Putin is a hidden commieh? He congratulates Commies! :)

[K. A. Pital]

Vladimir Putin personally congratulated G. Zyuganov, the leader of Russian Communist party, with it's success at elections

"I want to congratulate you and the Party you represent, since you have increased your representation in the Parliament - from 47 to 57 mandates. 10 more places and so an increase in influence" - said Putin at a meeting with the Communist leader in the Kremlin, during the "Vesti" TV report.

G. Zyuganov, however, counted for a larger result [S.B. comment - he would have gotten it if not for Putin including himself into "United Russia" and officially endorsing it]. "We had reasons to count for it: good program, and a young active team" - the Communist leader remarked. He also said that Communists from virtually all regions will be represented in the Parliament.

According to Zyuganov, the CPRF fraction in the Parliament consists of "experienced people, two-thirds of whom were also working in the 4th Parliament on various administrative posts".

Heheh. Not that I love CPRF so much (in my mind it's an imcompetent party since hte demand for communist and socialist parties and ideas in Russia is very great, but the CPRF fails to realize a large fraction of that demand, ceding some to United Russia (which managed to grasp the image of late-USSR CPSU and thus a part of the "80's nostalgia" electorate).... just interesting. Why single out Communists? As the only politically credible opposition to the Kremlin? Or as the last in line to surrender to Putin's political will?

So far I didn't see Putin congratulating Zhirinovsky or Mironov, too. I wonder what this PR move from both Putin and Communists mean - end of a slow power feud? Or the CPRF just cedes oppositionary positions, totally turning into another Kremlin party? Heh. Something to ponder and ask when I see my regional representative next time.

[Guardsman Bass]

Maybe he's trying to suck them into United Russia's orbit. Not likely, but you can imagine.

Or alternatively, the Communist Party has discovered a secret weapon, which will enable them to not only block Medvedev from winning the next election, but which will give them 66.6% of seats in the Duma in the next election, and Putin's stalling for time.

[Mange]

The Communists set Russia (and countries which were forced into the USSR, my thoughts go particularly to my Baltic neighbors) back a great number of years politically, scientifically, economically and in terms of personal freedom. Not that I am one myself, but why hasn't social democracy been able to take a hold in Russia?

[TC Pilot]

What exactly would happen if the communist party won a majority in the country, anyway? I don't seem to recall a communist government ever being elected into power.

[Nieztchean Uber-Amoeba]

What exactly would happen if the communist party won a majority in the country, anyway? I don't seem to recall a communist government ever being elected into power.

San Marino, 1945. That's the only one I can think of off my head.

[Guardsman Bass]

The Communists set Russia (and countries which were forced into the USSR, my thoughts go particularly to my Baltic neighbors) back a great number of years politically, scientifically, economically and in terms of personal freedom. Not that I am one myself, but why hasn't social democracy been able to take a hold in Russia?

Stas Bush could probably tell you this in a lot better detail (and correct any errors I make, since he actually lives there), but it has a lot to do with the fact that in the 1990s, Russia basically went into a serious economic depression from a combination of "shock therapy" to make the country into a capitalist system right away, and the fact that Yeltsin helped butcher the privatization into a corrupt-as-hell sell-off of the major industries to the guys who became the Oligarchs. Said Oligarchs, of course, acted corrupt as hell for quite a while, which didn't help.

That's one side of it. The other is that in 1993, Yeltsin was extremely frustrated with the Parliament for blocking or stalling his reforms, so he ordered the military to fire upon the Parliament, and then brought out a referendum that gave the President in the new Constitution considerably more power.

Combine the economic chaos of the 1990s with the heavily strengthened presidency created by Yeltsin, and Putin came along. He helped sort things out economically so that Russia has been doing a lot better since the late 1990s in terms of economics (heavily assisted by oil), and he also worked to keep the oligarchs in line, which makes him popular with Russians who got screwed over in the transitional period in the 1990s (which also means that the liberal democratic parties are weak). It didn't help that at this point, Putin consolidated power through his political party, United Russia, and also used the state to acquire basically all of the television and much of the press, which gives his party an enormous advantage in elections.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

What exactly would happen if the communist party won a majority in the country, anyway? I don't seem to recall a communist government ever being elected into power.

There is an Indian state government that was elected communist.

[K. A. Pital]

What exactly would happen if the communist party won a majority in the country, anyway? I don't seem to recall a communist government ever being elected into power.

India: Kerala (50 years in power, successful). In the post-Soviet space: Moldova (so far only few years in power, little major change of economic policies). Also post-Soviet space: Belarus, although one can speculate how communist it's government is.

Not that I am one myself, but why hasn't social democracy been able to take a hold in Russia?

Hmm...

There is great strive for social justice, but recently there hasn't been any viable social-democratic force. The problems are that such a Party did not become popular in the 1990s (and if you failed to gather your adherents, then, you were confined to marginality), and that the Communists are too close to SDs for people not to notice any difference. In fact, Russian (post-1990) Communists are as close to social democrats in Russia as you could possibly get -they don't argue for abolition of all private property, but instead propose heavy taxation of luxuries, fight with offshores, easier conditions for smaller capitalists.

For example take "Just Russia" (a Kremlin-created "laboratory" test "socialist" party). Most Russians viewed it with great suspicion, because it didn't propose anything the Communists didn't - however, it played in hand with the current administration (Putin), thus they could be attacked for supporting the economical injustice of the current system.

[Guardsman Bass]

What's up with Communists in Russia, Stas? Are they just that incompetent as a party? I mean, they've hardly said a peep as of late, yet they just keep on bleeding seats in every election to United Russia - you'd think they'd be a little more aggressive in building an organization, if only to hang on to what they have.

[K. A. Pital]

What's up with Communists in Russia, Stas? Are they just that incompetent as a party?

Quite so. There are many reasons why they could do better:
1) Soviet nostalgia, never falls below 60% of the population
2) support for "reformed socialism", something like ~50% versus 29% for capitalism
3) resentment of capitalist injustice in Russia, a great majority of the population
4) pauperization by inflation and devaluation of commodities, also touched and touches now a great part of the populace

The problems are:
1) Soviet nostalgia and "powerful country" rethoric has been taken up by "United Russia"
2) Image of the CPSU has been taken up by "United Russia" (youth organizations a-la Komsomol, even if without vertical mobility, and unilateral power decisions in the country)
3) Social injustice and suffering in the 90s was arguably greater (40-50% of population under poverty), "United Russia" specifically agitates to "prevent a return to the 90s chaos, corruption, poverty and suffering".
4) CPRF's inability to get in contact with social protest actions which are very often massively starting without it's influence, like the 2006 monetization protest which brought thousands on the streets

These are IMHO the key roots of their inability for successful campaing. As someone who worked with them closely I can witness that many local organizations are good and have hardworking, creative people, but the general Party strategy is often aimed for failure.

[K. A. Pital]

P.S. Of course I failed to manage that Communists were routinely detained, beaten up, arrested both during the 90s and now, but this is how all oppositionary Parties in Russia are operating. Pretty bad, and certainly is impacting the elections results, not to mention that some high-profile information was leaked that the 1996 election in Russia was falsified to prevent Communists coming to power by a small margin.

The administrative resource is heavily devoted to "United Russia" (prior: to it's predecessor parties). Opposition parties have little agitation materials, TV time, and many lack monetary capitals to even try to wrestle (communists, small civil and democratic parties certainly do).

I have repeatedly voiced the need for equalization of time for electoral propaganda (after all, there's only 10-11 parties available in the elections, it's not really "unfair" to give all of them equal, money-independent attention), and the rebuke of capital lobbying and bribery, power abuse by TV managers and local administrations.

[TC Pilot]

San Marino, 1945. That's the only one I can think of off my head.

Was that when Upton Sinclair (the guy who wrote The Jungle) ran for governor, or something like that?

India: Kerala (50 years in power, successful). In the post-Soviet space: Moldova (so far only few years in power, little major change of economic policies). Also post-Soviet space: Belarus, although one can speculate how communist it's government is.

Would you say it would be viable, then, for the Russian communist party to consistently win majorities for the rather long period of time required to effect any sort of change a communist party would want to make?

And given how incompetent they seem (60% feeling nostalgic for communism sounds like a cake-walk), is it even a good thing?

[Mange]

Not that I am one myself, but why hasn't social democracy been able to take a hold in Russia?

Hmm...

There is great strive for social justice, but recently there hasn't been any viable social-democratic force. The problems are that such a Party did not become popular in the 1990s (and if you failed to gather your adherents, then, you were confined to marginality), and that the Communists are too close to SDs for people not to notice any difference. In fact, Russian (post-1990) Communists are as close to social democrats in Russia as you could possibly get -they don't argue for abolition of all private property, but instead propose heavy taxation of luxuries, fight with offshores, easier conditions for smaller capitalists.

For example take "Just Russia" (a Kremlin-created "laboratory" test "socialist" party). Most Russians viewed it with great suspicion, because it didn't propose anything the Communists didn't - however, it played in hand with the current administration (Putin), thus they could be attacked for supporting the economical injustice of the current system.[/quote]
Ah, interesting... Thanks Stas!

[K. A. Pital]

Ah, interesting... Thanks Stas!

You're very much welcome. If there's anything about post-Soviet communists and their fate in general that interests you feel free to ask. I've been working both inside the Party and outside it for several years, met with people from other CIS communist Party and even several people from the CPC (Communist Party of China) during my China trip.

Would you say it would be viable, then, for the Russian communist party to consistently win majorities for the rather long period of time required to effect any sort of change a communist party would want to make?

Yes, but that requires a great increase in competence of the current communists, and a democratization of their Party.

And given how incompetent they seem (60% feeling nostalgic for communism sounds like a cake-walk), is it even a good thing?

It's not so much a cakewalk as it could seem, since "Soviet nostalgia" does not equal, although it correlates, with CP support. As I said Putin was effectively able to channel the Soviet nostalgia to his own aides and aims - for example the Soviet nostalgia proportion is rather high among his supporters.

However, I agree that the current CP is waay to incompetent to take power. But if it does take power, that would require an increase in competence anyway, and more effective regional work, which would mean they'd have a social network to base their power upon.

So current CP's inability, is also an indictment of bad management in said CP and a sign that it needs to reform if it wants to become a more serious player in the Russian political field.

[Sidewinder]

In 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', the warlord Cao Cao toasts fellow warlord Liu Bei after they successfully defeated a rival. Cao Cao states that he and Liu Bei are the last heroes in China, which makes Liu Bei very nervous, because Cao Cao is a very ambitious man, and to have him acknowledge your strengths is a sign that he views you as a threat, and will act accordingly. (When Liu Bei shivers at Cao Cao's words, he claims he was frightened by a convenient roar of thunder, making himself seem cowardly to buy time to plan his escape.)

If I was Zyuganov, I'd be very nervous about Putin congratulating my party and I, for the same reason.

[K. A. Pital]

Heh, Sidewinder. You may have a point here. In fact there has been preceding things of the sort in Russia.

Yeltsin congratulated Rutskoy on his rise to the Parliament... little time passed and he shelled Rutskoy's Parliament in a power struggle.

It's quite possible one must be wary of such "warm welcomes".

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

Heh, Sidewinder. You may have a point here. In fact there has been preceding things of the sort in Russia.

Yeltsin congratulated Rutskoy on his rise to the Parliament... little time passed and he shelled Rutskoy's Parliament in a power struggle.

It's quite possible one must be wary of such "warm welcomes".

"Beware of Greeks bearing Gifts"