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Russian Bots: A comforting delusion
As Bernie moves closer to the nomination, despairing centrists retreat into fantasies of international intrigue
Time is a flat circle. Every attack ever made against Bernie Sanders will be made over and over and over again. Forever. Case in point: Intelligence agencies informed Sen. Sanders a month ago that Russians were attempting to influence the election in his favor, according to a story released in the Washington Post last Friday. Of course, some of his opponents pounced on the opportunity to insinuate that the Sanders campaign was in cahoots with the Kremlin.
Driven by thousands of self-styled “Resistance” Twitter accounts, conspiratorial hashtags—#RussianInfluence, #BernieKnew, and #BernieIsARussianAgent—started trending. These accounts alleged that Sanders failed to disclose the findings because he wanted to conceal that he was getting Russian assistance. Many tried to credit Putin with Bernie’s surge in the polls as well as his victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.
This is, of course, bullshit. A fever dream. Bernie didn’t disclose what was in the confidential briefing because it was classified. End of story.
We have no idea what the Russians are up to, but one thing we can know for certain: Bernie’s runaway lead in the polls…
