in this world
People give Iran a pass because nobody expects a fair election. It's a theocracy, so even if the election was fair it wouldn't matter all that much.
I don't know about Egypt's election though. Did the military keep monitors out? Were there allegations of fraud?
Hanging Chads?
I'll call your "hanging chads" and raise you an "ACORN"...
Earle, funny thing you mention ACORN, when the GOP used them too. Debunk that.
Did the GOP have the Black Panthers at polling places assisting the voters?
I keep hearing a lot about the Black Panthers being at all these polling places in the US.First of all they weren't at mine.Second,if they had been at mostly white polling locations,there would have been riots if they tried to intimidate white voters.But there weren't any problems there.Third,if there were some of them at mostly black polling places,are you guys seriously trying to tell me they were intimidating black voters from voting for McCain.
After the actions from the last US election (ACORN, etc), apparently we need election monitors here also...
https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+election+fraud
Well,I'm guessing that the Russian government would be glad to assign some of their people to come and help monitor our elections for us.They'd be more than happy to help us in the same manner with that just like we did with them.
The Russian people have voted. The election was doted with irregularities in some places. The winner by all accounts is Mr Putin. Gallup gave him a near 50 % edge over his opponents. True that he may have slashed his opponents even without needing to adopt other technicalities like busing around voters. Russia is a young democracy. The streets have even shown us that people would like to see change. The newly elected president is not going to turn a deaf ear to the demands of transparency and end to the use of political position to attain economic advantages - a practice that puts Russia at par with many African countries(corruption). So, change should be eminent even with the new-old president. The main thing is to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the Russian society. Deal with the issues that confront the country and I believe that even the middle class could praise Mr Putin in the long run if he addresses the problems of the country head on without accusing the west of being the source of Russia´s internal problems. I know Russians are very intelligent and hope they continue working hard on their long journey towards fairness in all matters regarding governance.
What a surprise to no one..
His opposition should have hired ACORN.
Voter fraud?
Democracy at work........American style.
2000
2004 i mean
1960
This is Obama's wet dream. He wants to be king for life so badly.
Sounds like you're the one wet dreamin about Obama buddy
Putin must have paid close attention to Karl Rove and the GW Bush political election rigging?
Hah Florida... thank God i moved out of that crappy-a$$ state
Geez, Russia sure still loves their KGB men, eh?????
Lolz.
Putin is obviously a mirror image of Ahmadinejad.
As much as like to hate these pieces of crap.. they certainly like to keep the US in check don't they, which might not always necessarily be a bad thing... but usually, when it comes to these guys, it is. So good going Russian Gov my guess is you'll have to watch out for the protests by most of the people in your country undoubtedly coming your way... That's what happens when you screw your people!! And hopefully they do more than protest this time!! Enough is enough!!
what a scumbag piece of sh!t!!!!!!!!
The same thing will happen here in November.....odumbo will not leave willingly.
ohiofan, you must love Putin.
Yeah. As if we don't have our own election anomalies. Anyone remember when the voting machines would go to "Bush" when the people pressed "Kerry"? Remember when the exit polls did not match the results for the first time in history? Our world is hopeless. Bunch of liars and cheats.
Roy you are a dope. You can wish and hope all you want that 2000 was rigged but the bottom line is this: Gore tried to steal the election by manufacturing nonexistent issues.
Carry that forward to John Kerry - reporting for duty! in 2004. So he could trash his fellow brothers in arms in front of Congress some more from a bigger podium. What a charlatan.
Name me a Republican in the 20th Century that tried to steal an election. You can't. But I can give "Lanslide" Lyndon Johnson for the U.S. Senate in '48, Kennedy in '60 courtesy of Mayor Daley and Gore in 2000.
Did anyone believe the out come would be any other way? This is about the same thing that is happening to the elections hear in this country.