Thread by @JYSexton

America's conservative movement closely mirrors the Russian movement that empowered Putin and the style of politics and manipulation Trump employs closely mirrors Putin's. The conservative Right in this country is flooded with Russian money and influence.

Just needs saying.

Regardless of whether you believe in collusion or not, this is what's going on. Either modern Republicans are following the same trend as Putin's ascent in Russia or else Russia has actively cultivated and exported their political movement in America.

So, if you believe the former, that American Republicans have just mirrored their culture from Russia, then you have to believe it's just a giant coincidence that Russia obviously invested in and manipulated them and then ALSO believe they failed to have an influence.

To go down that road, you have to make an absolute ton of giant mental leaps and also dismiss the work of a Republican special prosecutor, the entirety of American journalism, as well as the intelligence of multiple foreign countries. That's...a stretch.

So. The easiest and most apparent solution is that Russia purposefully and relentlessly cultivated and manipulated their form of anti-democratic politics in our Republican Party. What does that mean exactly?

It means one of our two major parties is focused on and dedicated to a type of government that doesn't serve its people but the interest of an oligarchical system. Honestly, isn't that what we already know? It isn't even a major jump to realize that.

It's a horrific realization, but it's not absurd. We have to cut through the spin and faux-patriotism to call this thing what it is. An attempt to align American, politically and philosophically, with something that doesn't resemble democracy.

So many people have a hard time realizing what's going on because they still think of the US and Russia in Cold War terms. That's not what this is. It's economic interests. It's people who believe in democracy versus people who believe countries are just economic engines.

This isn't Capitalism versus Communism, it's Democratic Principles versus Oligarchical Capitalism. The old political principles are gone. It isn't politics, it's economic domination.

And the reason Russia invested in and manipulated the American Right is because they followed the same gameplan. Nostalgic, populist rhetoric that concealed an agenda to further enrich the wealthy. It's a natural partnership.