So, did the Democrats fall into Trump's trap?

[Averroës Nix]

It wasn't a "trap," but, yes, it has become a major opportunity for the Trump campaign to discredit his critics.

It has also been a telling showcase of epistemic closure among Clinton supporters. A lot of relatively savvy people have fallen into repeating accusations of Russian manipulation of the Trump campaign, or even outright collusion, on the basis of extremely thin evidence. (In some cases around here, we have seen lines that originated as outright trolling somehow evolve into serious claims.)

None of this is at all convincing to anyone who isn't already inclined to view Trump as a malevolent force that must be stopped. The corollary to this is that it is tempting to take claims of Kremlin involvement as fact, uncritically, if you do hold that view. But that does not make it true, and it certainly does not make for a sound campaign strategy. Or, for that matter, and for those of us who care about these things, an honest one.

[Averroës Nix]

Being a point ahead doesn't mean that he's more likely to win than lose. On the other hand, it makes Clinton's victory look much less secure than it did in mid-June. That Trump is running a historically inept campaign makes this even more notable. That's disturbing enough to merit some rooftop-shouting. Maybe even in a literal sense.