President-elect Donald Trump’s ego is so huge he cannot let himself believe his election was aided by Russian preference for him over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Yet, the American Intelligence Community has made the assessment that the Russian government, at the direction of Russian President Vladimir Putin, did in the 2016 election cycle conduct an influence campaign combining cyber activity with overt efforts by Russian Government agencies, state funded media, third-party intermediaries and paid social media users or “trolls.” (The full report can be found here.)
The goal of this influence campaign was to discredit Secretary Clinton, compare her unfavorably with Candidate Trump, and cast doubt on the fairness of the democratic election process in America.
There is no evidence that voting machines or ballot counting processes were compromised. Such was not the goal of the influence campaign. The goal was to work on people’s minds, on their thinking and ultimately affect their decisions. We know Secretary Clinton won the popular vote by more than 2 million. (President-elect Trump claims he won the popular vote “if you discounted millions who voted illegally.” No one has found those illegal voters.)
The election was decided by the voters in three key states: The differences are in Michigan 11,900, in Wisconsin 22,871, and in Pennsylvania, 68,236. These three states account for 46 electoral votes. If Clinton had won these states, she could have sealed the presidency with 274 total electoral votes.
South Carolina is where I have made my home since 1959. I am originally a native of Massachusetts, but I have come to deeply love South Carolina and the people in it. All of this despite the fact that this is a Red state, one of many, and the good lord himself, running in this day and age as a Democrat, would likely run second.
South Carolina was one of only six states to vote for Barry Goldwater in 1964 and has voted Republican since, except in 1976 when it voted for fellow southerner Jimmy Carter. Voters in South Carolina were not likely targets of the Russian influence campaign, many were undoubtedly unaware of it and have difficulty, like President-elect Trump, in believing it.
The Russian influence campaign was not aimed at Red states. It was aimed where people are likely to shift from time to time, to put it bluntly where thinkers still live. It doesn't take much to swing a vote. If you can find a little doubt that is where to go to work. Plant a seed, nurture it, repeat it over and over and a vote is swung. This was the purpose of the Russian influence campaign designed to be helpful to now President-elect Donald Trump.
