Posted on 11/21/2011 7:10:37 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
Thousands of spectators at a sporting event booed and jeered Vladimir Putin in an unprecedented demonstration of hostility.
The Russian prime minister appeared stunned by the reaction of the crowd in Moscow’s Olympic stadium, where he presented a prize to the winner of an ‘ultimate fighting’ bout.
Reports of the incident on state-controlled TV gave a different impression. All catcalling was edited out and the only footage shown was of 59-year-old Putin being cheered when he hailed the Russian victor of the bloody contest – a mixture of boxing, wrestling and kick boxing.
But the attempt at censorship backfired thanks to the power of the internet. The day after the weekend fight saw almost one million hits on the full version of the footage, complete with boos and whistles. It topped the list of searches on the country’s main search engine, Yandex.
Putin will stand in the presidential election next year in the hope of continuing his iron grip on Russia. However, opposition figures welcomed the Moscow crowd’s dissent as ‘the end of an era’ and a judgment on Putin’s authoritarian methods.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Clinton was booed once publicly - and our MSM cut out the boos...
Jeering Putti can be fatal...
Expect a small case of mysterious death to break out amongst the spectators.
I remember on one Star Trek episode which was some sort of alternative history with the Roman Coliseum, they had dials to change the levels of catcall, jeers, cheers, etc...
Thousands of spectators at a sporting event booed and jeered Vladimir Putin in an unprecedented demonstration of hostility... in Moscow's Olympic stadium... All catcalling was edited out... But the attempt at censorship backfired thanks to the power of the internet. The day after the weekend fight saw almost one million hits on the full version of the footage, complete with boos and whistles... opposition figures welcomed the Moscow crowd's dissent as "the end of an era" and a judgment on Putin's authoritarian methods.Instead of booing him, the next crowd needs to stampede in and stomp him to death in front of the cameras. Then take turns pissing on the carcass.
Its a warning. Putin still has a 61% approval rating but if the economy collapses and he becomes deeply unpopular, he will have a difficult time getting anything done. Whether he runs for President next year is due in part to the economy and that is the one thing over which he has no control. He has been lucky for the last decade. But the Wheel Of Fortune plays no favorites.
I’m not sure they are jeering Putin.
“ultimate fighting”
Ugh, it’s not called ultimate fighting. The UFC is a brand, the sport is called MMA (Mixed Martial Arts). /end mini rant
Vladimir Putin is known for his martial arts mastery. The crowd’s reaction is an indication that not everything can be tightly controlled in Putin’s Russia. His popularity has more to do with the image of his prowess and his perceived management of the economy than to popular approval of his authoritarian style of governing. Few leaders have been able to sustain his popularity as long as he has but popularity can be a fickle thing. A Russian President’s power in part depends on his popularity and an unpopular President simply can’t pursue his agenda. That happened to Yeltsin, who got stuck with the mess Gorbachev bequeathed to him and he never quite recovered. Putin has been the beneficiary of a soaring economic boom and for that the voters were grateful. But boom times can and do come to end and Russia is no exception to that rule.
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