WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015 ANALYSIS

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Focus Russians weigh Gorbachev reforms that sunk USSR

By Marina Lapenkova

few months after the politburo chose him as Soviet supremo in early 1985, Mikhail Gorbachev halted his Acortege in downtown Leningrad for an impromptu walkabout that signalled change was in the air. Emerging from his government limousine, the then 54-year-old Communist party boss from southern Russia strode over to talk to a crowd of shocked passers-by - shattering protocol that kept Kremlin bigwigs away from average people. But Gorbachev was doing more than just distancing him- self from his older and more aloof predecessors - he was gear- ing up to launch a process of change that would, uninten- tionally, open the floodgates that led to the collapse of the USSR. “Comrades, it seems that we really do need reforms,” Why US billionaires won’t buy the election Gorbachev told the crowd that day. “Are you going to be clos- er to the people?” one woman asked. “How much closer can I By Emily Flitter founder of a New York hedge fund, has been identified as support- dates. “We have a lack of money from small donors in American pol- get?” Gorbachev replied to laughter. Very soon the slogans of ing Cruz. The billionaire industrialists Charles and David Koch have itics, and if we have more people involved in the political process “perestroika” (restructuring) and “glasnost” (openness) were lorida Senator Marco Rubio has one; Texas Senator Ted Cruz publicly vowed to spend nearly $900 million influencing races in we can make great strides in terms of diluting the influence from on the lips of people across the vast empire. Perestroika was a has one; even former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, 2016. The Democrats have billionaire supporters too - most promi- special interests,” he said. A veteran of Republican Mitt Romney’s program of reforms aimed at fixing the malfunctioning Soviet considered a longshot for the Republican presidential nomina- nent among them is former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer. The 2012 presidential campaign, Harrison is not the typical liberal voice system, while glasnost was aimed at creating a new atmos- F tion in 2016, has a billionaire in his corner. Wisconsin Governor Scott billionaires George Soros, Alice Walton and Marc Benioff made small decrying money in politics. But Crowdpac’s Twitter tagline sounds phere of openness. “Glasnost was one of the main factors Walker has two. Campaign finance watchdog groups fear heavy donations in 2014 to an outside spending group, Ready for Hillary very similar to the calls from non-profit watchdog groups to level that shook the foundations of the Soviet empire and caused spending by these ultra-rich Americans will warp the election - PAC, backing Hillary Clinton, now the front-runner in the the political playing field. It reads: “Together we can beat the big its demise,” independent analyst Masha Lipman told AFP. already expected to be the most money-soaked in history. The idea Democratic presidential primary contest. donors.” that billionaires can buy elections has taken root in the public imag- Winds of Change ination. Philadelphia Story Big Money, Not Smart Money The change breathed life into civil society: freedom of Those billionaires are now seeing small, early signs of a push- Amid the populist outcry against CEO pay and income inequali- Inefficiency could also dampen the effects of billionaires’ politi- expression slowly expanded, hundreds of political prisoners back. Whether these are the beginning of a new trend is far too ty there may be some risks in candidates being so publicly linked to cal spending. “When you have political amateurs or novices with a and dissidents were freed, and the crimes of the Stalin era soon to say, but polls show there is wider discontent about the per- the extremely rich. In Philadelphia, Anthony Hardy Williams was strong issue or ideological position in which they have intense were made public for all to see. The results outstripped ceived influence of big money in US politics and a growing gulf considered the favorite for the city’s next mayor. He won support belief and are willing to put their money behind it, the money itself Gorbachev’s original intention to shore up the Soviet Union between the country’s very rich and very poor. These nascent rum- from three billionaires, Joel Greenberg, Jeff Yass and Arthur is no guarantee of victory,” said Michael Traugott, a political science by introducing a more humane form of socialism, and by the blings - along with evidence that the super-rich are inefficient politi- Dantchik, founders of the Susquehanna International Group, a glob- professor at the University of Michigan who studies the influence of end of the 1980s the atmosphere in the USSR had changed cal spenders - raise questions about how effective billionaires will al financial firm headquartered in a Philadelphia suburb. The three money on political races. Studies of the 2012 and 2014 elections by radically. As censorship softened, new media mushroomed, be in the 2016 elections. backed Williams, encouraging voters to support his views on a hot- the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit that tracks putting pressure on staid state outlets such as leading dailies Some voters in Philadelphia, for example, were turned off by the button education policy issue. political spending, show most groups backed by billionaires had Pravda and Izvestiya. Even though they received funding billionaires backing a top candidate in the city’s May 19 mayoral They spent nearly $7 million on television ads promoting less success swaying election outcomes than groups controlled by from the state, the new publications delved into topics previ- race. And a Silicon Valley startup, Crowdpac, is hoping to bank on Williams. In response, unions and other community groups, who trade organizations or professional political strategists. The Sunlight ously considered off limits, including poverty and food short- public ire against big political spenders to attract small donations to opposed Williams’s education platform, coalesced around another study does not offer any explanation for this difference. ages. The weekly “Argumenty i Fakty” (Arguments and Facts) its new for-profit election campaign crowdfunding platform. candidate, Jim Kenney. One of the groups, Action United, organized Steyer, who backed Democrats through his Nextgen Climate entered the Guinness Book of Records with a circulation of “There’s growing public awareness about rich people trying to buy a march in front of SIG’s offices with placards that said, “Stop billion- Action Committee, spent $79 million in the 2014 congressional more than 33 million copies. Fresh debates continued to spi- elections and that makes the task of winning all the more difficult,” aires from buying our next mayor!” elections, $17.9 million of which was directed toward influencing ral as people argued in the street, on public transport and in said Darrell West, the author of “Billionaires: “I would have looked seriously at Williams if not for the money,” specific races. Sunlight found Steyer had a 32 percent success rate food queues. In May 1988, the monthly magazine Novy Mir Reflections on the Upper Crust,” and the director of governance said JoAnn Seaver, 85, a retired teacher who voted for Kenney. She on the $17.9 million spent. For some, failure was total. Evidence revealed that it was Lenin, until then the untouchable idol of studies at the Brookings Institution think tank. Potential big donors was one of several Philadelphia voters Reuters interviewed on elec- from news reports shows that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson the Soviet Union, who had initiated the system of prison dispute the notion they are trying to buy elections and say they are tion day who said Williams’ billionaire backers were a turnoff. “You spent more than $100 million in 2012 in donations to trade groups, camps for opponents that would later swell into the infamous simply using their positions to try to influence the future of the don’t think that money should govern people who are elected, but political action committees and candidates, only to watch virtually Gulag. The Soviet regime also stopped blocking foreign radio country in a positive way. “I do believe - and I’ve told my kids this - what do you do, just let the billionaires take over?” A spokesman for all his chosen candidates - including presidential hopefuls Newt broadcasts and some 40 million people tuned in, according that I can do more for them by giving money to the right presiden- Williams declined to comment. Through a spokesman, the three bil- Gingrich and Romney - lose. to estimates from the KGB secret police, as the pace of tial candidate in 2016 than by leaving them double that amount in lionaires declined to comment. Other groups have seen more success. The Kochs’ Americans for change meant there was less and less to hide. my will,” said David Walsh, a retired investor living in Jackson, Prosperity saw a 95 percent success rate in 2014. But its string of vic- Transparency also crept into the working of the state as Wyoming, who would not disclose his net worth but has given sev- Fighting Back tories isn’t flawless. It ran negative TV ads against Ethan Berkowitz, a the formulaic speeches of party bosses were swapped for eral multi-million dollar gifts to charitable causes and said he Crowdpac, an online political fundraising platform that works candidate in this year’s mayoral race in Anchorage, Alaska. Local debates between new deputies that became more popular planned to donate heavily to candidates in 2016. like Kickstarter - an online tool that lets entrepreneurs gather fund- strategists said the ads only increased Berkowitz’s name recogni- on television than films or concerts. By June 1990, society was Miami car dealership mogul Norman Braman has been outspo- ing for new projects through small donations - sees fighting billion- tion. Jeremy Price, the state director for Americans for Prosperity in abuzz with the changes and a new liberal media law was ken about backing his longtime protege Rubio; financial investor aires as part of its business model. Mason Harrison, the site’s politi- Alaska, said the ads were meant to show Berkowitz’s record on adopted. 18 months later, after a failed coup against Foster Friess was in the audience cheering Santorum on when he cal director, says Crowdpac wants to get more middle-class people spending, highlighting an issue rather than a candidate. Berkowitz Gorbachev attempted to turn back the tide, the Soviet Union announced his presidential bid two weeks ago; and Bob Mercer, the involved in politics by hosting smaller donation drives for candi- won the race. —Reuters ceased to exist.

Legacy of Disapproval Now, 30 years after the start of the reforms, attitudes to By design, Paul stands alone in race Gorbachev and his programme of change are deeply divided in Russia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia By David Espo Patriot Act and would vote for it again”. He he kept us safe,” Bush said. “And I believe hopes on the issue, party elders would just as plunged into economic and political chaos that led many to sharpened his position on Monday. “You people will respect him for a long time soon he not endanger the Republicans’ hard- yearn for the stability of the past and curse those who had or better or worse, Kentucky Sen Rand know, Rand, this is not about you,” he said in because of that.” won Senate majority at the same time. In sparked the upheaval. In a recent opinion poll conducted by Paul now stands apart from his rivals a radio interview with Fox. interviews over the winter, Senate Majority the independent Levada centre 55 percent of respondents Ffor the Republican presidential nomi- Another contender, Wisconsin Gov Scott Political Accomplishment Leader Mitch McConnell said he wanted the said that they disapproved of Gorbachev’s reforms. “We were nation. He thinks it’s for the better, his and Walker, was asked during the day if Paul’s But Paul’s immediate political accomplish- incoming GOP majority to reassure the voting wrong at the time to just concentrate on the fact that the old the nation’s. More than a year in advance of position would be successful in a Republican ment is apparent. He has methodically used public, not scare it. Since then, he’s prioritized regime was being denounced. We idealised Gorbachev too the next election, most Republican lawmak- primary. “I do not,” he said. “I think people his stand on civil liberties and his seat in the legislation with solid support in public opinion much,” Leonid Nikitinsky, a journalist from independent ers say it’s for the worse, theirs and the coun- want balance, they want protection when it Senate to set himself apart from the other polls, most recently a trade bill and a measure newspaper Novaya Gazeta, told AFP. “Perestroika quickly try’s. Paul places “a higher priority on his comes to civil liberties, but I think those are competitors in the race for the GOP nomina- to help the victims of sex trafficking. A more exhausted itself.” For some, however, the lessons of the period fundraising and his ambitions than on the clearly things that are addressed in renewing tion. His position may reap support from some controversial attempt to carry out a balanced are relevant for modern Russia under the firm grip of former security of the nation”, Sen John McCain told the Patriot Act.” Former Florida Gov Jeb Bush, conservatives. It assuredly will also make him a budget blueprint won’t see the light of day, a KGB agent Vladimir Putin. Putin - who has lamented the reporters Sunday night. He spoke after the the brother of former President George W target for criticism when the candidates hold decision designed to blunt Democratic chaos caused by the collapse of the USSR - has been accused tea party favorite had blocked Senate renew- Bush, said Paul’s views on the NSA’s powers their first debate on Aug 6 in Cleveland. charges that the GOP wants to cut hundreds of curbing the freedoms that glasnost began and reinstating al of the National Security Agency’s bulk were wrong. Speaking in Tennessee over the Longer-term, it will be up to the Iowa caucus of billions of dollars from Medicare and other the sort of control, especially over the media, that was seen phone record collection, the first time since weekend, he suggested that if they were put goers and the voters in early primary states to benefit programs. during Soviet times. “We are not talking about Soviet-style the attacks of Sept 11, 2001 that the into effect, the country would be less secure. decide how far his strategy takes him. Republicans also retreated on their vow to censorship, since certain media keeps an independent voice,” agency’s powers had been curtailed by “What I admire most about my brother was But while Paul has staked his White House reverse Obama’s immigration policy earlier said analyst Lipman, pointing to the independent outlets like Congress. this year, opting not to trigger a partial shut- Novaya Gazeta, business daily Vedomosti and Dozhd TV. A few hours later, Paul rebutted. down of the Department of Homeland These few remaining independent voices are seen by many “Yesterday, I forced the expiration of the Security at a time of heightened terror con- as the remnants of the openness that perestroika and glasnost NSA’s illegal spying program. Contribute $5 cerns. In the same vein, it’s a safe bet that shut- engendered and are tolerated by the authorities. “They serve as now to show your support,” his presidential ting down a part of the NSA’s anti-terrorism a pressure valve for the Kremlin to release the anger felt by the campaign tweeted to supporters. There’s a efforts, even temporarily, was not on the agen- critical sections of Russian society,” Lipman said. —AFP history between the two men. In an institu- da for McConnell and House Speaker John tion where senators routinely refer to one Boehner. Frustration is evident. Sen Dan Coats another as “my good friend”, McCain once of Indiana, a member of the intelligence com- said Paul’s views on national security quali- mittee, said he told a closed-door meeting of fied him as one of the “wacko birds” in the fellow GOP senators on Sunday that Paul was All articles appearing on these party. An apology soon followed, but the misrepresenting the program. pages are the personal opinion of two men are separated by a wide gulf when “I wasn’t trying to call him a liar, I was basi- it comes to foreign policy. cally trying to say that what he has said is the writers. Kuwait Times takes no In this case, the occasionally rebellious false,” Coats said. “I think I was frustrated responsibility for views expressed McCain speaks for many in his party, and the because over the past year I have invited him therein. Kuwait Times invites read- sometimes go-it-alone Paul largely for him- four times to come to the intelligence commit- self. That’s particularly the case in the com- tee” for a briefing. “But he turned down all ers to voice their opinions. Please petition for the Republican presidential those opportunities.” Later, rank-and-file send submissions via email to: opin- nomination, a race already crowded with Republican senators went to extraordinary [email protected] or via snail candidates. “Hopefully, Rand Paul won’t pre- lengths to dissociate themselves from Paul’s mail to PO Box 1301 Safat, Kuwait. vail. ... The Senate will do what it must do, decision to force a lapse in the NSA’s program which is to keep our defenses up,” former of bulk phone record collection and other sur- The editor reserves the right to edit Sen Rick Santorum said in a weekend inter- veillance methods. When he got up to speak, any submission as necessary. view with Fox News. The presidential hopeful Republican presidential candidate Sen Rand Paul is pursued by the media as they walked out of the Senate chamber en added that as a senator he “voted for the he departs a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington yesterday. —AP masse to emphasize their disagreement. —AP