The American left, along with many neoconservatives (redundant?), have gone ballistic over Russia “hacking” the presidential election. But I can’t bring myself to get very worked up over this alleged travesty for three reasons.
First, I’m not convinced Russia actually hacked the DNC emails. As Glenn Greenwald and his associates at the Intercept have shown, the evidence seems pretty thin. (HERE, HERE) In fact, nobody has produced any actual proof, just a lot of supposition and speculation. The allegations of Russian interference in the electoral process stem primarily from unnamed sources in the American intelligence community. These people don’t exactly have a track record for honesty. I find it astounding that so many people on the left suddenly put total faith in the CIA and other government sources after screaming (rightfully so) that George Bush lied us into war with Iraq. Now we’re expected to unquestioningly accept what the government tells us because it advances a progressive narrative? No thanks.
Second, even if the Russians did hack the emails and deliver them to Wikileaks, all they did was expose the truth. It seems to me people should be more concerned about what the emails reveal about those in power than how the information came to light. Basically, the left is mad because their secrets leaked out. If the emails did influence the outcome of the election, it only means Americans made decisions based on a little more information that they would have had otherwise.
Third, how can Americans get upset about another country interfering in their election when they have a long and storied history of the exact same behavior? America sticks its nose into everybody’s business. In fact, evidence exists that the U.S. was involved in ousting Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. The Russians accused America of spending millions to help arm opposition groups in the Ukraine (i.e. their back yard). Why should it come as some kind of shock if Russia decided to return the favor? The indignation seems to me like a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black.
The most disturbing aspect of the whole affair is the fact so many on the left seem determined to rekindle the Cold War over the so-called hack. It’s bizarre to hear progressives warmongering and condemning President-elect Trump for his apparent desire to maintain an amicable relationship with the nuclear armed Russian Bear.
Photo by Christoph Scholz via Flickr.
