Trump is more of a useful idiot.
Social media enabled the unmitigated proliferation of factually false information. Lies have always been a part of politics, but in the past few years we’ve gone from drinking from a sprinkler to a fire hose. Similarly, the regimes of world powers (including the US) have always done what they could to influence the outcome of consequential foreign elections, but social media provides them with an unprecedented tool by which to do so. The fundamental difference which is so alarming to Americans who pay attention is a major political party which is absolutely willing to court that interference from another power predominately hostile to our interests for their own advantage.
Perhaps even worse, there are a lot of Americans (and not only “conservatives”) who’ve decided that the stakes are high enough to justify any means. I honestly think if the self-sorting of political identities were still clearly delineated between states (rather than centering on urbanization), several might well have tried to secede during the previous administration…that the only glue keeping us “united” at this point is that we’re too jumbled together to easily split apart. There’s a certain eschatological disintegration to all of it that appeals to the religious right who pine for a Christian authoritarian state that never actually existed, and to a lesser extent to an increasingly disillusioned left that have lost confidence in democratic progress.
Did Russia elect Trump? No, of course not, that’s on the American electorate. And I agree there are too many people who seem to think if we root out Russian interference we can get rid of him. But the ability of Russia and other foreign powers to leverage social media as a tool to interfere in democratic institutions should worry everyone, Europeans included.
On top of that and in part because of that we have a president who is perhaps the most cynical politician of any to occupy the office, perfectly willing to lie regardless of the consequences so long as he comes out on top, because to him that’s what being an American means, putting yourself before everyone else irrespective of the cost. And most of his core base agree with him.
Part of the problem is the way the mainstream media frames things in condescending Manichean narratives tailored to a breakneck news cycle where substance is peripheral to attention grabbing headlines. But even if that weren’t the case, the old America is gone. We can’t un-ring that bell.
All that said, I think you’re really selling the community here short. Maybe it isn’t a high bar, but we’ve done a better job than most at not drinking the Kool-Aid that our enemies’ enemies are our friends.
Yes, and unfortunately so does the Alt Right.
