An absolutely brutal new poll from Levada, Russia’s most trusted pollster, reveals horrific failure on the part of Alexei Navalny.
Following the saga of Navalny’s conviction, release and rejection at the polls in Moscow, Levada reports (Russian-language link) that if a presidential election were held this weekend Vladimir Putin would have twenty-five percent more support (that is seven more points) than he had before Navalny launched his campaign.
Just. Ouch.
Levada also reports that Putin’s “Party of Crooks and Thieves” (as Navalny has called it), United Russia, would have twenty percent more support (that is, five more points) than before Navalny’s campaign.
But wait, it gets worse.
Navalny’s personal numbers, and those of his party “People’s Alliance,” show absolutely no traction whatsoever. He hasn’t even cracked the 1.5% barrier.
Mind you, Russia is now headed for a double-dip recession. It hasn’t seen quarterly GDP growth rise in more than a year and half, and it has never fully recovered from the disastrous economic collapse of 2009. Yet even in this climate, Navalny’s opposition movement can make no headway at all. In its bastion of strength, Moscow, Navalny couldn’t even motivate half of the residents to go to the polls or even as much as 10% of them to support his alternative vision for Russia.
And now, of course, Navalny is headed to prison for five years, and he has not identified any successor who will pick up his flag and carry on while he is in prison. That may well be for the best, though, because given the extent of his failure the Russian opposition is likely much better off starting with a clean slate.
Dying Russia 
It’s too bad the opposition can’t get it together; I think that’s why the White Russians lost against the Reds during the Russian Civil War…
Oh, the Whites had their act together, along with every major power intervening on their side. They just had virtually no support among the people.
The deliquescent coalition of the unwilling…
So, Kim. Where’s all the Russia bashing over Syria? Not even a word about how McCain was insulted by Putin’s words. I guess when the vast majority of Americans raised their voices in opposition to the proposed U.S carpet-bombing of Syria, it takes all of the sensationalism away. Especially with Putin acting as the voice of reason to prevent the war crazed U.S leaders from attacking his ally.