Russia’s Trump danger to the Kremlin elite comes not from liberals, but from Russia’s 85%. They expect Putin to deliver rising living standards, jobs, and economic stability. In return, they’ll not take notice of corruption, mismanagement of state enterprises, favoritism, patronage, or nepotism. They will put up with the convoys of Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis that disrupt traffic or the special license plates for restricted-zone parking as long as they can have their beach vacation in Egypt or Turkey, and their paychecks keep up with inflation. If the Kremlin delivers, they’ll keep their mouths shut and vote for Putin’s United Russia Party in 2016 and Putin himself in 2018.
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