This morning my 91year-old mother said to me “maybe we should just call them Putin’s Comrades.” She continued, “after all the GOP appear to be taking their orders from Putin.” Earlier in the week Paul Krugman referred to the entire GOP as “apparatchiks.” I think it is a great term, more apt, but also less accessible than comrade. So, as my mother suggests I think we should start talking about Putin’s Comrade Trump, Putin’s Comrade Ryan, and Putin’s Comrade McConnell and sadly Putin’s Comrade Graham.