How worried is Putin about sanctions?

Not very

bgorrellWhat sanctions?

If Vladimir Putin is worried about the sanctions imposed on his closest allies, he’s hiding it like a poker champ. Even his sanctioned allies have shrugged off or even mocked the measures. Yuri Kovalchuk, chairman of the sanctioned firm Bank Rossiya, claimed that it has benefitted from sanctions as Russians infected with patriotic fervor, including Putin, open new accounts. But despite the cavalier attitude of those in Putin’s inner circle, Russia’s wealthiest have already taken a serious hit.

Ukraine asks for help, and Obama sends…hashtags:

President Obama had great success using social media during his campaigning days, but does that same mindset work for foreign affairs?

“I don’t know what effect this is supposed to have,” said former State Department diplomat James Lewis. “It’s a hashtag. What’s it going to do? For this situation, it’s not a useful tool.”

To get the momentum going on the hashtag, top officials posted their own photos. Among the most notable was the State Department’s chief spokesperson Jen Psaki, who was once in the running for the Obama’s press secretary.

Yeah. That’ll help.

Erick Brockway/CA

Living in Camarillo, CA, about 45 miles North of LA. I have a son, and two daughters. Working two jobs (welcome to California life), plus a (now retired) reservist in the US Navy Seabees so life is busy! He says, "Don't tell me raising taxes won't hurt the little guy, I AM the little guy and I get nailed in California the same as a guy making $1 million per year." Eric Brockway is an original founder of Constitutional Liberty Coalition and offers a California/Teaparty perspective to all things political with a unique sense of humor and common sense. Visit A Tow Dog's Blog for posts by Erick Brockway →