# How did the Russians actually influence the election? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 12, 2017, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417 "2017-05-12T01:26:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417/61 "2017-05-15T19:16:34Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > No, I’m not. Where did you get that from my post? > > I don’t know if it was effective or not. I don’t know if it lost Clinton three points, or gained Trpum two points, or had zero net effect (unlikely). > > I’m saying that, whether the Russian activity had any influence or not, this election should not have been close enough for it to matter. The fact that it was is _our_ fault. What if the Russian activity swayed everything by 20%? That would mean that the election wouldn’t have been anything like close. I grant that it probably would have been far closer than it should have been. But the issue for most Republicans is the question of infanticide. They’re prepared to swallow a lot. You’d probably do better to blame Christianity than America, on that issue. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2017, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417/62 "2017-05-15T19:18:42Z")
> [@Fubaya](#): > > How would one know what effect it had on the election and if it didn’t have an effect, or if it were impossible to prove one, does that mean it shouldn’t be investigated? Ah, you Américains and your Unknown Unknowns ! It will undoubtedly be clear in Heaven when we all have it explained by\* le Bon Dieu.\* In the meantime, on earth if something definitely can’t be discovered, it is the definition of a waste of time to look for it. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2017, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417/63 "2017-05-16T03:03:58Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > You tell me. A lot of Clinton Supporters are yelling about the Russian interference and a slightly lesser amount crying about how it affected the election like it is an established fact that No Russian Influence\* = Clinton Victory > > \*Used generically as there are few specifics given as to what the influence was hence this thread. A guy showed up at a pizza place with a rifle to stop a child sex ring ran by Hillary Clinton that he read about in fake election news. It seemed to have a profound effect on him, and it’s not illogical to think that others were also influenced enough to do something less dramatic, like vote differently. But how can we know? You’re right it’s not an established fact that “No Russian Influence = Clinton Victory” but neither do we know if “No Russian Influence = Clinton Loss” because the election was held under a lot of Russian influence. Would the results have been different if circumstances were different? That’s like asking would John Kerry have won if he hadn’t been swiftboated in 2004? Who knows. This whole thread reeks of “prove this thing that is impossible to prove, or else the whole Russia thing is no big deal.” > [@Evan\_Drake](#): > > Ah, you Américains and your Unknown Unknowns ! It will undoubtedly be clear in Heaven when we all have it explained by\* le Bon Dieu.\* > > In the meantime, on earth if something definitely can’t be discovered, it is the definition of a waste of time to look for it. Is someone looking at whether Russian involvement changed the outcome of the election? ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_blistering_barnacle/32/3386_2.png) [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Blistering_Barnacle)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417/64 "2017-05-17T13:03:11Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Just to expand on this one, there are two separate “hacks” that they are accused of: > > 1. the DNC email system > > 2. John Podesta’s gmail account (via a phishing scheme) Plus an RNC hack, which was NOT released on Wikileaks. I find it very specious whenever I hear people say, “Yeah, the Russians did a bunch of stuff, but there’s no evidence that they really influenced the election.” The result hung on a razor’s edge. People can argue about whether it was a thumb or a brick placed on the scales, but really, a pinkie finger or even a feather would have done the trick this time. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417/65 "2017-05-17T13:40:14Z")
ONe needs only to look at the election result to know that a horrible thing happened. A uniquely horrible man, one with no discernible moral compass, no experience in government, no real qualifications, and extremely shady connections to foreign oligarchs, etc. etc. won the election. Those who say HRC was a bad candidate seem intent on ignoring the clear, strong, powerful evidence that Thrump was a horrible candidate, and HRC was a far superior one, no matter what policy or personal differences you might have with her. We see, now the result of the election. We have to take steps to correct our mistake and try to regain a sense of stability and sanity in Washington. The Republicans could also just leave town and that would help, too, but that is another screed for another time. ---
**Author:** ![jshore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b5e925/32.png) [@jshore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jshore)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2017, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417/66 "2017-05-17T13:42:09Z")
> [@Blue\_Blistering\_Barnacle](#): > > P > I find it very specious whenever I hear people say, “Yeah, the Russians did a bunch of stuff, but there’s no evidence that they really influenced the election.” The result hung on a razor’s edge. People can argue about whether it was a thumb or a brick placed on the scales, but really, a pinkie finger or even a feather would have done the trick this time. Well said. It was really a “perfect storm” of conditions that produced this result. Only one of any number of things could have swung it the other way. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-the-russians-actually-influence-the-election/786417.md?page=3)