What Were the Russians Up To?

Powerline ^ | February 16, 2018 | Steven Hayward

[T Ruth]

So let’s restate the likely explanations. Why did the Russians do this? Because they could. It was useful for them to discover how much they could infiltrate the political process in the U.S., and above all to sow chaos. Actually favoring a Trump victory over Hillary makes little sense on substance, because most of Trump’s foreign policy positions—cheaper energy, expanded defense spending by us and NATO, more missile defense—are averse to Russian interests. But an election result that leaves chaos in its wake works perfectly well whether Hillary had won or Trump. In that sense, the Russian operation has been a sweeping success for them. Maybe our media ought to reflect that they are serving Russian interests very well with their rabid sensationalism of the “collusion” story.

the effort apparently began taking shape as early as May 2014 (and perhaps as early as 2013), an entire year before Trump became a candidate. Then, as they got underway during the primary season, the indictment says (p. 17) that “They engaged in operations primarily intended to communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump,” and instructions to their online “specialists” to “use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump—we support them).” It didn’t take any kind of special intelligence to perceive that Sanders and Trump represented the two most disruptive candidates in the field. Just think of how the political establishments of both parties would have regarded a Sanders-Trump general election in 2016.

Third, the Russian operation organized and promoted numerous pro-Trump rallies, but also attempted to manipulate anti-Trump groups and organize anti-Trump events, especially after the election.

[T Ruth]

the indictment says (p. 17) that “They engaged in operations primarily intended to communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump,”

I wonder if any FR trolls were (are?) Russian-paid operatives?

[ClearCase_guy]

I just don’t see why Russia would pay to support Trump. Makes no sense to me. Never has.

[reasonisfaith]

Fascinating how such a ridiculous narrative keeps going.

The Russia narrative is phony.

[GoldenState_Rose]

I post on this question often... so will paste a bit of what I believe here. Forgive the length please:

The “list” released in Washington today highlights Russian operatives who have been at work in their meddling since 2014, before Trump announced his candidacy. Their goal was not to get a certain person elected, but to capitalize on vulnerabilities within our society and electoral process to stir what little chaos they can. Even our arguments between each other on this board are reflective of their goals...

If you choose to spend a meaningful amount of time in Russia, you will witness the circus-like nature of their “elections”, the rampant fraud, ballot stuffing, and rigging — just, the overall dysfunctional nature of their attempts at “democracy” in general. Under Putin especially, the country has failed to forge meaningful democratic and free economic institutions in the wake of the collapse of the USSR. It is instead a kleptocratic, oligarchy power-vertical.

Think Blue State/Red State divide is bad? Modern Russia has outright Islamic republic outposts like Chechnya within their own territory that they have to keep happy and stable lest there be civil war...again. and again.

The Kremlin-owned media distracts the Russian public from their own grievances with news of instability “elsewhere,” which is why examples like “Occupy Wall Street” and “Black Lives Matter” and the refugee crisis in Europe gets ten times the amount of coverage on their news networks than their *own* very real social problems, their *own* insecurity over Muslims in their own land... (Ethnic Russia is in the midst of severe demographic crisis.)

Lest the Russian people protest and demand more from their leaders...

In 2014, we were vulnerable as a nation under Obama. And Putin, fresh off a hotly contested return to power: oversaw the nation as they aggressively doped their way through the Sochi Olympics, annexed Crimea and invaded East Ukraine and made preparations for Syria.

Yet even all those actions can’t hide nor make up for their lingering insecurities...so this is their outlet: sabotage stronger countries they envy and resent however they can. Because let’s face it: a confident nation would be *friendly* to America. They’d be busy overseeing a booming economy, their own compelling nail biter free elections, hosting public debates about their Soviet legacy without censoring films about Stalin or sending Gulag archivists to the mental asylum...

They’d be building untouchable alliances with other successful (not rogue) countries etc...

But as the Trump’s “MAGA” election attests to, our electoral system is alive and well. Outside the beltway candidates CAN win, miracles CAN happen, and “forgotten people” in states as remote as Iowa and West Virginia do get a say.

And this is bad for leaders like Putin, because it emboldens people in countries like his to pursue the same freedoms and demand the same realities of their own governments.

~ GS_R

[reasonisfaith]

Seems to me they use this narrative to cover an attempted overthrow. Nothing more.

While doing what the feds always do, trying to make their failures invisible.

[reasonisfaith]

What about the China collusion?

[reasonisfaith]

Isn’t the Russia thing only there to cover the real collusion with China?

[rurgan]

First assuming that Mueller says is true and that is a big if.

Mueller indicted 13 “russian” internet trolls. This is a joke ! LOL

Mueller ‘s trying to frame Trump but that's all he could come up with .Amazing he and other morons think that is something serious . LOL

There is something called freedom of speech these communists need to learn about.

Also Facebook twitter etc. are almost all leftists Internet political trolls ,millions of them. Don't believe me to to Trump's twitter and you have a least 10,000 leftist Internet trolls slandering Trump on everyone of his tweets.
Which are paid by Soros? . which actually are in this country? So Mueller digs to find 13 out of the millions of troll. ridiculous.

[SuperLuminal]

"What Were the Russians Up To?"

Probably the same thing the U.S. is up to in every important foreign election...

[Scott from the Left Coast]

“Fascinating how such a ridiculous narrative keeps going.”

This is the method of the Left. It’s not unusual at all. Look at the Global Warming/Climate Catastrophe Hoax. That is as prevalent in society today as Flat Earth was in the 15th Century.

All they have to do is repeat something plausible over and over while ridiculing anyone who points out the monstrous flaws in their contention.

[kevao]

It’s certainly a great relief to know that the Chinese, North Koreans, Iranians, and others are not meddling in our domestic affairs! If they were, we’d be hearing about that too, right?

[xrmusn]

I certainly would wonder why one J E Carter and his followers are not in ‘World Prison’.

For years the/they have been going to ‘monitor’ elections like we have a right to.

We may have a right to ‘interfere’ in a territory but how is us sending ‘election monitors’ to Iraq or Bangaladesh any different than what is going on now.

Didn’t BO OPENLY involve HIMSELF in India? Something to do with Jarretts crowd - The Muslim Brotherhood.

Can you even - in your wildest dreams - imagine D Trump with a member of his inner circle being an open and active supporter of say ‘the IRA’ or ‘Red Brigade’ and his Secretary of State having a ‘confidant’ that is in the same position AND having another full time job AND being married to a person who would have been ‘under’ the jail had he not been a Congressman?

We can’t stop at ‘draining the swamp’, WE need a Gen Sherman style march through the Congess and Senate and root out ALL corruption, no matter how slight or what party.

Cut no slack...SLASH SLASH SLASH

Where is Vlad the Impaler when he could be of good use?

[Bon mots]

[GoldenState_Rose]

All those countries plus russia are united in their hatred for America. But so is our very own deep state.

[Cboldt]

Doing the job the Democrats hired them to do. Undertake token efforts that could be used to subvert the results of the election if Hillary lost.

[User901]

This is all complete bullsh!t to obfuscate the felonious activities of the Marxist Mob here within our own government who wanted to prevent the anti-Marxist Trump from becoming President of The United states and undoing all of their devious progress.

The only collusion that took place was between Obama, the Hillary camp, the FBI, the FISA court judge and the Media.

Your whole article is complete propaganda inserted into the equation by our very own Marxist Mob.

[politicianslie]

What an idiotic question? !
Hillary said Wikileaks and Assange were working for Russia. That was to keep low IQ Americans from looking at hers and Podesta emails

We know that the Podesta email hack was a local hack because the Data transfer rate was too high for it to have been over the Internet. So instead of looking at Podesta’s pedophile code words in his emails, the press instead concentrated on Trump’s nonexistent ties to Russia

Rosenstein appointed a special prosecutor to investigate Trump’s Russian ties, but there was and still is NO EVIDENCE of Trump having any Russia ties nor any evidence of any criminal behavior at all

It is time to get back to investigating the RATS criminal behavior

It is time to prosecute those involved in Uranium ONE which includes Hillary, Rosenstein, Mueller, Bill Clinton, Obama.....

It is time to prosecute those involved in the illegal FISA court scams

It is time to prosecute those involved in the DOJ/FBI sedition actions

It is time to shut down Soros and show his ties to Obama and Hillary

It is time to shut down the RAT election fraud

The list can go on and on.

[rurgan]

First lets assume that what Mueller says is even true and that is a big assumption.

Mueller indicted 13 “russian” internet trolls. This is a joke ! LOL

Mueller ‘s trying to frame Trump but that’s all he could come up with .Amazing he and other morons think that is something serious, a serous crime being an internet political troll . LOL

There is something called freedom of speech these communists need to learn about.

Also Facebook twitter etc. are almost all leftists internet political trolls ,millions of them. Don’t believe me go to Trump’s twitter and you have a least 10,000 leftist internet trolls slandering Trump on everyone of his tweets.
Which are paid by Soros? . Which actually are in this country? So Mueller digs to find 13 out of the millions of troll. Ridiculous.

That is top news and that the news media creates mass shooters by promising losers world wide fame(immortality) like the Koran promises suicide bombers paradise or virgins proves we are living in the matrix, the news media created alternate world.

[Rashputin]

Probably a faction in Ukraine, not Russians, who didn't like Kiev throwing in with Hillary when she didn't pick McCain as her VP.

There are so damn many Russians in Brighton Beach who frequently travel to Russia and are pissed off because the US hasn't started WWIII yet that there's no need to pay for 'Russians' to troll an election. Just ask and maybe toss em' a couple new laptops then you're good to go.

There are such interesting connections between the Russian oligarchs who fled when Putin came to power and cleaned house, Brighton Beach, Israel, and London, that once I heard Steele's name I decided we probably won't be even getting near to draining the swamp until there are some coordinated arrests in Israel, Brighton Beach, and London.

I don't know about Russians on FR, but there's an interesting correlation between the number of anti-Russian, "save Ukraine", posts and Kiev getting a bit of cash.

JMHo

[T Ruth]

Thanks for your post.