With Alex Vindman and George Conway’s losses, Democratic voters are forcefully rejecting the notion that Russia is to blame for America’s ills.

Alexander Vindman lost to Angie Nixon in the Florida Democratic senatorial primary on Tuesday, marking a long-overdue end to one of the worst liberal mass delusions of the Trump era: Russiagate.

Over the past decade, these conservative Democrats and “Never Trump” Republicans relied on liberal fears of Russian election interference and shadowy Moscow kompromat over the president to leverage influence in the party.

From the beginning, Russiagate was used by a shellshocked liberal establishment to explain away Trump’s victory in a way that didn’t implicate the Democrats. Rather than address what it was about Hillary Clinton’s political platform — and the preceding eight years of President Barack Obama — that opened the door to MAGA, many Democrats and their allies in the media fully bought into the idea that only a nefarious, Kremlin-driven plot could have led to America electing Trump.

This was an attractive proposal, and it found an enthusiastic, if niche, audience. Democratic voters responded well, notably to commentators at MSNBC like Rachel Maddow, who went all in on the conspiracy and pushed it far beyond what was plausible.

As MSNBC and, to a lesser extent, CNN, found ratings success with the largely fabricated scandal, the infection spread across legacy media. The New York Times published Louise Mensch, a serial fabulist whose Twitter feed was a laundry list of delusions, in the opinion section. The Washington Post reported an implausible story that Russians were targeting the Vermont energy grid. ___

  • UsernameHere
    23·
    3 days ago

    Key Evidence and Methods of Russian election interference:

    • Cyber Hacking: Russian military intelligence (the GRU) hacked the computer networks of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and key campaign officials like John Podesta, subsequently releasing stolen data via outlets like WikiLeaks, DCLeaks, and Guccifer 2.0. [1, 2]
    • Social Media Disinformation: The St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency (IRA) used hundreds of fake social media personas, bot networks, and purchased advertisements to amplify divisive political and social issues, masquerading as U.S. citizens to sway public discourse. [1, 2]
    • Targeting Election Infrastructure: Russian cyber actors scanned and probed state voter registration databases and election systems across multiple states ahead of the 2016 election, though vote tallies were not altered. [1, 2]
    • Criminal Indictments: Federal grand juries indicted dozens of Russian nationals and military intelligence officers for computer hacking, identity theft, and conspiracy against the United States. [1, 2]

    Official Findings

    • Intelligence Community Assessments: Concluded that the Russian leadership developed a clear preference for Donald Trump and aimed to denigrate Hillary Clinton while undermining public faith in the American democratic process. [1, 2]
    • Bipartisan Senate Findings: Confirmed the extensive nature of these foreign cyber and influence operations, noting coordination between online Russian fronts and active distribution channels
    • hoppeduponcoffee@lemmy.zip
      15·
      3 days ago

      Cool, who had the power to convict all the traitors after the 2020 election when this was initially suspected and why wasn’t it done? Why were there no real repercussions for any of it?

      I mean, implying that there was no interference isn’t factually correct. But basing your political platform on “Trump bad, he’s a cheater” isn’t going to resonate with a populace that has more pressing concerns.

      What’s done is done. Engaging in hand-wringing about it now doesn’t accomplish much.

      • UsernameHere
        4·
        3 days ago

        who had the power to convict all the traitors after the 2020 election when this was initially suspected and why wasn’t it done?

        Congress had the power but Republicans supported the traitors so Democrats couldn’t get the 2/3rds need to impeach.

        Why were there no real repercussions for any of it?

        Because republicans loaded the jusdicial system with crooked judges that helped buy Trump time to get reelected and avoid consequences.

        • hoppeduponcoffee@lemmy.zip
          14·
          3 days ago

          They could’ve absolutely done more.

          For one, the senate had the simply majority at the time necessary to prevent Trump from running again in 2024. They also got bogged down in procedural blunders. Dems actually got seven republicans to vote for impeachment. They could easily pushed to ban him from running again via simply majority.

          They failed to enact section 3 of the 14th amendment, which they had the ability to do, and lost the opportunity when the Supreme Court ruled on Trump vs. Anderson.

          They chose not to steamroll the investigation proceedings, as they didn’t want to be seen as “partisan.” The “Olive branch” strategy is the dumbest strategy against an opponent who is will to go scorched earth, and punish their opposition, once they gain power.

          To top it all off, the party’s message of “Trump sucks vote for us,” without addressing the real economic frustrations at the time was one of the biggest failures. Progressive platforms turn out voters, polls show they’re consistently popular with a majority of voters. That’s not the message Dems were selling. And if they were, they did a really lousy job of making it be known, because they got distracted by criticizing Trump, rather than speaking to voters.

          • UsernameHere
            3·
            3 days ago

            They could easily pushed to ban him from running again via simply majority.

            This take isn’t based in reality. Trump still had enough voters to win another election and the support of the Supreme Court.

            They needed more than 7 Republican for the 2/3rd majority.

            They failed to enact section 3 of the 14th amendment, which they had the ability to do, and lost the opportunity when the Supreme Court ruled on Trump vs. Anderson.

            You said it yourself the Supreme Court ruled that section 3 of 14th amendment couldn’t be used so obviously it never would’ve made it past the Supreme Court. Especially since Trump was able to delay the insurrection charge using Judges that he put into place. So there was never an insurrection charge to use for the section 3.

            For you to lie and claim that these things are possible despite the proof otherwise shows your intent to blame dems for the actions of Trump and the GOP. A common GOP shill tactic.

            They chose not to steamroll the investigation proceedings, as they didn’t want to be seen as “partisan.” The “Olive branch” strategy is the dumbest strategy against an opponent who is will to go scorched earth, and punish their opposition, once they gain power.

            Using propaganda Trump convinced the majority of voters that every attempt to hold him accountable has been a partisan witch hunt. It has been successful enough to get him reelected even with felony charges.

            There are still people who think Covid was made up just to hurt Trump.

            Again, for you to pretend otherwise shows your true intention. To redirect blame for GOPs actions onto democrats. A common GOP bot tactic.

            To top it all off, the party’s message of “Trump sucks vote for us,” without addressing the real economic frustrations at the time was one of the biggest failures.

            This wasn’t the message at all. Matter of fact Harris campaigning to tax billionares is what caused Elon Musk to start paying people to vote GOP.

            Progressive platforms turn out voters, polls show they’re consistently popular with a majority of voters.

            Elections results showed any poll you might be referring to was wrong.

            That’s not the message Dems were selling.

            Why would the dems sell the message “progressive platforms turn out voters” when progressives can’t win enough elections or even have enough candidates to support the claim. Who would this message be directed to? It isn’t the dems jobs to tell voters who is popular. It is their job to try and win the elections. Something progressive haven’t been able to do on a nationwide scale. But democrats have.

            they did a really lousy job of making it be known

            It was literally the main talking point against Trump. It didn’t work because the majority of voters don’t know economics so when the GOP propaganda machine blamed Biden who was in office at the time, for the lingering economic fallout of Trump’s Covid response, voters didn’t know any better.

            • hoppeduponcoffee@lemmy.zip
              13·
              2 days ago

              I’m not going to waste my time engaging with you on individual arguments anymore, because you’re now accusing me of being a GOP shill, which means you are now arguing in bad faith. Just know the gaslighting is why the actual left will push most of the libs out of the Dem party, then break and leave them high and dry when the time comes.

              When Dems refuse to use the same tactics as the gop to aggressively fight and get their way, they will always lose. Trying to use the “high road” and extending olive branches, and not pushing the limits of the law - the GOP uses dirty tactics - is weak against an opponent who will do anything to win. And now, because they seized power, they can act with complete impunity.

              I want to you take a long and hard look at Schumer, Manchin, Pelosi, Jeffries and their ilk, and see what they’re up to nowadays. Tell me with a straight face they’re fighting for their constituents. Explain to me how they ever cared about leftism or progressivism.

              • UsernameHere
                2·
                2 days ago

                you’re now accusing me of being a GOP shill

                Nope, I’m stating a fact: you’re using the same talking points the GOP uses

                you are now arguing in bad faith

                Bad faith arguments are when you lie about what could be done to pretend dems didn’t do enough.

                Just know the gaslighting is why the actual left will push most of the libs out of the Dem party, then break and leave them high and dry when the time comes.

                Wow you speak for “the actual left”? Are they in the room right now?

                When Dems refuse to use the same tactics as the gop to aggressively fight and get their way, they will always lose.

                So you feel dems should commit an insurrection to stay in power turning this country into a dictatorship? Dems should promise tax cuts to billionares like Elon Musk so they pay voters to vote for their party? Dems should claim election fraud when there is none to degrade the integrity of our election system? Dems should try to throw out votes that aren’t for them? Dems should remove regulations for the fossil fuel industry and many others to get access to their propaganda machine? Dems should make it harder to vote for the voters that don’t agree with them so they can win without the support of the people?

                “If conservatives become convinced that they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will reject democracy”

                This is what you think Dems should emulate while you claim to speak on behalf of “the actual left”.

                But you clutch your pearls when I point out that you’re saying the same shit as the GOP.

                I want to you take a long and hard look at Schumer, Manchin, Pelosi, Jeffries and their ilk, and see what they’re up to nowadays. Tell me with a straight face they’re fighting for their constituents. Explain to me how they ever cared about leftism or progressivism.

                I want you to take a long and hard look at Sinema, Fetterman, Cotham, Gabbard, Adam’s and their ilk, and see what they’re up to nowadays. Tell me with a straight face they’re fighting for their constituents. Explain to me how they ever cared about leftism or progressivism.

                By cherry picking the actions of the individual like you are I can use your bad faith argument to claim that progressives are doing the same things you blame the entire Democratic Party for.

                Because you’re arguing in bad faith.