They showed the United Russia congress in prison too. And Putin’s speech. An astonishing spectacle: a hall full of hypocrites whose party has been in power for 20 years. All these years it has fully controlled the State Duma and can pass any law it wants. Standing before them is the chief liar and hypocrite. He has been part of the nomenklatura (the Soviet-era ruling elite) his entire life. A Soviet communist who repainted himself as a Yeltsin-era democrat, then repainted himself again as a Chernomyrdin-style “pragmatic manager.” He has worked in the Kremlin since 1995 and for the last 22 years has wielded unchecked power. He says to the gang of thieves in the hall: - Guys, our schools have gone 20 years without major repairs! And they reply: - No way! Outrageous, they need fixing! - Guys, the poor population of our wealthy gas-producing country can’t afford to get connected to gas. It’s too expensive. Let’s promise we’ll help. They are delighted: - Exactly! We promise that before every election. We’ll promise it again now, sparing no effort. Thunderous applause. A standing ovation. The congress ends with the fact that, since the leader of their party, Dmitry Medvedev, is a thief among thieves—and, unfortunately for them, the whole country knows it thanks to the ACF (Anti-Corruption Foundation) film “He Is Not Dimon to You”—they won’t even put him on the party list. Instead, they’ll build a smokescreen out of the same kind of hypocrites from the sidelines: the chief physician of the only new, well-funded hospital in the whole country and the principal of the only well-funded school in the whole country. As if in that case no one would dare criticize us. And like a huge flying elephant in the room, there is the question neither Putin nor his United Russia wants to answer: what about before? Where did the petrodollars go over these 20 years if schools have been left without major repairs? And isn’t there a connection, United Russia members, between your houses on Rublyovka (an ultra-elite suburb outside Moscow) and in London, and the fact that in a country of 140 million people there is one hospital and one school fit to be shown off before an election? This lying and hypocrisy are disgusting, and there is no need to endure them in silence. “Smart Voting.” For the first time in many years, we have a tool to influence the outcome. It has proven its effectiveness in Moscow, Tomsk, and Novosibirsk. It will work across the whole country. Yes, these elections have long since become “elections” in name only. But if you are still going to the polling station anyway—and you should—then you need to remember just two words: Smart Voting (link in profile and stories). Wipe those smug smiles off the faces of United Russia members 😉