The Donald and Volodya: A Love Story?

The liberal, respectably Leftish/Clintonite, upper middle class, educated, intellectually sophisticated American commentariat has long fretted about an alleged and ominously asymmetric bromance between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

In that assumed relationship, Volodya is the top. He is the master manipulator, the puppeteer; The Donald, the marionette, plays the bottom. [*]

Other than the deep aversion those Sherlocks feel for the Orange One, and their Cold War legacy Russophobia, I've never understood the reason for that assumption. Why the dominant role is assigned to Putler without discussion? However otherwise reprehensible, is Trump necessarily a simpleton, too?

In other words, if one were to put on those conspiracy theorists' tin-foil hats and assume some kind of relationship between Trump and a shadowy, sinister, foreign character should Putin be the one obvious suspect?

Yoav Litvin (Counterpunch, Dec. 16, 2016) suggests another possible love affair:

"Netanyahu and Trump complement each other so well because they are the quintessential prodigal sons of capitalism. They share a deep-seated corruption, extravagance and wastefulness, which reflect a proud contempt for the poor and disadvantaged in society. Surrounded by all the spoils of the uber-wealthy, Netanyahu and Trump champion a dubious and self-aggrandizing version of history. One scandal after another, the media expose their perverse orgies of vested interests, macho chest-thumping and a reactionary tribalism with an utter disregard for our planet and all its inhabitants."

Update (23/01/2017):

Bibi <3 The Donald, BFFE. (Source: Twitter Benjamin Netanyahu)

More importantly,

"Netanyahu and Trump rely on broadcasting their narrative via a submissive corporate media in order to achieve their vision of an isolationist, homogenous utopia (Jewish and white, respectively)."

I am not sure how 1488rs would like a Greater Again US of A modelled after the not so Greater Israel instead of the Grossdeutsches Reich. Insinuations of the Dolchstosslegende would be hard to avoid, I imagine.

That, however, may be of little comfort for the rest of us, particularly those of non-white background living in the US. For one would have to admit it would be a smart political move from the Trumpetist side. After all, you can see, can't you, how an eventual Israelisation of the US could place white liberal/Democratic Americans in a dilemma: on the one hand, they are staunch defenders of Israel against their Arab neighbours (or as US beachhead in the Middle East); at the other hand, in the US the very same white liberal/Democratic Americans claim to champion the interests of ethnic minorities (i.e. Asians, non-white hispanics and blacks).

You see, the Israelisation of the US would seem to imply a Palestinisation of non-white Americans, yes?

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It could be interesting to be a fly on the wall in the corridors of power in Tel Aviv, to compare their reaction to the Western liberal media celebrations of the ending Obama administration, particularly after John Kerry's surprising parting shot as Secretary of State after the UN non-veto:

"If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic, it cannot be both, and it won’t ever really be at peace."

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Is Litvin right? Frankly, I don't know. Will any of this come to pass? For what it is worth, I hope not.

I do know something, though: against the liberal, respectably Leftish, upper middle class, educated, intellectually sophisticated commentariat's wishful thinking, capitalism is completely fucked up.

Update:
23/01/2017. From ABC News Online:

(Source)

Update:
1/02/2017. Tim Taylor asks a very good question: "What if Trump Skeptics, Like Me, Turn Out To Be Wrong?" (20/01/2017, Conversable Economist blog). Here's Taylor:

"If a Trump presidency turns out badly in various ways, then Trump skeptics like me will certainly say so.  But if matters don't go wrong, then in fairness, then it seems to me that Trump skeptics should take a pledge to admit and acknowledge in a few years that at least some of our doubts and suspicions were incorrect--and indeed, we should be pleased that we were wrong."

Seems reasonable.

Note:
[*] I carefully avoid the "hand puppet" term, which could wrongly suggest kinky sexual practices.