Two-Thirds of Russians Felt No Impact of Western Sanctions

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According to poll results released on Wednesday, most Russians polled by the all-Russia Public Opinion Centre (VTsIOM) (67 percent) felt no impact of anti-Russian sanctions whilst 24 percent of respondents said the restrictions affected their financial position. In its report, VTsIOM said:

The respondents assessed more unambiguously the impact of Western sanctions on their family’s financial position… 67 percent of them didn’t feel their effect. However, there can be clearly seen the share of those who spoke about negative implications… 24 percent across the sample (reaching 36 percent in respondents who assessed their financial position as low).

As the poll suggests, Russians are divided on the benefit or the harm of the sanctions for the Russian economy… 34 percent of those polled believe that sanctions had a beneficial effect compared to 30 percent of the respondents who held the opposite opinion whilst 20 percent of respondents saw no impact of sanctions on our economic development. Responding to a question about positive consequences of the sanctions, Russians noted a boost in the country’s economic development (50 percent) and import substitution (20 percent). Amongst negative implications, respondents singled out growth of prices and taxes (22 percent) and economic decline (9 percent). Generally, the issue of sanctions remains topical for Russians… 57 percent of those polled paid attention to it. In reply to a question about Russian counter-sanctions, 73 percent of respondents said that they supported an unyielding foreign policy without concessions to the West whilst 17 percent of those polled disagreed with that. Most respondents (78 percent) believed that Western countries suffer more from anti-Russian sanctions. Commenting on the poll results, VTsIOM head Valery Fyodorov said:

Almost four years after their imposition, anti-Russian sanctions don’t cause any special fear. Moreover, a considerable part of our respondents sees mostly positive economic consequences in them. Nevertheless, every fourth respondent sees negative implications from the sanctions for their own well-being and for the well-being of their close relatives.

The poll was on 10-11 June 2018. The error margin is 2.5 percent with a 95 percent probability.

In 2014, the EU and the USA imposed sanctions on Russia over developments in the Ukraine and Crimean reintegration with Russia and often broadened and extended them. The EU suspended talks on visa-free travel and a new basic cooperation agreement, imposed a ban on entry to the EU for officials from Russia, and froze their assets, as well as introducing restrictions in the trade, financial, and military spheres. Overall, the EU blacklisted 151 individuals and 37 companies. It imposed sanctions against 20 Russian financial, energy, and defence structures. In addition, the USA imposed a ban on the export of US goods, technologies, and services to the Crimea. It also banned US investments in the Crimea.

20 June 2018

TASS

http://tass.com/society/1010277

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Why Russians are Losing Faith in Donald Trump

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When Donald Trump was running for the office of US President, many in Russia viewed him with cautious optimism. Many saw him as a breath of fresh air compared to the shocking level of Russophobia that underscored Barack Obama’s failed presidency, as well as that put forth in Hillary Clinton’s failed campaign. Recent polls found that this good will is starting to wear off, as Congress seems to be unwilling to let Trump even have the possibility to engage in meaningful détente with Russia. RT reported:

On Friday, state-run pollster VTsIOM reported that research from the end of July showed that 68 percent of Russians are aware of the new sanctions introduced against Moscow by the USA. 32 percent told researchers it this was the first time they had heard about the developments. In the same study, 48 percent of respondents said they expected the new restrictions to cause no changes in Russia’s policies or its relations with foreign nations. A little under a third (28 percent) said that the consequences of the sanctions could be negative, and 9 percent believed that Russia would actually benefit from them. In addition, 29 percent thought it is best to leave the new US sanctions without a reply, whilst 19 percent said they supported a symmetrical response and 9 percent admitted that although they considered reciprocal sanctions necessary, they couldn’t give any specific ideas for such steps. When asked about previous Western sanctions against Russia, 35 percent of respondents said that in their opinion these measures had improved the situation in the country. Just over a quarter (26 percent) said that they thought the West managed to worsen the situation in Russia, and 29 percent said that they saw neither positive nor negative changes. Moreover, 72 percent of poll participants shared the opinion that the Russian authorities shouldn’t push for the cancellation of the sanctions as they’d lift them in due time.

These poll results are in line with the general attitude that Russia requires virtually nothing from the USA and expects even less. Donald Trump became a figure of interest to some in Russia because he promised peace and reconciliation. Any people would naturally favour a foreign leader who seeks peace with them; Russia’s no different from any other country in this respect. However, that optimism faded as stagnation seems to be setting in. Having said that, still, most Russians are somewhat glad that Hillary Clinton, with her openly-hostile policy towards Russia, lost the election.

8 August 2017

Russia Feed

http://russiafeed.com/russians-losing-faith-donald-trump/

The Seven Stages of Establishment Backlash: Corbyn/Sanders Edition

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Editor:

This is from late January, but it still has tread and cred. Note the hysterical reactions of the Hilly/Billy clan to Sander’s continued strength. Remember this… the Clintons ushered in the present neocon aggression aiming at global hegemony. No decent person wants that. What does that tell you about their supporters? A meaty reflection, no?

BMD

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The British political and media establishment incrementally lost its collective mind over the election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader of the country’s Labour Party; its unraveling and implosion show no signs of receding yet. Bernie Sanders is nowhere near as radical as Corbyn; they’re not even in the same universe. However, especially on economic issues, Sanders is a more fundamental systemic critic than the oligarchical power centres are willing to tolerate; they find his rejection of corporate dominance over politics and of corporate support for his campaign particularly menacing. Thus, they regard him as America’s version of a far-left extremist, threatening establishment power.

For those who observed the unfolding of the British reaction to Corbyn’s victory, it’s been fascinating to watch the DC/Democratic establishment’s reaction to Sanders’ emergence replicate that, reading from the same script. Personally, I think Clinton’s nomination is extremely likely, but evidence of a growing Sanders movement is unmistakable. Because of the broader trends driving it, this is clearly unsettling to establishment Democrats… as it should be. A poll last week found that Sanders has a large lead with millennial voters, including young women; as Rolling Stone put it, “Young female voters support Bernie Sanders by an expansive margin”. Yesterday, the New York Times trumpeted that, in New Hampshire, Sanders “jumped out to a 27 percentage point lead”, which is “stunning by New Hampshire standards”. Also yesterday, the Wall Street Journal, in an editorial titled “Taking Sanders Seriously,” declared it’s “no longer impossible to imagine the 74-year-old socialist as the Democratic nominee”. Just as was true for Corbyn, there’s a direct correlation between the strength of Sanders and the intensity of the bitter and ugly attacks unleashed at him by the DC/Democratic political/media establishment. Roughly speaking, there were seven stages to this “establishment revolt” in the UK against Corbyn, and the American reaction to Sanders closely follows the same script:

STAGE 1:

Polite condescension toward what they perceive to be harmless (“We think it’s really wonderful that you’re airing your views”).

STAGE 2:

Light casual mockery as the self-belief among supporters grows (“No, dears, a left-wing extremist won’t win, but it’s nice to see you excited!”).

STAGE 3:

Self-pity and angry etiquette lectures directed at supporters upon realising that they aren’t performing their duty of meek surrender, flavoured with heavy doses of concern trolling (“Nobody but nobody is as rude and gauche online to journalists as these crusaders; unfortunately, it’s hurting their candidate’s cause!”).

STAGE 4:

Smear the candidate and his supporters with innuendos of sexism and racism with falsely claims that only white men support them (“You like this candidate because he’s white and male like you, not because of ideology or policy or contempt for the Party establishment’s corporatist pro-war approach!”).

STAGE 5:

Brazen invocation of right-wing attacks to marginalise and demonise, as polls prove the candidate is a credible threat (“He’s weak on terrorism, will surrender to ISIS, has crazy associations, and is a clone of Mao and Stalin!”).

STAGE 6:

Issuance of grave and hysterical warnings about the pending apocalypse if the voters reject the establishment candidate, as the possibility of losing becomes imminent (“You’re destined for decades, perhaps, even generations, of powerlessness if you disobey our decrees about who to select!”).

STAGE 7:

Full-scale and unrestrained meltdown, panic, lashing-out, threats, recriminations, self-important foot-stomping, overt union with the Right, and complete fury (“In good conscience, I can no longer support this party of misfits, terrorist-lovers, communists, and heathens!”).

Britain is well into Stage 7, and may even invent a whole new level (anonymous British military officials expressly threatened a “mutiny” if Corbyn won a democratic election as Prime Minister). The Democratic media/political establishment has been in the heart of Stage 5 for weeks and is now entering Stage 6. The arrival of Stage 7 is guaranteed if Sanders wins Iowa.

21 January 2016

Glen Greenwald

The Intercept

https://theintercept.com/2016/01/21/the-seven-stages-of-establishment-backlash-corbynsanders-edition/

Editor:

There are well-known Hilly Fans amongst we Orthodox… we all know who they are. The one that mystified me is one with Serbian ties… they do know how Bill and Hill hate Serbs with a passion (they do pal with Biden the Ustašha lover, after all) and how they spat on our bishops in ‘99! That one is odd, is it not? The world IS full of contradiction…

BMD

Gallup Poll Shows American Citizens Think that Hillary Clinton is a “Liar” and “Dishonest”

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According to a new nationwide Gallup poll on both Democratic presidential hopefuls, Hillary Clinton and her rival Bernie Sanders, “dishonest” and “liar” were the words that came to the minds of American citizens when asked about Hillary Clinton. The poll revealed that the next closest word associations for Clinton were “dislike her” at 9 percent, “like her” at 8 percent, and both “criminal, crooked, thief, belongs in jail” and “capable of being president and qualified” at 7 percent. It seems that Clinton always inspired negative reactions; in 2008, Gallup said “dishonest” was also the most frequent response when they asked the same question about Hillary. In the same poll, 12 percent of those asked described Sanders as “socialist”, 6 percent said “older, aged”, whilst “favourable” and “fresh face, new ideas, change for the better” both received 5 percent. Gallup surveyed 1,014 adults between 13-14 February with a 4 percent overall margin of error.

Meanwhile, other polls of the Democratic race also showed that most viewed Sanders as trustworthy; whilst others saw Clinton as more qualified. A new poll of 18-26-year-olds sponsored by Snapchat and news outlet Politico showed that most participants saw Sanders as the USA’s “most trusted and respected” political leader with 31 percent support. US President Barack Obama and Hillary received 18 percent and 11 percent, respectively, in that same category. The survey held between 11-14 February polled 1,000 young Americans. The Snapchat poll showed that 66 percent thought that Corporate America “embodies everything that’s wrong with America”, whilst 58 percent believe socialism is the “most compassionate political system”. The recent polls came as Clinton and Sanders brace for another battle in South Carolina Saturday, where black voters are a determining factor in the race. Clinton barely won the Iowa caucus with less than a 1 percent lead over Sanders. Last Saturday, the former first lady also won Nevada with less than a 5 percent lead. Meanwhile, Sanders secured a big win in New Hampshire with at least 20 percent more votes than Clinton.

24 February 2016

Telesur

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Poll-Shows-US-Citizens-Say-Hillary-Clinton-a-Liar-and-Dishonest-20160223-0035.htmbl

Editor:

This isn’t new, but it shows that Chilly Hilly has little support outside of black voting blocs controlled by insider pols and Affluent Effluent Upper Middles lusting for crumbs from her table. Feel the Bern… they did in Nebraska and Kansas yesterday…

BMD