Is all foreign election interference only for the right wing?

I created a post that didn’t go over well with the mods, so I decided to just directly ask one of the questions that brought it to mind.

We of course know all about Russia interfering in our elections for Trump. We know all about the United States interfering in others’ elections in the name of anti communism. Both benefit the right wing.

Do you think there’s any amount of significant similar efforts for the left wing, whether directly organized by a government or not? We certainly rarely if ever hear of any, by my lights; the closest I can recall are incidents of data leaks as a result of hacking.

Is it that no significant force has an interest in doing so for the left? Are those who could too “morally good” to consider doing so? Are they afraid of the consequences of getting caught, consequences that would be much less severe for the right? Do those with interest simply not have the resources to do anything significant?

Basically, this is one of those cases where it seems like only the “bad guys” have this weapon in their arsenal, and I’m wondering if it’s deliberate or if it’s just more incognito.

I mean that interference was right out of the Soviet era KGB play book. It wasn’t just macarthy-ite paranoia the communist parties attempting to get elected in the US and in other democracies were being covertly run from the Soviet Union.

The fact there was never quite such a blatant attempt to back a mainstream non-communist like Trump in 2016 in the soviet era was because:

  • It would be assumed that doing so would doom the candidate, as come on who would vote for someone who is clearly being backed by the tyrannical Russian regime? (I’m sure old hands in the kgb is n 2016 were like “WTF we could have just done that!?!”)
  • It took the rise of social media that meant you could back a candidate remotely without actually turning up at a journalists house with a pile of cash and/or incriminating photos

There is an allegation (unproved) that China meddled in the last Canadian election to help the Trudeau liberals. It is not obvious why they would care.

All? No.
Anything of significance in support of liberals? Also, no. If there was, the Republicans wouldn’t be hanging on to “Biden’s Laptop!!” like it was the last life preserver on the Titanic.

There were some issues with China in the 1990s.

@Leaper , how current an example are you shooting for here-2 years? 10 years? 20 years?

The international left is simply too weak to do anything like that, and the rank-and-file are too despairing to try. I’ve been associating with leftists a lot the last few years, and they generally sneer at “electoralism” and the idea that voting can solve anything. They talk about how the Right, capitalism and the US (which are all the same thing) are basically all-powerful and all-seeing and cannot be stopped. Most seem sure that even if a left wing candidate won they’d just be killed by the CIA.

They pin their hopes on a revolution, not an election. How they could win a revolution if they can’t win an election if left a bit vague, though.

Also, OP, are you asking only for efforts by the left wing to influence the USA’s elections, or other elections as well? In the last two elections in Taiwan, there were huge barrages of fake news or other such stuff by China.

To answer the questions, let’s say the last 20 years or so, and any country.

(Also resisting the urge to hijack my own thread commenting on the state of leftism described above.)

George Soros is the usual boogeyman for the Right.

WARNING this link will send you directly to right-wing media.

I think since the US has a lot of competitors, a few of which would like to take us down a notch or two in terms of influence or economic power, and Republicans lately have inconsistent and janky foreign policy ideas, so outside forces wiil generally want to interfere on behalf of non-Democrats. They’d rather sow chaos and instability by promoting Republicans, especially since it worked so well and so easily in 2016. Conservatives have proven to be pliable and flexible partners for them, and they have shown willingness to do and say anything for votes, and are enabled by a cult-like following that readily consumes misinformation. The left here are fractured and not easily swayed by conspiracy BS - the right are just easier marks for this stuff.