My problem with the "Russian interference" argument

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Don't take me wrong, it is a real and a serious issue, but I can't help but notice that it's becoming, at least to some, an extremely convenient explanation for almost everything, just like "communism" during the Red Scare (again, a real issue, but overused and abused). It's especially worrying with some Democrats are avoiding addressing other factors of the 2016 defeat, focusing solely on this.

[The Simpsons Cinematic Universe]

I see a few different issues in it. Does Russia do cyber warfare? Yes, so does the US (much more aggressively) and so does China. If you look at media outlets like RT the goal is transparently to support anti-establishment voices in the US, left and right.

Propaganda (you could just as easily call it "editorial content") on social media encompasses most of the supposed "Russian hacking." It's just not a real issue. It was a smarter effort than most propaganda campaigns today but not really significant or a major factor in anything really.

Remember when liberals loved WikiLeaks a few years back? The main thing I see from the anti-Russian propaganda campaign is that it's caused the political left to be more antagonistic to any kind of anti-establishment or non mainstream voices. It's created an enemy that all American shortcomings can be blamed on.

Ironically, this strongly resembles the manner in which Putin himself silences opposition, although I'd argue Russians have far more if a reason to be weary of American influence.

[All Along The Watchtower]

I think this whole affair has revealed -  to an even greater extent than before - a much broader indictment of how thoroughly corrupt, criminal, and amoral American elites and “Official Washington” are. Donald Trump, Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, and the rest should never have gotten this far in felonious life.

Consider how Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Israel, multinational corporations, and capitalist vultures and wreckers of all kinds and countries had long ago institutionalized their malign influence on American (and global) politics and policy (and this relationship absolutely goes both ways; if anything, the US side is worse, if only on account of this country’s global power and influence).

Viewed from this perspective, Russia and the Trump campaign’s only real crime was doing this s—t without a Beltway permit. Drain the Swamp.