In other news, they reveal that we’ve always been at war with Eurasia

Recently, those stalwart, honest patriots leading our spy agencies (whose main tool, like any spooks, is lying, sneakily and convincingly, to advance their goals) preached to a russophobic Congressional choir about how evil russkies would undoubtedly attempt to influence the 2018 midterms. However, these creeps, including an individual who openly bragged about making his agency more brutal, had a problem. Even with a complicit, comically credulous mainstream media willing to swallow and regurgitate their evidence-free statements without question, the logic of Russia putting their limited resources into attempting to gain some tangible benefit- by somehow achieving real influence, enough to swing dozens of disparate elections- is absurdly shaky.

Even the ragingly pro-security state mass media (which can’t hire enough creepy, lying retired spooks) can’t help but have a few questions about the 'russia looking to meddle in 2018!’ statements. What exactly would they expect to gain via this interference? Do they expect to somehow pack Congress with Manchurian candidates who will unfailingly serve Russia first? Or just somehow find a bunch of pro-russkies who are electable? And how exactly would they have a meaningful impact on these elections? By spending a few bucks on Facebook ads? And if they somehow find enough electable candidates who are assured to meaningfully assist Russian goals if elected, and also find some low cost, high effect (enough to overpower the normal factors affecting an election, like candidate charisma, missteps, and actual policy) method to swing close elections (if they aren’t close, why bother?), implementing those plans across dozens, if not over 100 contests, would seem to be incredibly difficult, as well as very expensive and prone to exposure of their dastardly scheme.

Like any extremely well funded, powerful institutions, the security establishment has considered the fundamental flimsiness of the 'russia will try to significantly interfere in the 2018 midterms’ theory, and developed an artful dodge to explain why everyone should believe in, and fear, the looming, ever present, Russian threat. They aren’t actually trying to flip elections, they’re 'promoting division’. Or 'sowing dissent’. Or otherwise trying to destabilize our exceptional, clearly ideal system.

This 'sowing dissent’ blanket characterization of the intent of supposed Russian interference has become the mile wide goalposts used to prove that the vaporous, well nigh invisible evidence of meddling represents a real, significant foreign threat to our entire culture. This catch-all description is an ideal explanation- practically anything, no matter how goofy, can be tortured into fitting this 'just trying to stir shit up' tactic.

'Evidence' of meddling inconveniently supporting/attacking both sides in a campaign? Makes sense to the reds, err, Russians, they say, they just want the voters engaged, oops, I mean enraged! Turns out that 'meddling' occurred well before or after the supposedly impacted election? Simply logical, they argue, as the genetically dishonest russkies are just looking to discomfit the placid, utterly content American electorate.

Not only is this theory ideal in its ability to prove that anything (like a coloring book) represents devious foreign meddling, it’s also great for another purpose- smearing, and therefore de-legitimizing and suppressing, dissent. The shocking collapse of mainstream journalism is illustrated by not only their failure to meaningfully question the logic of why (for what purpose, exactly?) and how (what mechanism- beyond tiny ad buys and a few Twitter bots?) Russia would effectively destabilize our society, it is also shown by their inability to notice how useful, and nefarious, this argument can be for state security apparatuses very much interested in defending the establishment against growing popular rage.

Want to talk about a REAL threat to what’s left of American democracy? Let a group of sneaky, self interested, opaque by nature institutions dedicated to defending the status quo label any dissent as a possible foreign plot. Xenophobia has an especially ugly history in the United States- stirring it up based on phantom threats GENUINELY destabilizes society and enables all kinds of horrors.

This mantra provides a ready made excuse to attack and smear candidates and parties who threaten the power and influence of the security state. In other words, it allows them to MEDDLE in elections. We have already seen a preview of how this tactic may be employed, by the aspersions thrown (sat at the same table as PUTIN!!1!) at Jill Stein, smears which the mainstream media not only fail to question, but have widely promoted. (Not) shockingly, dirty russkie fingerprints are also seen on openly Communist, err, socialist Bernie Sanders.

How much do you want to bet that when the midterms come around, the candidates least friendly to spook world will end up being those getting the most russkie support, according to our valorous spies? We have already seen (although the story has been massively undercovered in the mainstream media, even on the right), the security establishment was willing to cross all sorts of red lines (don’t use the security state to attack political opponents, stay well clear of presidential elections- short of overwhelming evidence, never work with clear partisans to investigate their opponents) to block, threaten, or hamstring a despised outsider in Trump.

Expect an even more aggressive effort to smear outsiders, and prop up friends, from the security state in 2018, by suggesting, probably anonymously (via useful media idiots), that candidates hostile to their aims are unwitting (easier to explain and requiring no real proof as opposed to actual collusion) tools of evil Putin. And that anyone voting against the establishment by supporting those candidates are fools, helping the red menace, oops, Russian menace, win.

Beyond providing a ready-made, no proof needed (as no proof is yet to be required to repeat claims of 2016 election meddling as fact) tool to attack system threatening candidates, this 'dissent’=foreign influence is even more useful as a blanket excuse to attack any serious questioning of a deeply flawed, widely unpopular current American establishment.

Widespread movement emerges to question why militarized cops shoot first (especially minorities, but also white folks) and ask questions later? Just might be a big Russian plot! People getting pissed that the corrupt, government-buying corporate establishment is fueling income inequality and poisoning the environment? Bet that the damn russkies are lurking behind it! Lots of Americans sick of constant war and agitating for peace? Dippy peaceniks playing into the hands of evil outsiders!

As usual, this entire narrative could be easily exposed as highly questionable and dangerous with even a prefunctory examination of history. How the hell does no one, especially the journalists responsible for exposing truth, remember how the FBI smeared MLK as a commie (or worse)? Or how the CIA attacked the antiwar movement during Vietnam? Or more recently, how Occupy Wall Street was subject to FBI infiltration and spying? Or even more recently, evidence of FBI agent provocateurs attempting to damage the resistance to the Dakota Access pipeline?

The spooks and their corporate media choir are correct on one point- our fading freedom is under imminent, serious threat. Devious actors with hidden agendas are scheming to advance the death of democracy and the growth of oligarchy, by crippling their enemies and promoting their allies with clever lies.

These Deep State autocrats should know- they are the ones actually threatening our democracy.