• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

What does "influencing" an election look like?

Lutherf

DP Veteran
Joined
Sep 16, 2012
Messages
49,164
Reaction score
54,927
Location
Tucson, AZ
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Conservative
In particular, what actions would constitute illegally influencing an election?

For example:
- Russian individual "A" creates a Twitter account and expresses negative opinions about US candidate "B". "A" ends up with 350,000 followers, many of whom are Americans.

- Russian individual "A", a known operative of the FSB, creates a Twitter account and expresses negative opinions about US candidate "B". "A" ends up with 350,000 followers, many of whom are Americans. "A" never discloses his/her association with the FSB

- Russian individual "A" is involved in the international Widget industry. As an expert in that field they are associated with members of the Russian government. "A" meets with US counterparts in the Widget industry during a trade summit. Some of the US counterparts are affiliated, as advisors, with candidates for elected office that are currently campaigning. "A" has expressed a preference for a given candidate for elected office.

- Russian individual "A", with investment interests in the US, engages with elected US parties for the purpose of conferring with regard to permits, legal assistance, etc. in a US based project. "A" has expressed a preference for a given candidate for elected office.

- Russian individual "A" has a common trade or academic interest with a certain US based trade or academic foundation. "A" receives information from the FSB which reflects negatively on a US candidate for elected office. "A" passes that information to individual "B" who is engaged in the business of political opposition research. "B" provides that information to his client campaign and/or interested parties in the media.

- Russian individual "A" obtains private email communications between a US candidate for elected office and/or their advisors. "A" then makes those communications public through a third party.

- Russian individual "A" obtains private email communications between a US candidate for elected office and/or their advisors. "A", having a preference for the affected candidate, destroys the communications so that they will never see the light of day.

- Russian individual "A", working with the Bilderbergs, the Illuninati and other One World organizations seeks to destabilize the United States in the furtherance of achieving full blown Globalism. "A" engages in a complex scheme of propaganda, political influence peddling, cyber espionage, and a major media campaign to sow discord and doubt even at the local levels of American society. "A" doesn't really care what direction US elections go as long the results promote the cause of Globalism.
 
When is the last time you spent some time in a WalMart?
 
You're struggling to understand how marketing, propaganda, ads, the stolen DNC analytics, the stolen DNC strategies, the stolen DNC voter list, the stolen DNC emails that severely damaged the Hillary campaign, the Russian influence that we know already changed Republican platform issues, the choosing of Manafort out of the blue, etc.....

You believe these had no effect.

Tell me are not serious.

Of course they had an impact. And given how big *just what we know* was, and how close the election was, and how bizarre of a surprise win it was and the DNC's family jewels stolen, and leaked to Republicans...someone would have to be nuts to claim it had no effect...
 
Good God...the Russia apologist are out in full force today.

you do understand OUR government has messed with elections ALL over the planet for decades...right?

did you honestly believe it would never come back on us?
 
you do understand OUR government has messed with elections ALL over the planet for decades...right?

did you honestly believe it would never come back on us?

so, that's an excuse; right?
 
You're struggling to understand how marketing, propaganda, ads, the stolen DNC analytics, the stolen DNC strategies, the stolen DNC voter list, the stolen DNC emails that severely damaged the Hillary campaign, the Russian influence that we know already changed Republican platform issues, the choosing of Manafort out of the blue, etc.....

You believe these had no effect.

Tell me are not serious.

Of course they had an impact. And given how big *just what we know* was, and how close the election was, and how bizarre of a surprise win it was and the DNC's family jewels stolen, and leaked to Republicans...someone would have to be nuts to claim it had no effect...

*the stolen DNC emails that severely damaged the Hillary campaign*

What was in the DNC emails that damaged the Clinton Campaign ??
 
*the stolen DNC emails that severely damaged the Hillary campaign*
What was in the DNC emails that damaged the Clinton Campaign ??

Try to stay on topic. Did it affect the election? Obviously.
What it was, was, private, and illegal to take, and extremely damaging to the Hillary campaign.

So you couldn't even admit it affected the election AND you had to cherry pick one of the many things I listed (and there are even more that we don't know..money, influence, etc.)

AND you had to reply with something irrelevant.

Your performance was weaker than Trump's Helsinki porn show performance with Putin. Although Trump has the audacity to walk it back, then walk it forward, then unwalk it, then unwalk the unwalk. Can you do that? That would be fun to watch.
 
You're struggling to understand how marketing, propaganda, ads, the stolen DNC analytics, the stolen DNC strategies, the stolen DNC voter list, the stolen DNC emails that severely damaged the Hillary campaign, the Russian influence that we know already changed Republican platform issues, the choosing of Manafort out of the blue, etc.....

You believe these had no effect.

Tell me are not serious.

Of course they had an impact. And given how big *just what we know* was, and how close the election was, and how bizarre of a surprise win it was and the DNC's family jewels stolen, and leaked to Republicans...someone would have to be nuts to claim it had no effect...

OK, I’ll bite. Why is your party now deciding to run “Fresh faces” in 2024 since their establishment candidates are way past their pull date? After all, re running Hillary promises a return to Obamanomics, legal tiptoeing that wafts around Clinton, Inc.

She was a ****ty candidate with too much baggage.

All the dems are hoping for is to give high visibility experience for a candidate in 2024 that could possibly win.
 
you do understand OUR government has messed with elections ALL over the planet for decades...right?

did you honestly believe it would never come back on us?
And if the same tactic benefit a Democrat you'd have the same opinion?
 
You're struggling to understand how marketing, propaganda, ads, the stolen DNC analytics, the stolen DNC strategies, the stolen DNC voter list, the stolen DNC emails that severely damaged the Hillary campaign, the Russian influence that we know already changed Republican platform issues, the choosing of Manafort out of the blue, etc.....

You believe these had no effect.

Tell me are not serious.

Of course they had an impact. And given how big *just what we know* was, and how close the election was, and how bizarre of a surprise win it was and the DNC's family jewels stolen, and leaked to Republicans...someone would have to be nuts to claim it had no effect...

If it got the truth out to the voters, why is that a bad thing? [oh cause you lost]

BTW, Wikileaks said none of their leaks came from
m Russian sources. Trump did mention there were "others"
 
In particular, what actions would constitute illegally influencing an election?
• Illegally hacking a candidate's servers, and gathering private communications and/or documents

• Illegally hacking into election boards

• Stealing voter information

• Foreigners spending on campaign ads

• Illegally hacking electronic voting machines and tampering with votes

• Blackmailing candidates

• Foreigners funding candidates, or providing any material support

• Foreigners infiltrating campaigns and government organizations, in order to influence election activities

Almost all of the above happened in 2016.


Twitter trolls were legal (afaik), but obviously unethical.

Russian oligarchs saying to their American buddies "boy I hope Trump wins" is legal. That isn't what we're talking about.

I.e. The Russians illegally and unethically interfered with the 2016 election, as well as numerous elections outside the US before and since, and are trying to do it again in 2018.

We're talking about the core function of our democracy here. I don't care who benefitted from it, this is not a partisan issue. This is a foreign adversary attacking the US. No American should tolerate it, no matter who they voted for.
 
In particular, what actions would constitute illegally influencing an election?.

With each passing day you're posts are more and more resembling Russian social-media trolling.
 
If it got the truth out to the voters, why is that a bad thing? [oh cause you lost]

WCH, championing Russia hacking and changing the U.S. election.
WCH, championing crimes.

Yes comrade, those are bad things. And criminal.
Big republicans want to take those kids from parents on the border, but they are willing to swallow Putin's crimes if it helps their Party. TRUE PATRIOTS!! MAGA!!!

Wow.
 
Try to stay on topic. Did it affect the election? Obviously.
What it was, was, private, and illegal to take, and extremely damaging to the Hillary campaign.

So you couldn't even admit it affected the election AND you had to cherry pick one of the many things I listed (and there are even more that we don't know..money, influence, etc.)

AND you had to reply with something irrelevant.

Your performance was weaker than Trump's Helsinki porn show performance with Putin. Although Trump has the audacity to walk it back, then walk it forward, then unwalk it, then unwalk the unwalk. Can you do that? That would be fun to watch.

Just asked a simple question Mach. I have no idea who you think you're talking to, but I haven't been in a discussion with you in this thread.

You brought the topic up, as a matter of fact, used it to substantiate a point, so I asked, what in the hacked emails damaged the Clinton Campaign ??
 
Just asked a simple question Mach. I have no idea who you think you're talking to, but I haven't been in a discussion with you in this thread.

You brought the topic up, as a matter of fact, used it to substantiate a point, so I asked, what in the hacked emails damaged the Clinton Campaign ??

I answered it above. You have no reply to what I said, because it's exactly as I wrote. I mean, unless you can rebut it, that's what I'm left with. Sorry, no trophy for you.
 
you do understand OUR government has messed with elections ALL over the planet for decades...right?

did you honestly believe it would never come back on us?

You point being what...there should be no repercussions? That we shouldn't do anything? I'm not sure exactly where your going here except that you are parroting something Liberals have criticized the US for doing for awhile and conservatives typically support/defend.


You don't have any moral highground by defending Russian interference in US elections.
 
I answered it above. You have no reply to what I said, because it's exactly as I wrote. I mean, unless you can rebut it, that's what I'm left with. Sorry, no trophy for you.

You answered nothing Mach, you just said it "was private and illegal to take". That doesn't answer what qas in the hacked emails damaging to the Clinton Campaign ??
 
OK, I’ll bite. Why is your party now deciding to run “Fresh faces” in 2024 since their establishment candidates are way past their pull date? After all, re running Hillary promises a return to Obamanomics, legal tiptoeing that wafts around Clinton, Inc.

She was a ****ty candidate with too much baggage.

All the dems are hoping for is to give high visibility experience for a candidate in 2024 that could possibly win.

You nailed it, the Democratic Party has become the party of blame, the party of no, the party of obstructionists, the party of resistors, the party that has nothing to offer anyone....
I am starting to wonder if they are ever going to look in the mirror.
 
You answered nothing Mach, you just said it "was private and illegal to take". That doesn't answer what qas in the hacked emails damaging to the Clinton Campaign ??

You can't stay on topic can you, and you can't say why its' important in the context of the thread? Pathetic as usual.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Democratic_National_Committee_email_leak

Under "Contents", is a long list of the highlights...the most damaging, that resulted from the stolen, private emails, obtained by Russia via criminal hacking. That's just the emails and just the highlights.

So now you'll answer the questions I posed to you I'm sure.
 
you do understand OUR government has messed with elections ALL over the planet for decades...right?did you honestly believe it would never come back on us?

MAGA?

So Russia meddles in our election, potentially changes the outcome, and apparently their involvement has also resulted in Trump campaign staff indicted, 20+ Russians...and you don't care? What happened to "Lock her up"? Why the outrage against immigrants on the border for "breaking the law", when there is not similar outrage to you know...Russia ****ing our election over and the likely complicit Americans? Calling all Russian, I mean, American patriots.
 
you do understand OUR government has messed with elections ALL over the planet for decades...right?

did you honestly believe it would never come back on us?

But WE are doing it to further the aims of democracy and freedom, rather that snuff it out like other countries and the far left in the USA.

That is an important distinction.
 
You can't stay on topic can you, and you can't say why its' important in the context of the thread? Pathetic as usual.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Democratic_National_Committee_email_leak

Under "Contents", is a long list of the highlights...the most damaging, that resulted from the stolen, private emails, obtained by Russia via criminal hacking. That's just the emails and just the highlights.

So now you'll answer the questions I posed to you I'm sure.

I asked the first question based on a post of yours, I'm not off topic cause you determined the topic.

I've already read your Wikipedia link and you still have yet to answer the question, what in the DNC/DCCC email hack was damaging to the Clinton Campaign ?? Just so you understand, I asked you Mach.
 
you do understand OUR government has messed with elections ALL over the planet for decades...right?

did you honestly believe it would never come back on us?
By that logic, it's also fine for foreign nations to drop bombs on the US, because we've bombed other nations. Does that sound good to you?
 
You nailed it, the Democratic Party has become the party of blame, the party of no, the party of obstructionists, the party of resistors, the party that has nothing to offer anyone....
I am starting to wonder if they are ever going to look in the mirror.
Please.

Trump was railing about a "rigged election" before Election Day. If he had lost, he would have gone on a multi-week tirade, screaming about a "lost election," blaming everyone and everything except himself for the loss.
 
Back
Top Bottom