The Media Bias

[pinstripers]

Nope. But it is also time to move on.

No statute of limitations on murder.

[MoValley John]

No statute of limitations on murder.

I don't think the investigation should end, nor prosecution should the case be solved.

The public debate should end unless, and until, something changes in the case.

[jdshock]

So?

Politics is and always has been a dirty business. Furthermore, since the advent of email, we have been told over and over again, to be careful. We have been told that proper context can be difficult to convey, and we have been told to read and reread before hitting the send button. We have also been told that sometimes emails get in the wrong hands.

Apparently, John Podesta and the DNC didn't listen. Or didn't care. They were careless with content and context. They shared passwords. They emailed each other their passwords. And John Podesta fell for the oldest hack trick in the book.

It seems we are blaming the Russians far more than we are a careless Podesta and DNC. If you are playing politics, keep your emails clean.

You said the only thing the emails did was release raw information. I'm saying that's not true. Releasing emails for one side but not the other will influence voters.

I'm not sure if the emails determined the election or not. I would say it's incredibly likely that the emails plus the Comey announcement immediately prior to the election determined the outcome. I think people forget just how close the election was. An additional 2% for HRC and she almost certainly wins the election handily.

I think the biggest thing is that there are still tons of people (examples on this board) that think Russia did nothing to influence the election. Add to that the number of people who think "eh, get over it." I feel like I'm looking at the best evidence we've ever had of foreign influence on one of our own elections, and people just say "not a big deal."

[ShockerGorilla]

You said the only thing the emails did was release raw information. I'm saying that's not true. Releasing emails for one side but not the other will influence voters.

I'm not sure if the emails determined the election or not. I would say it's incredibly likely that the emails plus the Comey announcement immediately prior to the election determined the outcome. I think people forget just how close the election was. An additional 2% for HRC and she almost certainly wins the election handily.

I think the biggest thing is that there are still tons of people (examples on this board) that think Russia did nothing to influence the election. Add to that the number of people who think "eh, get over it." I feel like I'm looking at the best evidence we've ever had of foreign influence on one of our own elections, and people just say "not a big deal."

Before Election Day, the media was not reporting that it was close. I don't know how many times I heard that Trump did not have a realistic path to victory.

[MoValley John]

Before Election Day, the media was not reporting that it was close. I don't know how many times I heard that Trump did not have a realistic path to victory.

True.

I voted for Gary Johnson, took my wife to dinner, then went to Costco. I didn't want to watch the results, it was a foregone conclusion. I disliked Trump and hated Hillary.

That said, when I finally broke down and turned on the results, I was perplexed. As the night went on, the media's meltdown was epic. Nobody predicted this. The Russians weren't mentioned. Just the left in utter confusion and dismay. I so much wanted to skip working the next day and watch The View! The Young Turks did not disappoint. Watching the left and the media reaction was better than watching a Jerry Springer show featuring unfaithful midgets.

Okay, nothing is better than watching midgets fight on Jerry Springer. But it was close.

[CBB_Fan]

It seems we are blaming the Russians far more than we are a careless Podesta and DNC. If you are playing politics, keep your emails clean.

The issue is not the hack itself, nor the contents of what was hacked. It is a fact of life that Russia will attempt to manipulate our elections to their benefit. The issue is that rather than fighting this external influence and trying to prevent it, one faction of one party has sought to utilize it for their own political goals.

Why does this matter?

1. It encourages more extreme and obvious "support" in further elections.
2. Hacking doesn't just cause leaks. What isn't leaked can be used for blackmail.
3. It allows foreign agents to push their country's agenda over ours.
4. It undermines American authority and hegemony.

And this is ignoring the elephant in the room, the people close to Trump that may have been influenced by actual Russian agents (Page) or have been Russian agents themselves (Manafort).

[pinstripers]

I sense somebody is looking for moose and squirrel.

[DUShock]

I sense somebody is looking for moose and squirrel.

[MoValley John]

The issue is not the hack itself, nor the contents of what was hacked. It is a fact of life that Russia will attempt to manipulate our elections to their benefit. The issue is that rather than fighting this external influence and trying to prevent it, one faction of one party has sought to utilize it for their own political goals.

Why does this matter?

1. It encourages more extreme and obvious "support" in further elections.
2. Hacking doesn't just cause leaks. What isn't leaked can be used for blackmail.
3. It allows foreign agents to push their country's agenda over ours.
4. It undermines American authority and hegemony.

And this is ignoring the elephant in the room, the people close to Trump that may have been influenced by actual Russian agents (Page) or have been Russian agents themselves (Manafort).

So, is this the first time Russia attempted to influence our elections?

Will it be the last?

Is it abnormal for Russia, or other countries to attempt to influence our elections?

During the 2016 election, was Trump responsible for the agencies that are charged with preventing or limiting foriegn influence on our elections?

Is the answer to all of the above, no?

A few more questions.

Has it been alleged that Bill Clinton tried to influence the Russian election of Boris Yeltsin?

Has the US attempted to influence foriegn elections?

Will the US continue to try and influence foriehn elections?

Is attempting to influencing foriegn elections a normal practice of both the US and Russia?

Was Obama responsible for the agencies in charge of preventing or limiting foriegn influence in our elections?

[MoValley John]

No, I don't want foriegn influence in our elections. But I'm not naive enought to thonk it doesn't happen. And I'm not going to sit here and cry foul when the DNC is so careless that they fall for the most basic computer hack, something my ten year-old wouldn't fall for, and I don't understand why they all shared each other's passwords, either. This is basic stuff.

[MoValley John]

This is the problem, sharing weak passwords and falling for silly phishing scams. A twelve year-old could have done as much or more damage. The DNC should spend more time teaching basic personal internet security protocols and less time crying.

Https://www.businessinsider.com/hacked-emails-dnc-weak-passwords-2016-7

"Other leaks show staffers sending a new password for its "Factivists" website over unencrypted email, and there were Microsoft Excel spreadsheets being shared over email that contained personal information, such as names, addresses, and Social Security numbers."

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinmurnane/2016/10/21/how-john-podestas-emails-were-hacked-and-how-to-prevent-it-from-happening-to-you/amp/

[pinstripers]

We tried to influence the past Israeli election. I imagine that we, along with everybody else, do it all the time.

[MoValley John]

We tried to influence the past Israeli election. I imagine that we, along with everybody else, do it all the time.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/when-a-foreign-government-interfered-in-a-us-electionto-reelect-fdr-214634

Oh, the humanity! Those damned Brit's!

[CBB_Fan]

No, I don't want foriegn influence in our elections. But I'm not naive enought to thonk it doesn't happen. And I'm not going to sit here and cry foul when the DNC is so careless that they fall for the most basic computer hack, something my ten year-old wouldn't fall for, and I don't understand why they all shared each other's passwords, either. This is basic stuff.

I don't know why I put forth the effort. Instead of responding to my point you simply reiterated your own. If we are playing the "respond with questions game" I have a one.

In response to you continuously blaming the Democrats:

What proof do we have that the Republicans were not compromised? As my point 2 before, a hacked GOP could be blackmailed even if we haven't seen leaks.

Answer: They were hacked.

[MoValley John]

I don't know why I put forth the effort. Instead of responding to my point you simply reiterated your own. If we are playing the "respond with questions game" I have a one.

In response to you continuously blaming the Democrats:

What proof do we have that the Republicans were not compromised? As my point 2 before, a hacked GOP could be blackmailed even if we haven't seen leaks.

Answer: They were hacked.

It all comes down to water under the bridge. Or, putting a genie back in the bottle. You're focusing on a world of what if's. And there is nothing that can be done to change anything. In fact, if Clinton won, we still would have the same what if's, and we would still have the same risk of blackmail. The only thing that would change is we wouldn't be having this discussion. We would be living in Happytown.

There is nothing that can be done to correct the past hacking. Nothing. On the other hand, rather than focusing on Russia, our politicians should be focusing on preventing this from happening again. From the Russians to the British, to Canada.

And the Democrats better never again share passwords.