It really was a joke. The transcript of the conversation held in June 2016, which was published by the Washington Post leaves no doubt — as well as its context. Politics-Republicans discuss the Russia and Ukraine at the meeting of the leaders of the Congress. Some of them have just returned from a meeting with Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman, who described the situation in the country. According to the speaker of the house of representatives, Paul Ryan (Paul Ryan), Groisman quite interesting talks about what Russia is doing in Ukraine: it pays “[Ukrainian] populists, pay people in our governments that they will destroy our government.”
Then joined the conversation Kathy McMorris Rodgers (Cathy McMorris Rodgers), the President of the conference of the Republicans in the House of representatives. Its “main conclusion” of this conversation is, “how sophisticated is propaganda” in Russia. She and some other members allude to the NGOs, which Russia had acquired in Europe, including groups dedicated to the protection of the environment, which actively oppose the use of hydraulic fracturing technology, which is not like Russia, because it leads to lower prices for its gas. “This concerns not only Ukraine,” says Ryan. A few seconds later he adds: “Russia tries to turn Ukraine against itself”.
It was at this point (psychology is an amazing thing) talk slides on the topic of elections in the United States. Republicans discuss stolen by hackers content members of the election headquarters of Hillary Clinton, who recently became public. And at this point the majority leader in the House of representatives Kevin McCarthy (Kevin McCarthy) says: “There are two people, I think Putin pays — [Dana] Rohrabacher and the tramp”. According to the transcript, this is followed by “laughter”. But McCarthy adds: “swear to God”. Again the sound of laughter. And then again the audience laugh when the speaker of the house Paul Ryan says, “No leaks… This proves that we are all one family.”
I repeat: Yes, it was a joke. The people laughed. But it was kind of a joke? Freud believed that jokes are often a way to Express those ideas and feelings which are usually suppressed, and that humor is a kind of outlet for “inappropriate” thoughts. Kant was one of many philosophers who believed that the joke is often based on discrepancy, the absurd contrast and comparison. But this snippet of conversation is a confirmation of both theories of humor.
Yes, the idea that any American politician can somehow be a Russian agent, is inappropriate. For a politician-Republican, it is unacceptable to assume that the presidential candidate of the Republican party, to whom trump was then, somehow receives a “fee” from Russia. It is ridiculous and absurd. And in that moment before certain people here suddenly realized that it might be true. So they laughed and hastened to assure each other in solidarity: “we All here are one family”.
Moreover, it is inappropriate to compare the policies in the Ukraine and the United States. Ukraine is a former totalitarian government, corrupt and weak. USA is a superpower, having more than 250 years of experience of democracy. However, the decoding follows that hacker attack on the system of national Committee of Democratic party congressmen alarmed because suddenly the similarity of the situation in Ukraine and the USA became obvious. Maybe, like Ukraine, USA, Russia, too, pays “our populists, pay people in our governments that they will destroy our government.” Perhaps Russia is trying to “turn America against itself”. But this is ridiculous! Absurd! So they all laughed.
This transcript clearly demonstrates why to understand the linkage trump-Russia, suddenly found themselves such an obvious and such an incredible that it took so much time. When Donald trump entered the race in the United States, he is using Paul Manafort put Ukrainian politics right in the center of the American political system. Violent demonstrations, operations, online trolls, the hackers use the extracted materials with the aim of discrediting opponents — that such methods were used by Russia in Ukraine. Exactly the same methods used trump. Americans have set up against each other, as previously happened with the Ukrainians. In the course were the techniques of bribery may take the form of real estate transactions, but it doesn’t matter: these obvious techniques, this authoritarian tactic that we were able to see wasn’t supposed to work.
To this day, Americans of different political views hard to accept that our elections and our President could influence other state, and conscious of the consequences of this event for our democracy and security, which was nowhere near as steady as we thought. Perhaps we should not be surprised that the first reaction was laughter.
And what happens now? Trump fired the Director of the FBI, who was investigating his ties with Russia. He joked with Russian officials in the oval office and gave them highly classified information. A great many of his aides are somehow connected with Russia. Every week there is new information about what his business is in some way linked with the Russian money. That joke has ceased to be a joke. We can no longer deny the obvious. Those Republicans in Congress who laughed at her in June of last year, became the only Americans capable of solving this problem. Only if they have enough courage?
