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No Joke in the Ukraine

By Jeralyn, Section Foreign Affairs
Posted on Mon Apr 22, 2019 at 10:50:37 AM EST
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Citizens of the Ukraine have elected a comedian with no political experience as their president.

Ukraine entered uncharted political waters on Monday after near final results showed a comedian with no political experience and few detailed policies had dramatically upended the status quo and won the country’s presidential election by a landslide.

His name is Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He is 37 years old. No one knows what he stands for other than pledging to preserve "Ukrainian identity".

Zelenkiy is most famous for having played a President on TV. (No, I didn't make this post up.) It seems the vote was more a protest against his opponent than a vote for Zelenskiy.

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    No Joke in the Ukraine | 10 comments (10 topical)

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    Ukraine elected (5.00 / 2) (#2)
    by KeysDan on Mon Apr 22, 2019 at 07:13:59 PM EST
    a comedian.  The US elected a clown.

    Maybe (none / 0) (#4)
    by jmacWA on Tue Apr 23, 2019 at 05:23:39 AM EST
    It will work out better for them

    Parent
    it probably will (5.00 / 1) (#6)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Apr 23, 2019 at 03:36:15 PM EST


    Parent
    How much (none / 0) (#1)
    by Ga6thDem on Mon Apr 22, 2019 at 10:58:35 AM EST
    did Putin have to do with getting this particular carnival barker elected much like our own I wonder?

    Not much. (5.00 / 2) (#3)
    by Donald from Hawaii on Mon Apr 22, 2019 at 07:14:38 PM EST
    President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky is no friend of Putin and in fact, part of his appeal to voters was his pledge to more vigorously defend Ukrainian sovereignty against Russian aggression. He won 73% percent of the vote, compared with just 25% for incumbent Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.

    It is to Poroshenko's infinite credit that when Saturday's election returns made it clear that voters had denied him a second term, he immediately conceded the race, and then called Zelensky to congratulate him and pledge his unqualified support.

    To be perfectly frank, we could learn a thing or two from that sort of dedication to democratic principles. So, rather than ridicule Ukraine's election because voters elected a Jewish actor-comedian as president, we ought to celebrate it, especially given the obvious shortcomings of our current carny barker-occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

    Aloha.

    Parent

    OK, I'll bite, what is it that we should we learn? (none / 0) (#5)
    by sarcastic unnamed one on Tue Apr 23, 2019 at 12:17:25 PM EST
    It is to Poroshenko's infinite credit that when Saturday's election returns made it clear that voters had denied him a second term, he immediately conceded the race, and then called Zelensky to congratulate him and pledge his unqualified support.

    To be perfectly frank, we could learn a thing or two from that sort of dedication to democratic principles.

    Is this not something that happens fairly commonly in the US?

    Parent

    Yakov Smirnoff is not eligible (none / 0) (#7)
    by Jack E Lope on Mon Apr 29, 2019 at 11:43:07 AM EST
    So, in the USofA, I'm wondering if we would elect Martin Sheen (President Josiah Bartlet) or Terry Crews (President Dwayne Elizondo Mountain Dew Herbert Camacho).

    Probably one, followed by a backlash that elects the other.

    Oprah (none / 0) (#8)
    by thomas rogan on Mon Apr 29, 2019 at 09:27:53 PM EST
    Weren't people sort of seriously talking up Oprah for president at some point?

    she took herself out of contention (none / 0) (#9)
    by Jeralyn on Tue Apr 30, 2019 at 11:13:13 PM EST
    a while ago

    Parent
    SITE VIOLATOR (none / 0) (#11)
    by CaptHowdy on Tue May 07, 2019 at 07:22:16 AM EST


    No Joke in the Ukraine | 10 comments (10 topical)

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