Every now and then a situation calls for a good rant. This Russia/Trump nonsense is one of them, so here goes.
Here is what really bugs the heck out of me about the Russia/Trump narrative being pushed by the liberal “mainstream” media and the legion of hysterical anti-Trumpers, both liberal and “conservative” Never Trumpers, on social media. If the situation was reversed, and Hillary had won and Republicans and Trump supporters were claiming that Russia stole the election for Hillary, their claims would not be taken at all seriously by the media or this chorus of newly minted Red Baiters that is currently hyperventilating about Russia. Those pushing the theory would be derided and mocked as sore loser conspiracy theorists and told to get over it and move on. Their allegations and assertions would be hand waved away and simply scoffed at, AND EVERYBODY KNOWS IT. Fox News would not even cover the story. Coverage would be relegated to places like World Net Daily (WND) and InfoWars.
Hillary Clinton engaged in an open and obvious pay to play scheme through the Clinton Foundation, yet I’m supposed to believe that all these people now crying about Russia really care about foreign interference in our politics? Give me a break. Were they equally as vocal about the Clinton Foundation? If not, then please shut up about Russia. You have no credibility.
This whole Russian/Trump thing is a transparently conjured up tale to delegitimize the Trump Administration by people who are sore about the outcome of the election. We have the Deep State engaged in an open soft coup attempt since Trump was first elected, but I’m supposed to believe that Russian meddling is the real threat to American democracy. Puleeze spare me.
I don’t even rule out beforehand that Russia did attempt to influence the election. Why wouldn’t they want the candidate who wasn’t threatening to go to war with them to win, but as I have pointed out in several previous articles, what is being concretely alleged is mundane, not outrageous. It is alleged, for example, that Russia hacked the DNC’s emails. The evidence for this is thin, but it is reported by the lickspittle media as if it is a settled fact. Wikileaks says they didn’t get the emails from a Russian hack. Wikileaks claims they came from an internal DNC leak, presumably from a disgruntled Bernie Sanders supporter. When I point this out, I am told that Wikileaks has reason to lie and that U.S. intel says Russia did it. Well of course Wikileaks has reason to lie, but am I really supposed to believe U.S. intel, which is actively attempting to undermine the Trump Administration as we speak, is a credible source? Are you kidding me?
Even if Russia was responsible for the DNC hack, which is plausible but far from proven, no one is alleging they doctored the content of the emails. Russia didn’t make Donna Brazile give the questions to Hillary beforehand. Russia didn’t make people admit that they were deliberately trying to screw Bernie Sanders out of the nomination. Russia didn’t sink Hillary. Exposure of the truth sank Hillary.
Much of what is being alleged by the new Cold Warrior echo chamber is vague and ill-defined and relates to financial influence blah, blah, blah… I seriously doubt that it’s true, but it’s in the realm of plausibility. But I am not at all inclined to take any of it seriously or look much into it, because I know if the situation was reversed the other side wouldn’t take it seriously and would pre-emptively laugh it off as the conspiratorial ravings of a bunch of butthurt Trump supporters. You know what they say about the goose and the gander.
Until the new Red Scare brigade demonstrates to me that they are serious about ALL foreign influence in U.S. politics, of which there is much, and until they also express outrage at our interference in foreign elections, they deserve exactly the same amount of respect and their allegation the same scrutiny that they would get if the situation was reversed, and we all know how much that would be, exactly none. So don’t expect me to give it to them.
Comments
The Russian "Meddling"
Right on brother. You hit the nail on the head. The Russians have become the "Phantom" bogeyman...a mythical source of evil. Surely the Dems can not believe they could have lost the election by themselves it had to be some mystical power that captured the DNC computers. By the way, did I miss something: Are we at war with Russia for them to qualify as the phantom bogeyman?? I thought with some clever foreign policy, we might make them into allies if we found common ground. To me the shock is the CIA wiretapping of Americans and then gifting their illegal derived data to the NSA for them to pass it on to the press. What I don't hear about are the criminal investigations into this activity. Where is the Justice Department on these criminal acts?
Yes the russia thing is tiresome
Democrats and Clinton in particular are in complete denial as to why they lost the election. First off they haven't been building a bench at the state and local levels. The republicans have successfully done so starting at the dog catcher and school board level and working the way up. Democrats have had no such strategy, focusing entirely on national elections and ignoring the locals. In my district, the democrats didn't even bother field a warm body in 2/3rds of the local positions - republicans ran unopposed
they have also focused entirely on coastal elites and kicked their traditional rust belt labor base to the curb - many of these voters went trump or third party, but would have supported Sanders or Biden
And most importantly, Hillary was just a plain lousy candidate that failed to energize the base and turn out voters.
So assuming if there is any fire to all the Russia smoke, they did do us one big favor and show us how undemocratic and corrupt the system has become, with the DNC clearly putting their thumb on the scale for Clinton over Sanders or any other candidate not named Clinton
Russia thing
Ha! Tune in Wed for Mike Rogers testimony and Thursday Jim Comey (though Comey is likely testifying about obstruction of justice). This will be fun. I think Mueller will roll the hole lot them up. I hope they let Trump tweet from jail.