No just some special where Tucker talked on and on about how great everything was in Russia supposedly. That is what I heard, maybe I heard wrong.
Okay. Watched both clips.
The first makes a point, and raises a question. The subways there are well preserved, as well (or better) than major public buildings here. In a way, there, they are.
Why are our subways and such trashed? I get the concept that in a totalitarian country, trashing icons of the Stalinist roots is not exactly the ticket to a long happy and healthy life, but why do we allow so many of our public spaces to be wrecked? Why are
our statues pulled down? It is not a question of whether our past is in lockstep with our present, but that it is our past, a place we have been, a part of our present, whether that present involves the embrace of that past or a rejection of it, it remains and can be pointed to with the smugness of 'progress beyond' or the belief in its saintly prescience.
The absence of bums (for a generic term) was also noted.
As for the second clip, the dollar is holding pretty good against the ruble at the moment, so I can see cheap compared to here. He did note the stores under the Communists in the past, and we don't know if he was steered to a 'special' store (or register) or not.
Even Putin understands 'bread and circuses' and will make sure the bread isn't something too expensive, sanctions or no. Shortages can be worked around.
Is Tucker praising Russia? Is he just reporting what he sees?
Or is he questioning some things here? (as in If they can do this, why can't we?)
Or is not wrapping his observations in some vitriolic anticommunist rhetoric his sin, some sort of failure to be a patriotic American for telling whatever he finds and reporting the facts there?
As for me, I don't want reporters to just feed me what will sidle up warmly to my preconceived notions, I want to know what is what.
