Donald Trump's Russia and Vladimir Purtin's America

[mongers]

How would it be if Donald Trump ruled Russia and in his place Vladimir Putin was the US President, all other things being equal?

Or are they so much the products of their country's systems that neither could have possibly become the leader in the other country?

[Maladict]

Both countries would be worse off.

[Eddie Teach]

Agree. Putin would be better at subverting our system, while Trump would have more leeway to act on his dumbest impulses.

[crazy canuck]

Trump wouldn't last two seconds.  He is not smart enough to survive in that environment.  Putin would last slightly longer but only because it would take a process under law to get rid of him.

[DGuller]

Trump wouldn't last long, Russia is not North Korea.  You're the boss of bosses, not absolute ruler with divine mandate.  You need to be the most astute boss to remain in power.

Putin may do very well, in a way that is very bad for America.  I think Trump revealed that American people's resistance to autocracy has been way overhyped.  He would be pretty effective at playing on people's fears to effectively disenfranchise them.

[Eddie Teach]

Putin would last slightly longer but only because it would take a process under law to get rid of him.

Putin wouldn't act as brazenly as he does if he were in America. He could last out his two terms.

[derspiess]

Putin would last slightly longer but only because it would take a process under law to get rid of him.

Putin wouldn't act as brazenly as he does if he were in America. He could last out his two terms.

I don't see that.  Unless we're talking about a thoroughly Americanized Putin.

[Barrister]

Trump right now is very lucky.  He's President in a country that still has a strong degree f respect for the rule of law, and as such you can see the Federal bureaucracy struggling to accede to his demands.  But even still you've seen many examples reported in the papers about how Trump can't even control his own White House.  He'd never survive in the murky world of Russian oligarchs.

Putin in the USA... well for better or worse the USA would have him term-limited a long time ago.  Remember he became President of Russia in 2001.  And we wouldn't know how well he'd handle ruling a country where he can't just go out and murder journalists and political opponents.

[Valmy]

I mean...sure but he has been the man in Russia since 1998.

[DGuller]

Alternatively, Trump in Russia could become a Boris Yeltsin type figure:  a decomposing buffoon propped up by shadoey figures.

[Barrister]

Alternatively, Trump in Russia could become a Boris Yeltsin type figure:  a decomposing buffoon propped up by shadoey figures.

But that's what we all thought Trump was going to be like during the election.  Turns out Trump really thinks he is smart and won't defer to anyone.

[Valmy]

Alternatively, Trump in Russia could become a Boris Yeltsin type figure:  a decomposing buffoon propped up by shadoey figures.

But that's what we all thought Trump was going to be like during the election.  Turns out Trump really thinks he is smart and won't defer to anyone.

Yeah I mean I sort of hoped Trump was going to be a puppet to traditional Conservative Republicans but nope.

But then I also hoped Dubya was going to be a cipher for George HW Bush's people. I am getting used to disappointment.

[crazy canuck]

Putin would last slightly longer but only because it would take a process under law to get rid of him.

Putin wouldn't act as brazenly as he does if he were in America. He could last out his two terms.

Ok, so in your scenario, Putin is not Putin.

[Eddie Teach]

No, but I think he's shrewd enough to alter his behavior to the circumstances he's in.

[crazy canuck]

No, but I think he's shrewd enough to alter his behavior to the circumstances he's in.

Exactly, in your scenario he alters his behavior to act like an American politician - kind of defeats the exercise of the thought experiment.