Kasparov on Trump

Kasparov was the world chess champion years ago. He was also part of the Russian pro-democracy movement, which is also why he no longer lives in Russia.

"After four long years of chaos and lies from the Trump administration, it's time to prepare for the worst, even as we hope for the best. Every time we thought he could stoop no lower, that there were no boundaries of legality or decency left for him to violate, he has outdone himself.

Normal people don't like to imagine terrible events, which is why autocrats consistently surprise them. (As when I wrote here back in April that it would seem logical to someone like Trump to try to sabotage the US Postal Service if he thought it could help his electoral chances. Unimaginable, until it happened.)You could make a very long list of things pundits insisted autocrats would never do that they eventually did. I made such a list myself, about Vladimir Putin. In my 2015 book, "Winter Is Coming," I called it the "Putin would never" list.

"Doesn't Putin realize how bad this looks?" became the experts' refrain after he crossed line after uncrossable line. As if he cared how things looked. Why should he? Dictators don't ask "Why?" They only ask, "Why not?" They don't stop unless someone stops them. No one stopped Putin."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/31/opin...-prepare-for-unimaginable-kasparov/index.html

 

Why is it you accept kasparov as a politics expert but you fail to accept my expertise in virology?

 

You have expertise in virology?

 

Because he was an international icon and part of the pro-democracy movement. What are your credentials?

 

The overwhelming majority of Russian/Soviet immigrants in the US are among the staunchest supporters of president Trump in the US... but then unlike most, Kasparov is a super-rich multimillionaire in NYC, what does he care about miners in Pennsylvania?

 

I call it Ayn Rand Syndrome.

Because the Soviet system was perceived as Left, Russian emigres tend to go Right wing when they come here. They also tend to have a bit of trouble understanding the politics here.

I don't typically have a problem giving Right wingnuts a hard time, much harder than I am allowed to do here.

But I give Russian emigres a pass, most of the time.

There used to be a political forum where Victor Khomenko and I used to argue constantly. He is freaking brilliant, I might disagree with him, but I learned some things from him, and I can count the number of times that's happened from a Right wing guy on the fingers of one hand. My fave was a discussion we had on AI, he thinks it will never happen. My guess is that it will be an emergent property.

But while I disagree with him politically, I just about worship his engineering skill.

https://www.balanced.com/

 

So we're supposed to take advice from a Russian about how Russia has screwed us over all these years? Thanks but no thanks Mr. Kasparov.

 

You missed his point.

 

Wouldn't be the first time.

 

He's saying Trump wants to become a dictator and that we need to stop him.

Having seen that happen in Russia, he doesn't want it to happen here.

 

Kaspy needn't worry. Trump is a true believer in our constitutional system of government. It's hard for me to comprehend some people think Trump doesn't believe in presidential succession.

 

He fits the pattern, right down to the decor in his penthouse suite in NYC..

 

Well the off with his head then, he fits the pattern. You people are so judgmental.

 

Whether he believes in succession remains to be seen. I think he'll go quietly, but nothing would surprise me.

Trump's doctrine of absolute immunity is autocratic in nature.

 

Many wanted Trump to mandate behavior to save us from Covid. He passed up the greatest opportunity to be authoritarian of probably any leader in world history. Those who wanted him to act as a dictator on Covid and complain that he didn’t now want to warn me Trump wants to be a dictator. I’ve said over and over, self awareness is not the strong suit of progressives. They keep proving me to be correct.

 

No, we wanted him to act like a POTUS, and take the pandemic seriously. Instead, he acted only in his self interest, which is exactly what a dictator would do.

 

How was following the Constitution acting in his self interest?

 

The Constitution is irrelevant to my point. Having a plan to contain the pandemic does not make one a dictator. Nobody wanted Trump to be a dictator. They want a plan. Trump's handling of covid has been a disgrace. He has politicized the virus. It's all about him, all about the election. That's how banana republics do it.

 

No. Banana republics tell their citizens what they can and can’t do. Our republic gives the responsibility of Covid mitigation to the states....where it belongs. I don’t want some fool like Cuomo screwing up my state. We elected someone competent and sensible. New Yorkers don’t want competent and sensible and they had the right to elect and live with the consequences of that. Trump repeatedly emphasized his belief states should make their own decisions. I’m an independent and he almost got my vote because of that single action.

If you don’t like your situation blame your governor, state legislatures, local officials, and yourself. Not the guy who has no business planning your life. And why criticize Trump for “making it all about him” when that’s exactly what you are doing. Making it about him. He’s probably laughing at you on that point.

 

Kasporov is not the only worried Russian. Masha Gessen, google her.

Oh, and I don't want him to lose his head. I want him to be in good health for the rest of his life, in a Federal prison.

 

You've already screwed up your state.

 

In which case he like most if the rest of the parrots blowing that far left fodder are not only wrong but are a hundred and eighty degrees out of sync with reality.

 

Responding to a crisis is simply not authoritarian. That's nuts.

The 'greatest opportunity' is actually routine. Get elected, screw the country over. Putin did it.

Actually, we were aware of what he was before he was elected. Guys like that don't hide it.

Ironic bit of projection you have there.

 

Really? How?

 

In liberal upside down world, the Police are bad and orderly elections are tyranny. Hence lawlessness and chaos are lifted up. And their goal is power by any means. There is your tyranny or dictatorial spirit. Which is in fact what Trump doesn't want.