Front Page Magazine online describes telltale signs of public dissatisfaction with Vladimir Putin's way of running things in Russia.
"Elections under Vladimir Putin’s 'managed democracy' have become grimly predictable affairs. Rampant fraud and bans on all but fringe or manufactured opposition parties have ensured that Putin’s United Russia Party routinely triumphs in a landslide, with Putin then trumpeting the results as a vindication of his authoritarian regime. This weekend’s parliamentary elections largely followed this script but with a surprise ending: United Russia failed to capture even 50 percent of the vote, a major setback considering its blatant manipulation of the election and one that highlights the extent of the Russian public’s discontent with the country’s corrupt one-man, one-party rule...."
If Putin were less tone-deaf to cries of public anguish than President Obama, he might be able to read the writing on the wall, but unfortunately he is, if that were possible, more inclined to block out any opinion that does not nourish his Siberia-sized ego.
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