A tearful Putin claims Russian election victory

[HVC]

11 my favourite for some reason

[The Brain]

Putin is such a great villain.

[Habbaku]

#7 was my favorite.

[CountDeMoney]

I wonder how a Putin type figure would do in the US.

He resigned on August 9, 1974.

[11B4V]

He appears to be the Russian version of, "The Most Interesting Man in the World."

He should do beer commercials

[Razgovory]

I wonder how a Putin type figure would do in the US.

He resigned on August 9, 1974.

I don't think so.  While both are center right politicians, Nixons flaw was that he lacked the supreme self-confidence of other Presidents.  He never thought he was good enough, so he would cut corners and overstep boundaries.  He seemed to feel he needed to do this to even the odds.

[CountDeMoney]

I wonder how a Putin type figure would do in the US.

He resigned on August 9, 1974.

I don't think so.  While both are center right politicians, Nixons flaw was that he lacked the supreme self-confidence of other Presidents.  He never thought he was good enough, so he would cut corners and overstep boundaries.  He seemed to feel he needed to do this to even the odds.

You've watched too many sympathetic bio pics, you fucking tool.  Never thought he was good enough.  Nigger, please.

[Razgovory]

How many sympathetic bio pics have there been?  The man was wasted most of his second term.  He was self medicating.  He just couldn't handle it anymore.  That guy was neurotic all his life and the Presidency caused him to have a nervous breakdown.  This does not excuse his actions, but he wasn't some sort of evil overlord type villain or cackling maniac.  He was Woody Allen who instead of fucking his daughter was spying on perceived enemies.

[Ed Anger]

Nixon4NFLCommissioner

[derspiess]

I wonder how a Putin type figure would do in the US.  It's not something pleasant to think of.

Going by what Putin did the first time around, he wouldn't last half his term.

Really?  What do you mean?

He'd be impeached for, among other things, grabbing so much power for the executive branch.  Nixon doesn't come anywhere close to Putin.

[derspiess]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/27-reasons-why-putin-definitely-won-the-russian-pr

His shirtless thing is straight out of Mussolini's photo op playbook.

[Sheilbh]

I don't think so.  While both are center right politicians, Nixons flaw was that he lacked the supreme self-confidence of other Presidents.  He never thought he was good enough, so he would cut corners and overstep boundaries.  He seemed to feel he needed to do this to even the odds.

This is nonsense.  You don't become President if you lack supreme self-confidence.  You certainly don't become President and try to be a twentieth century Metternich if you lack it.  Also you don't have crazy things like CREEP and breaking into Watergate unless you've got a lot of self confidence.  He cut corners and overstepped because he thought he could.

Nixon's politics may have been motivated by resentment and paranoia.  He may have been an exceptionally needy man.  But none of that suggests he lacked self confidence.  He was not overawed by anyone in his time in office that I can think of, unlike, say Kennedy or Reagan at times.

[Razgovory]

I wonder how a Putin type figure would do in the US.  It's not something pleasant to think of.

Going by what Putin did the first time around, he wouldn't last half his term.

Really?  What do you mean?

He'd be impeached for, among other things, grabbing so much power for the executive branch.  Nixon doesn't come anywhere close to Putin.

I'm not so sure.  During the last decade conservatives were writing about how we need a more "muscular" presidency, and cheered the grabbing of power by Bush.

[Razgovory]

I don't think so.  While both are center right politicians, Nixons flaw was that he lacked the supreme self-confidence of other Presidents.  He never thought he was good enough, so he would cut corners and overstep boundaries.  He seemed to feel he needed to do this to even the odds.

This is nonsense.  You don't become President if you lack supreme self-confidence.  You certainly don't become President and try to be a twentieth century Metternich if you lack it.  Also you don't have crazy things like CREEP and breaking into Watergate unless you've got a lot of self confidence.  He cut corners and overstepped because he thought he could.

Nixon's politics may have been motivated by resentment and paranoia.  He may have been an exceptionally needy man.  But none of that suggests he lacked self confidence.  He was not overawed by anyone in his time in office that I can think of, unlike, say Kennedy or Reagan at times.

I didn't say he lacked any self confidence, I said he lacked that almost messianic self confidence you see in Presidents.  Watergate was not an act of confident man.  It was an act of a man who felt persecuted and desperate.  You don't engage in desperate measures if you think you are invincible.

[Sheilbh]

I'm not so sure.  During the last decade conservatives were writing about how we need a more "muscular" presidency, and cheered the grabbing of power by Bush.

I buy into the whole Imperial Presidency theory.  I think the executive does far too much and Congress has allowed itself to be emasculated.  But nothing on the scale of Putin's changes.  For example he replaced elections for Governors (and I think Mayors) with appointment by the Kremlin which isn't subject to scrutiny by the Duma.  That's a million miles from what conservatives would want in the US or what would be plausible in the US.