Why do so many leftists like Erdogan?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

His economic policies are neoliberal as hell so I don't get it. There's NOTHING about him that is appealing to the left.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

I've literally never seen any leftist who support Erdogan, even on the Facebook and Twitter.

[NEW JERSEY FOR MENENDEZ]

I've literally never seen any leftist who support Erdogan, even on the Facebook and Twitter.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The Guardian slobbers all over him.

[Stand With Israel. Crush Hamas]

He hates Jews and cracks down on dissent. He's catnip to a certain breed of tankie. It's very much not a mainstream left position, though.

[NEW JERSEY FOR MENENDEZ]

The Guardian slobbers all over him.

Why do you obsess so much about left-leaning websites? Goddamn.

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

The Guardian slobbers all over him.

Where? You mean Guardian Opinion section or in news or what? Is this slobbering?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/25/the-guardian-view-on-erdogans-turkey-illiberal-democrat-takes-power

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Another example:

[Grand Wizard Lizard of the Klan]

Another example:

And how is this slobbering? This is simply a fact.

[Beet]

Another example:

And how is this slobbering? This is simply a fact.

Not only that, but this is a 2 year old tweet from a time he was facing a military coup that even the opposition parties denounced.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

A couple of morons who happened to be leftists =/= many leftists

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Another example:

And how is this slobbering? This is simply a fact.

Not only that, but this is a 2 year old tweet from a time he was facing a military coup that even the opposition parties denounced.

Picking some random years-old, out-of-context quote in attempt to back the "point" fits BRTD's intelectual dishonesty.

[mvd10]

They don't. There are some left-wing cultural relativists who enable Erdogan-supporting Turkish immigrants in their own country and there are some Erdogan-supporting Turkish immigrants in left-wing parties (who only are in the left-wing parties because the right sees them for who they are) but I've yet to encounter an actual leftist who genuinely likes Erdogan.

Unless you count DENK (better known as the Dutch daddy Erdogan spank me pls party) obviously. But then again, there literally are 3 white DENK voters so most DENK voters fall in the second category anyway (Erdogan-supporting Turkish immigrants who're pretty conservative but don't feel welcome in right-wing parties, previously voted for social democratic parties because of economic reasons). But seriously, I believe Turkish immigrants in Europe overwhelmingly come from Erdogan-supporting circles in Turkey. Turkish female immigrants in the Netherlands are more likely to wear a headscarf than actual Turkish women.

I really don't know why DENK doesn't just stop with the whole 'progressive party against the rightwards shift of the Dutch society' shtick anyway. They can openly run as a uber-conservative Erdogan-apologist party and the 3 white voters they'd lose (who were too dumb to hear the dog whistle) would be replaced by the 3 hardcore Erdogan-supporting Turkish immigrants who didn't get the dog whistle either. Then again, there probably are some Muslims who vote for DENK because they're genuinely worried about racism and their position in society (not that voting for DENK will help...) so maybe it's better for DENK to keep the guise.

[mvd10]

I think 'neoliberal economic policies' is the last thing leftists should worry about with Erdogan btw. Seriously, what about women's rights? Democracy? Human rights? For all the talk about the right's war on women/minorities/democracy here is someone who actually wages war on human rights and the left is talking about muh neoliberalism. What the actual f**k.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I think 'neoliberal economic policies' is the last thing leftists should worry about with Erdogan btw. Seriously, what about women's rights? Democracy? Human rights? For all the talk about the right's war on women/minorities/democracy here is someone who actually wages war on human rights and the left is talking about muh neoliberalism. What the actual f**k.

Well, Erdogan is of the Turkish right, so...

[President Punxsutawney Phil]

I am one of the few Erdogan supporters here and I don't think I can recall anyone close to my posture in regards to this man, except maybe Kataak.
"so many leftists"
lol
One or two center-leftists does not so many leftists make.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I think 'neoliberal economic policies' is the last thing leftists should worry about with Erdogan btw. Seriously, what about women's rights? Democracy? Human rights? For all the talk about the right's war on women/minorities/democracy here is someone who actually wages war on human rights and the left is talking about muh neoliberalism. What the actual f**k.

You're right, but seeing all the leftists who love Putin and Maduro indicates that those things aren't important to many of them. Its an absolute shame.

[Blair]

Even the old tankies, Stalinists and the other hangovers from 1989 generally despise Erdogan; largely because of his aggressive stance against the Kurds, and his support from NATO.

Like there's a fair, and interesting debate about why leftists like Putin/Assad and other anti-leftist strongmen, but really there's no widespread, institutional or even lukewarm support for Erdogan on the left that I've seen.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

They want to re-fight the Battle of Sisak and crush Croatia.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I hardly think this is a trend, beyond people being contrarians online. Indeed, most of the Leftist parties in Twitter are heavily interlinked with the PKK and its affiliates, so they are not particularly sympathetic to either Erdogan or the Kemalists.

There is an argument that can be made that a lot of the opposition to Erdogan is overly hysterical, but I think that is more representative of poor historical knowledge and myopia more than anything else (a surreal amount of people seem to swallow the Turkish military spin in their coups, which creates a curious myopia around their views: I once saw for instance, people online curiously wonder why the HDP weren't supporting the aborted coup a few years back).

Furthermore, I think a lot of politicians in the EU use the issue for their own ends in a very self serving manner. Mark Rutte banning the Dutch rallies worked in the sense that it killed any hope of a PVV surge, but to me represented an uncomfortable attack on freedom of expression, a concept which I am increasingly trending towards an American interpretation of.

I will end this by saying that, imo, Erdogan represents a disappointment. Not that I'd ever consider supporting such a man, as I find his ideals repulsive, but when he first emerged you could reasonably argue that he represented a democratic form of Erkaban's Islamist beliefs. If he had done as promised: merely been a standard neoliberal with infrastructure sweeteners while clearing away laicite detritus (sorry frenchies) and making peace with the Kurds, he could have represented a sea change in the Muslim world, showing that political Islam could manifest itself in a way comparable to Christian Democracy. Much like socialism before it, the doctrine of Islamism could have made peace with the PTB; ended its utopian dream and become just another ideology in the democratic marketplace. Instead, he synthesised some of the worst instincts of Kemalism with the already repulsive ideology of Islamism, and combined it with a titanic and deranged ego.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Riddle me this though, BRTD: didn't you once support Chechen separatism to get back at Putin? You shouldn't throw stones if you're living in the "actually Islamists are good guys if they hate who we hate" glass house.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I think 'neoliberal economic policies' is the last thing leftists should worry about with Erdogan btw. Seriously, what about women's rights? Democracy? Human rights? For all the talk about the right's war on women/minorities/democracy here is someone who actually wages war on human rights and the left is talking about muh neoliberalism. What the actual f**k.

You're right, but seeing all the leftists who love Putin and Maduro indicates that those things aren't important to many of them. Its an absolute shame.

Those guys are modern-day useful idiots. A consistent progressive can, nay should be opposed to American unilateralism just as to Putin.

Speaking for myself only, I know a very small number of such people in RL. Avat majority of my fellow lefties have nothing of this crap.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Go on Left Twitter sometime.

And we have Maduro fans on this very forum.

[Intell]

Maduro there are yes.. Putin there are in so far as it is Putin's as bad as the west or Putin is as bad as western expansionism/NATO/whatever bull shi!t. But there is no element of left-wing support for Erdogan.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Go on Left Twitter sometime.

And we have Maduro fans on this very forum.

Some, I assume, ignorantly see Venezuela as a holdout from the Pink Wave, now in retreat, so they're willing to overlook Maduro becoming a dictator who's presiding over a broken country. I'd argue Venezuela, despite its early membership in the "club", was more of an exception from the Pink Wave (as represented by Brazil, Chile, Uruguay etc.) due to being a typical Caudillo-led state. Although even leaders like Morales or Correra, while exhibiting some traits of caudillismo, are not only competent, but haven't lost their democratic legitimacy. 

I have to admit when Maduro was first elected I was somehow glad, despite serious doubts about him, due to "Venezuela being held for the camp". I see my error now.