How does one from the Cold War era answer this?

[Triloon]

1. It's about 'commies'

As long as the Russians were commies they were the very worst. But once that system broke and the entire economy went on a fire sale, ripping off the Russian people for everything they had produced in the previous decades, the Republicons were in love. Nothing they love better than a great profit opportunity and to hell with the people. And then there's the "christian" factor... No longer was religion the "opiate of the people" but a sublime method of controlling the population with spiritual guilt.
Those conditions have held until today. The Republicons are jealous as hell of the profiteering of Russian oligarchs, the unquestionable conservative autocracy, and the bloody fucking christian nationalist co-rule of the "Orthodox" church.