Originally published at: http://boingboing.net/2017/08/07/russian-bots-are-turning-again.html
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If your goal was to damage our political system, this is exactly what you would do.
Joke’s on Russia, though–our political system was already busted.
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Clowns in a 1951 or 1952 Buick Riviera convertible. #SAD
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Something something trusting a scorpion something something.
Russia’s only goal was to kill faith in our system. They have succeeded in this. Now they wish to destabilize the majority party since it appears Trump will not be putin’s little puppet.
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Or are they Brietbart Bots? Isn’t Mr. Mercer some sort of mad reclusive computer scientist with the necessary skills?
“Chaos is a ladder.” – Bran Stark (after Littlefinger)
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Isn’t Trump essentially just a Russian bot?
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Indeed. The optimistic read of all this is that by pushing the busted election system to the reductio ad absurdum by helping to elect Trump - an obvious buffoonish caricature of naked corruption and inelegant ineffectiveness - it’s actually putting sharp focus on the weaknesses in American Democracy® that many suspect, but which have been hand-wavable up to now. All the “didn’t we have laws against that kind of thing…” / “Well, nobody thought someone would be so stupid/brazen” realizations are stacking up.
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“Nice time to go on a 17-day vacation.”
?? I’m still waiting for him to actually get some work in.
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I’d think not. “Bot” would assume some higher level of sophistication. I would have said “puppet”.
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Ryan? I wish he’d work less.
I think this is symptomatic of civil war within the GOP. pass the popcorn!
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Truly. I hate thinking though that some of the infighting might have to do more with disagreement on how much to remain silent on and tolerate from Trump (good versus bad for congressional re-elections), and not purely on a true schism of good versus bad.
That said, one encouraging thing that’s come out of Congress lately is the proposed Russia Sanctions Review Act. That tells me that the GOP in Congress in great part are (in spite of GOP’s relative silence re Trump’s connection) actually aware of Russia’s control over Trump.
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At SOME POINT, not now, but maybe… at some point the Trumpkins are going to have to ask themselves: am I an American first? A Trumpkin first? RepubIican first?
We already have Mike Pence’s answer: A Christian, a conservative and a Republican. In that order. Notice what doesn’t come up? American. I think the R party is about to schism into Trumpkin/tea party morans and then every other stripe of conservative. Is that a coalition that can get sh!t done? Evidently not, other than chaos and incompetence. Oh and tweets, lots of stupid tweets.
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Derp. I called this months ago.
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The problem is the same reason performing Inception is bloody difficult. The idea Trumpkinism and Americanism differ and are distinct needs to feel self generated since if i try explaining, i could use all the facts all the anecdotes and even cast (what i deem fair) shade at the democrat party it would be met with ‘yea well that’s exactly what a Libtard would say.’
It’s like someone going to a psychiatrist. The person ca talk all they like but until there is that internal moment of realization healing and rebuilding cannot happen. Before someone, perhaps my own family reading this perhaps some other right winger (trumpster, teabagger, chickenhawk, whatever) chimes in saying ‘glass house.’ I am not a Democrat. The last election cycle especially showed me how bald faced their own corruption is. However the system we have cannot be changed except by those that benefit from things remaining as is. I want a redrawing of district lines, something other than winner take all, perhaps something like 'pick the three you want most and candidates votes get aggregated til we have x representatives.)
Our system is broken. I realize this. I just wish they would care enough to put our country ahead of ‘my team is winning stop being a crybaby’ so it can be fixed.
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No bot. No bot. You’re the bot.
/I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically…
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Who needs polling anymore? Now they can continue ignoring their constituents AND can reap the benefits of instant direct feedback from their new bot overlords instead of having them filtered through their fickle Orange Nero.
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I don’t really like the datasource this all draws from. It points to here: http://dashboard.securingdemocracy.org/ which is a closed-source dashboard that tracks Russian influence. The lack of any transparency on their data means I can’t really trust it, because it would be so absolutely easy to influence - and it also means I can’t cite it as a source or use it in an argument.
I don’t necessarily mind that stuff like that exists; certainly if you’re willing to believe them or if you have context that invites you to give them credence, sure; I just won’t believe a random dashboard that happens to align with my political views.
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