tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post7890579438810212544..comments2024-03-28T09:13:04.373-04:00Comments on KIKO'S HOUSE: Yet Another Scandal Mind Blower: Russia Redoubled Its Efforts After Trump WonShaun Mullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14964214385216513188noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post-66393962637320500972018-12-17T14:23:14.079-05:002018-12-17T14:23:14.079-05:00Shaun,
You and I are definitely thinking along th...Shaun,<br /><br />You and I are definitely thinking along the same track. Your posts are prompting me to cogitate on and articulate where I think we are heading. Thanks for all you do.Bscharlotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06667913621618808338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post-69186656694954636442018-12-17T13:16:21.304-05:002018-12-17T13:16:21.304-05:00Brad:
From a forthcoming post:
"Today's...<i>Brad:</i><br /><br />From a forthcoming post:<br /><br />"Today's Republican Party has become as deeply corrupt as the president it also reflexively defends. <br /><br />"This is because of what journalist George Packer calls 'institutional depravity,' the abuse of power as an end in itself and justifying almost any means. As the Democratic Party, while far from perfect, has become more diverse (hence the Blue Wave) today's GOP has walled itself off into a fortress of older, male, rural and conservative voters for whom Trump -- as apolitical as he is amoral -- was an awkward fit but a marriage of convenience that has plunged America into an age of darkness that make the Bush and Nixon eras seem almost quaint." Shaun Mullenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14964214385216513188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post-21962552130551202492018-12-17T11:47:34.506-05:002018-12-17T11:47:34.506-05:00Every politician and hack in the GOP is aware of w...Every politician and hack in the GOP is aware of what the report documents: "... that all of the [Russian] messaging clearly sought to benefit the Republican Party ... " That being true, the GOP, which is fundamentally anti-democratic in the first place -- just look at its voter suppression tactics -- has a strong incentive to obstruct inquiries into Russia's efforts to manipulate our elections. In a nutshell, the GOP would rather win with Russia's illegal help than lose fairly. Indeed, because of changing demographics, GOP leaders may concluded that the only way they can win national elections is with Russia's help. On the negative side, being seen as a party that countenances treasonous collaboration with an adversary may eventually hasten the demise of the GOP as currently constituted. If, for example, the NRA (in truth an arm of the GOP) can be shown to have funneled Russian money to Trump and other Republicans in the 2016 elections, that will help illuminated the unholy bond between the GOP and the Kremlin.<br /><br />The challenge all this poses for an open democracy is mind-boggling. Can Facebook, et al, be counted on to seriously try to root out Kremlin-backed election-manipulation efforts that add to their bottom line? Can Congress enact legislation that puts teeth into our nation's ability to go after bad actors in the social media realm? Will Mueller's revelations of collaboration between Trumpworld and the Russians give our nation's citizens/voters the resolve to meet this challenge head-on and punish those who betrayed our country? I don't know.Bscharlotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06667913621618808338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post-16132873421562822242018-12-17T11:38:53.412-05:002018-12-17T11:38:53.412-05:00A continuing thanks for the continiing commentary,...A continuing thanks for the continiing commentary, Shaun. Very helpful.Dan Leohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01603402268945559679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19217611.post-60992486322534142012018-12-17T07:25:55.293-05:002018-12-17T07:25:55.293-05:00The following must have amused the Russians: slop...The following must have amused the Russians: sloppiness by the Russians that could have led to earlier detection, including the use of the ruble to buy ads and Russian phone numbers for contact information. The trolls also left behind technical signatures in computerized logs, such as Internet addresses in St. Petersburg, where the IRA was based, but the companies were extremely slow to act.<br /><br />What is to be done about cyber warfare?Carolnoreply@blogger.com