Evidence Russians are Attempting to Influence the US Election

[Sherrerd]

@wolfpup

I would argue that with regard to Russia there are (at least) two different things going on here:

#1 - as said here and elsewhere, Trump’s pro-Russia rhetoric and his general cluelessness would make this blithering simpleton the perfect useful idiot for Putin. And the similarities in character between the two (except for the rather vast difference in intelligence) makes them practically a two-man Mutual Admiration Society. Conversely, Hillary would be a formidable hardliner on foreign policy. So Russia has much to gain from a Trump victory.

#2 - it serves Russia’s interests both domestically and internationally to try to expose American democracy as fundamentally broken, regardless of who wins this election:
… if Vladimir Putin is indeed pulling the strings in this U.S. election, the Russian president is likely less interested in propping up Donald Trump’s candidacy than in trying to expose American democracy itself as a farce … Beyond embarrassing the U.S., distracting the country from dealing with policy, and deepening political rifts, a cyberattack that raises questions about the legitimacy of American democracy could prove a point from the Kremlin’s perspective. The official party line disparaging collusion in America could carry a lot of weight in Mother Russia … “They might say, ‘Look what they’re doing in their own country,’” Graham says. “‘Why does the U.S. think that it should tender election monitors and determine what’s free and fair?’”

… Henry Hale, a George Washington University professor who lectures on Russian politics, argues that by weakening faith in American democracy, Russia would be able to challenge the wisdom of exporting democracy abroad … The message? “Don’t bother pushing for democracy at home … It’s bad over there, too.”
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/clinton-trump-putin-wikileaks-1.3814055
Trump’s ridiculous “rigged election” rhetoric is enormously damaging to the US from the standpoint of #2. He is already playing the useful idiot much to Russia’s advantage and the detriment of his own country. Bigly.

Yes, Russia would like to see Trump installed in the White House but even if that doesn’t come to pass, they see the upheaval and conflict this election has engendered as being of great benefit to Russian ambitions.

Jeb Bush was more correct with his “Chaos Candidate” label of Trump than he knew.