Part 1 in a series
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.
By Katie Kieffer
“Come into my cabana,” says Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin to the people.
Putin is famous for his sultry, emotionless gaze. For years, Putin has been more seductive than the Wet Republic Ultra Pool on a Sunday afternoon in Vegas. But, gradually, Russians are beginning to find him less charming.
- Putin has gone to great lengths to develop a “cool” entourage, highlighted by a yellow Lada (and backup Lada). This summer, he has been touring Russia’s Far East, ostensibly to gain supporters for his upcoming 2012 presidential run. Putin must be careful, though, for it appears that some Russians are starting to poke fun at his effeminate style on the road. Watch this video to see how Russians react to the Putin’s yellow Lada.
Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin tours Khabarovsk, Russia in a yellow Russian-made Lada Kalina vehicle. Image credit: Alexei Druzhinin/Ria Novosti/Reuters
- For Putin, staging is important. Just as a peacock flairs its tail to court a peahen, Putin flashes Russians with carefully planned spectacles. Putin has gone to great lengths to portray himself as a tough, invincible leader. In 2009 he took a vacation to southern Siberia where he had photographers capture his macho holiday (see video below). Apparently, vanity led him to believe that his 57-year-old ab flab would be mistaken for a six pack.
This year, in an attempt to show Russia that he’s just as cool as Al Gore, Putin took his paparazzi with him to the Arctic. There, he proved that he’s tough enough to “caress” a polar bear.
Not all Russians are impressed by Putin’s photo ops and outlandish vacations. Russian journalist, Yulia Latynina of The Moscow Times mocks her leader:
“Putin set out on his road trip just for the hell of it and to show how cool he is. Only losers like Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili squander their time building roads.
But Putin would do well to take a lesson from that Georgian loser whom he despises so much and whom he is itching to hang by his private parts. After all, Russia still lacks an uninterrupted asphalt highway from Moscow to Vladivostok (although Putin promised that it would be completed by 2008).
Putin is cool. Only cool leaders take road trips surrounded by dozens of black, bulletproof Mercedes Gelandewagens in the motorcade — and a couple of ambulances and spare yellow Ladas to boot.
The road trip underscores one of Putin’s biggest problems as the national leader — how to spend his time. He certainly doesn’t waste it by worrying about trivial problems such as health care reforms, corruption or modernization. He has a press secretary by the name of President Dmitry Medvedev to tackle the boring and tedious issues.
There was another autocrat, Nero, who, as the legend goes, set fire to Rome and then sang an ode to Troy while watching the flames. Putin, thankfully, is not Nero, and he did not set fire to the forests. Instead, while half of Russia burned, Putin spent his free time singing with Russia’s pitiful spies and riding a three-wheeled Harley-Davidson with bikers in Crimea. How could anyone criticize Putin for that?”
In Part 2, I will dig deeper into Putin’s lair and show you what is hidden there.
Forgive me the rhyme. Until another time.
