. . . Or, more likely, his speech writer came back from lunch and finished his notes for the boss’ address to the Valdai Discussion Club at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Wherever the words came from, Putin finally managed to congratulate Donald Trump on winning the U.S. presidential election, and indicated that he would be open to talks with the president-elect:

“I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his election as president of the United States of America,” he offered, adding that he was impressed with the way in which Trump had handled himself immediately following the assassination attempt at a campaign rally in July, describing him as “a brave man.” [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, November 7, 2024.]

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had stated that he was “not aware” of any plans by Putin to congratulate Trump, as relations with Washington were at “an historic low.” But when asked by journalists today whether a possible communication between Putin and Trump before the inauguration on January 20th was “off the table,” that agile, quick-on-his-feet press secretary did a supersonic 180 and replied — apparently in reference to earlier statements made by Trump:

“Why? It is not ruled out. [Trump] said that he would call Putin before the inauguration. Those are his words.” [Id.]

Peskov was also asked whether there had been any official contact between Russian authorities and Trump’s campaign following the election, to which he offered a brief, somewhat snarky-sounding response:

“No. Why should we contact them?” [Id.]

Wow, Dima! You’ve really been working on your obfuscation skills, haven’t you?

*. *. *

And so, as another day draws to a close, we are once more left without any idea as to where the on-again-off-again bromance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin stands at present. But what the hell . . . we’ve got four more years to figure it out.

Lucky us.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/7/24

The Addams Family?

Nope, not the Addamses; but I can see how you would make that mistake; they do sort of remind one of Morticia, Lurch, and Uncle Fester, don’t they? But they’re not.

No, they are the Trumps — some of them — about to become, once more, America’s first family, occupying the big white domicile at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., in our nation’s capital of Washington, D.C.

Oh, God! Four more years of Trumps?

But will it be the same as last time? Will Melania resume the role of stiff but gracious (more or less) hostess? Or will she continue to be the elusive, reclusive, unobtrusive mystery woman she has become over the past four years? She never really liked living in that drafty old White House, as I recall.

Barron’s the lucky one. He’ll most likely be spending most of his time at college, where he will still have to contend with his Secret Service contingent and the relentless media, but not with his parents or siblings. Maybe it’s not too late for him to become a normal human being. Other presidential sons and daughters have managed it. Of course, they didn’t have a father who . . .

No, no, I promised myself I wouldn’t go there.

And what about Ivanka and Jared? They’ve been largely out of the public eye for a while. Are they enjoying that, or do they miss the limelight, the celebrity status, the feeling of power? (For that matter, did anybody miss them?) Will there be active roles for them in this administration in line with their abilities? Is there even such a thing as a role to match their qualifications? Come to think of it, what are their qualifications? Oh, well, no matter . . . Daddy will come through with something, as always.

Then there are the Brothers Trump — Don Jr. and Eric. I guess they’ll be looking after the family fortunes again, on the assumption that someone can actually convince Dad to divest himself of his business interests this time around.

And dear little Tiffany. You’ve been the smart one all these years, staying out of politics and living your own life. You’ve got a good thing going there — you might want to hold on to it.

*. *. *

And there you have them: the core of the Trump family. There are some others, of course — grandchildren too young to participate in politics as yet; some second-tier relatives who don’t seem to matter; and we won’t even mention Niece Mary, who has made it abundantly clear that she doesn’t have much use for Uncle Donald (that’s Trump — not Duck).

Oops! I did just mention her, didn’t I? Oh, well . . . it’s all in the family.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/7/24

You’d have to be a centenarian to remember the old American vaudeville team of Gallagher and Shean from the 1910s and ‘20s. I heard about them from my mother. They were perhaps most famous for their eponymous theme song, “Gallagher and Shean” . . . or as sometimes referred to by its tag line: “Absolutely, Mr. Gallagher?” “Positively, Mr. Shean.”

For some reason, it came to mind as I was reading about Vladimir Putin’s reaction yesterday to Donald Trump’s election win, the reserved tone of which may have come as something of a surprise to Trump, who has always bragged about his close relationship with the Kremlin’s head honcho.

Speaking through your favorite Kremlin spokesman and mine, Dmitry Peskov, Putin gave the distinct impression that friendship — if indeed there is one — is about as meaningful to him as . . . well, as the lives of all those people he’s had locked up or liquidated for their dissenting political views. As delivered by Peskov:

“Let us not forget that we are talking about an unfriendly country, which is both directly and indirectly involved in a war against our state (in Ukraine),” Peskov said to reporters. [Guy Faulconbridge, Andrew Osborn and Dmitry Antonov, Reuters, November 6, 2024.]

Dima (as I take the liberty of calling him) went on to say that he was not aware of any plans by Putin to congratulate Trump on his victory — to hell with protocol, right? — and threw in a gratuitous reminder that relations between Moscow and Washington were at an historically low point:

“We have repeatedly said that the U.S. is able to contribute to the end of this conflict. This cannot be done overnight, but … the U.S. is capable of changing the trajectory of its foreign policy. Will this happen, and if so, how … we will see after (the U.S. president’s inauguration in) January.” [Id.]

The Russian Foreign Ministry had a few words to add on the subject as well, mentioning what they called a “bipartisan anti-Russian position among the U.S. ruling elite designed to try to contain Russia”:

“Russia will work with the new administration when it ‘takes up residence’ in the White House, fiercely defending Russian national interests and focusing on achieving all the set objectives of the special military operation (in Ukraine). Our conditions are unchanged and are well known in Washington.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Well! All right, then.

The gauntlet has obviously been thrown down, placing the ball squarely in Donald Trump’s court (if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphors). And this is where I had the sudden image of the team of Putin and Trump onstage, microphones in hand, belting out that good old vaudeville tune:

“Absolutely, Mr. Putin?”
“Positively, Mr. Trump.”

You know, on second thought, that may be exactly the way Donald Trump wanted it to go.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/7/24

Well, I suppose that would be almost any year. But some specific examples:

The Russian Revolution of 1917.

Actually, that was pretty horrible. (And it’s commemorated on the 7th, not the 6th — but close enough for government work.) Looking ahead to the next four years in the U.S., though, what I’m seeing could be even worse.

*. *. *

1861: Jefferson Davis Elected President of U.S. Confederacy. The Civil War had begun, and would continue for four years. Why does my brain keep seeing some sort of parallel here?

But history doesn’t always have to repeat itself . . . does it?

*. *. *

1528: Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca lands in Texas. We can’t really hold Sr. de Vaca responsible for the way Texas voted yesterday, but maybe if he had never set sail from Spain . . . Still, at the time it must have seemed like a very good day for his crew.

*. *. *

1860: Abraham Lincoln elected president. Aha! A really good one at last . . . though not necessarily for Jefferson Davis.

I’d like to know where the Abraham Lincolns of today are hiding . . . if indeed they exist. Anyone out there?

Please?

*. *. *

2021, 2022 and 2023: Because they weren’t presidential election years.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/6/24

Despite bogus online bomb threats leaving a trail to some Russian domains (no surprise there), no U.S. polling stations actually went up in smoke yesterday; and those that had to close temporarily while the threats were investigated were able to reopen without much delay. So, all in all — at least by today’s standards — it was a successful Election Day in America.

Until the results were in, that is. Since a picture truly is worth a thousand words, let me just say this:

So, to pass a bit of time doing something other than researching the immigration laws of the various Scandinavian nations, I decided to check in on my Celebrations Calendar for a bit of fun and inspiration. There was National Nachos Day, which wasn’t terribly inspiring, though nachos are almost always a good idea.

Next was something impressively named International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict. I have no idea how one might orchestrate a war without having a negative effect on the surrounding environment — just look at what’s happened to Ukraine and Gaza — but it certainly sounds like a project with a worthy goal.

I guess we could celebrate it by heading out to the nearest Mexican restaurant for some of those nachos.

*. *. *

And finally, I hit a home run. Because the third and last item on today’s list was so perfectly timed that whoever originated it must either have been psychic, or — somehow guessing what yesterday’s election was going to be like — squeezed it onto the calendar just in time. Without further ado, then, I give you . . .

National Stress Awareness Day.

Now, I ask you: Does it get any more apropos than that, except perhaps for “National Head For the Hills Day,” or “National How Will We Ever Survive the Next Four Years Day?” I really can’t imagine a more perfect appellation for the first day after the end of the just-finished campaign year.

Truly, if you’re not fully aware of the extraordinary amount of stress — past, present, and for the foreseeable future — that has been dumped on us, then you must have been hitting the sauce pretty hard for a very long time.

Oh, how I wish you’d invited me to join you!

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/6/24

Half of the population of the United States feels like this today:

The other half is just praying they made the right choice.

Now we wait to see what the future has in store for us.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/6/24

On this date in 1977, a handsome young man named George W. Bush married a very beautiful young lady named Laura Welch in Midland, Texas. And the rest, as they say, is history.

As it happened, Mrs. Bush also celebrated her birthday yesterday. So, happy birthday (we won’t discuss numbers) to the former First Lady, and happy anniversary to you both, President and Mrs. Bush.

And while I’m at it — this being Election Day as well — I would like to congratulate “Dubya” on becoming the only living former President to refrain from endorsing a presidential candidate. That took guts.

As explained by former President Bill Clinton when the two appeared in an interview on CNN on Sunday:

“First of all, he’s spoken up, I think, more than he’s gotten credit for, and he takes every opportunity that I’ve seen to talk about how important immigration is and how we can’t survive without it.” [James Liddell, Independent, November 5, 2024.]

So he can’t in good conscience back Trump. But what about Harris? Clinton further said that he believes Bush would not want to alienate his lifelong party by publicly endorsing a Democrat. So, he chooses to remain publicly neutral. Good for him.

His daughter Barbara, on the other hand, felt no such compulsion toward reticence, openly canvassing for Kamala Harris and saying that she hopes Democrats will “move our country forward and protect women’s rights.” [Id.]

A family that puts country first, votes their respective consciences, and is honest enough to come clean about it. What an unusual, and wholly refreshing, trait to find in today’s world . . . and especially in the world of politics.

*. *. *

And this being Election Day, I also found these interesting historical notes from earlier November fifths:

1912: Woodrow Wilson wins landslide victory. He saw us through World War I, keeping us out of it for the first two and a half years. In his second term, he suffered a stroke and his wife Edith took over the reins of office. That would never happen today!

1940: FDR re-elected for a third term. And he would win a fourth term, though not for long. He got the country through most of World War II, but didn’t live to see the end of it; that “honor” — the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki — fell to his successor, Harry Truman. No other president has been able to serve more than two terms, since the passing of the 22nd Constitutional Amendment in 1951.

1968: Richard Nixon elected president. He did some good; and then he did something really bad.

As Marc Antony famously said at Julius Caesar’s funeral:

”The evil that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their bones.”

So true, Mr. Shakespeare. So sadly true.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/5/24

When I recall my trip to Budapest in 1990 for a conference on doing business in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, I am able to conjure up so many lovely images: a private tour of the magnificent Parliament building; a boat ride along the Duna (Danube) River to a beautiful artists’ village called Szentendre; dining on the most delectable Hungarian goulash at a neighborhood restaurant outside the tourist area; riding the funicular railway up to Fisherman’s Bastion; and watching the lights go out on the Lanchid (Chain Bridge) from my hotel room window at midnight each night.

And most clearly I remember the overall atmosphere of hope for the future and sheer joy that permeated all of Eastern Europe at that time when the Soviet occupation had finally come to an end.

I’ve also written extensively of my summer in Prague in 1991, working in the new Czech office of an American law firm and soaking up the glorious history, architecture, culture, and food of that amazing country. I never did have a chance to visit Bratislava, the capital of what is now independent Slovakia but was then the eastern half of Czechoslovakia. But at the time, it was all one big, happy, forward-looking nation, finally free of the communist yoke.

It’s been barely three decades since the Soviet Union was relieved of its forceful hegemony over most of Eastern Europe, and itself splintered into fifteen separate, sovereign nations. And during that time, enormous political, economic and social strides have been made toward providing the citizens of those countries with a freer, more prosperous, and generally better life.

But . . .

Lately, there have been rumblings of discontent and disruption coming from leaders of some of the very nations — both former Soviet republics and Eastern Bloc countries — that fought so hard and so courageously to break the chains of Soviet/Russian bondage. Belarus, as is well known, has already become a puppet of Vladimir Putin, thanks to its presumptive president, Aleksandr Lukashenko. Moldova’s West-leaning president barely squeaked through their recent election with a narrow win. And Georgia is being torn between East and West, with massive demonstrations becoming a regular occurrence.

And now we have Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico making no secret of their preference for Putin-style authoritarian rule, opposing continued aid to Ukraine in its defense against the Russian invasion, and ignoring the obligations of their memberships in both NATO and the European Union (EU).

And Vladimir Putin is making them feel all too welcome.

My fear is that, with so much emphasis — essential as it is — being given to the more obvious hot spots in the Middle East and Asia, we may be in danger of repeating one of history’s biggest mistakes: ignoring Russia’s plans for Eastern Europe until it is once again too late.

I pray we don’t.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/5/24

It’s finally here. I voted early, so I don’t need to face the long lines or being pushed through the crowds today. And it’s such a close race, we may not even have a final result before the end of the day.

But it’s a day to celebrate anyway, for one huge reason:

NO MORE CAMPAIGNING!

I didn’t watch this year’s debates all the way through, because they always seemed to sink to the lowest level of accusations and name-calling, with a sprinkling of outright falsehoods thrown in for good measure, and hardly a mention of any real issues. Even reading the morning-after news reports was agonizing.

And it’s easy enough to turn off the TV when all of the programming centers around the election, and to delete the political emails.

But what has driven me batshit crazy this election was something new: the total bombardment by — not just emails — but hour after hour of text messages telling me to get out and vote, and how I should vote. I already did, you nimrods! Now please, lose my number!

Otherwise, next election, I’m burying my phone in the back yard until it’s over.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/5/24

And they’ve all survived the war in Ukraine.

I have to give the Russian government extra points for ingenuity. They’re facing a severe population decrease as a result of several factors: tens of thousands of military casualties in Ukraine; a declining birth rate among young couples not willing to bring children into a world gone mad; and the exodus of opponents to the Putin regime in order to avoid prison or conscription into the Army.

So how do they deal with these problems? Quite simply, they pass a few new laws. To fix the drop in the birth rate, they declare 2024 to be the “Year of the Family,” and proclaim that it is a woman’s duty (and privilege) to produce anywhere from three to eight children — even “encouraging” them to copulate with their mates during their lunch breaks at work. And written into this declaration is a substantial fine if you should be heard bad-mouthing the sexy new program, or even mentioning that you don’t wish to have children. I haven’t heard how this is working out in terms of an increased birth rate; but it certainly sounds as though lunch hours at the office are a lot more fun these days.

Then some genius came up with the idea of attracting new naturalized citizens from the ranks of military volunteers from other countries. A decree by President Putin at the start of the year “allows passports to be issued to participants in the invasion of Ukraine and their family members.” [RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty, November 4, 2024.]

Since the first of the year, some 3,344 foreigners have been granted Russian citizenship under this edict, though it is unclear whether that number includes family members. The law applies to military personnel who sign a one-year contract with the Russian Army or pro-Russian military formations fighting in Ukraine. [Id.]

So if you don’t get yourself blown apart by a Ukrainian drone or missile, you get to be the newest member of Russian society. Lucky you!

And who are these people? There are probably a few macho types from various parts of the world who thought war would be fun, or whose lives were so unhappy that anything seemed better than what they had. But for the most part, they’re probably conscripts from places like Chechnya, Africa, and now even North Korea, offered up by their governments as friendly gestures from Putin’s supplicants in exchange for . . . well, whatever it is their country happens to need.

On the flip side, however, Russian Interior Ministry representative Irina Volk said earlier this year that 1,117 already naturalized individuals had had their citizenship revoked in the first eight months of 2024 for refusing to register for military service [id.]. I guess they didn’t read the fine print on their citizenship certificates.

Thus, with 3,344 incoming and 1,117 outgoing, the population number-crunchers are left with a net gain of just 2,227 nouveau Russians.

But with a current estimated population of 144,535,500 souls, the result is a measly .00001540% population increase from this source . . . hardly worth the effort involved in implementing the program.

So I guess they’d better come up with yet another plan . . . and keep pushing for greater success in the baby-making department.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
11/4/24