While this piece is more reasonable and nuanced than most of the five-alarm-fire "Russiagate" calls-to-arms, it's still based on a host of ill-founded presumptions. I'll respond to a few in this threadhttp://theweek.com/articles/785934/why-left-needs-wise-growing-trumprussia-scandal …
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That fundamental analytical flaw is worth underscoring, because it shows the entire storyline to be premised on a confabulation -- this "weird affinity" narrative. There's simply not sufficient evidence to conclude that Trump is a "cat's paw" for Putinpic.twitter.com/tUdxXCbeNj
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...especially when Trump has taken action after action directly *contrary* to Putin's interests. (We could go through the list: Ukraine, Syria, etc.) But that, of course, gets ignored, in favor of this superficial amateur psycho-analysis which modern punditry is so dominated by
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Some on "the left" want to imagine that it's possible to accept the main premises of Russiagate, but with some critical distance, in such a way that will advance socialism. But take this one example of a premise that's been accepted. Has "democracy" really been "sacrificed"?pic.twitter.com/NMR8xwcEhL
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The notion that "Russian interference" has caused the death of American democracy is the exactly the kind of overblown nonsense which is central to Russiagate. To accept it is it to accept the core premises which underlie the entire overblown narrative
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In short, you can't really pick and choose elements of the narrative which seem politically felicitous. At the narrative's very base are inescapable, noxious ideological assumptions. The idea that bringing those assumptions into the mainstream could benefit 'The Left' is fanciful
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Fundamentally, "Russiagate" encourages a warped conception of how modern politics is constituted -- elevating fictitious enemies, christening fictitious heroes, sewing paranoia. Pretending that such a state of affairs is ever going to produce fruitful politics seems deluded
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Is it an important issue? Well, it's dominated the public consciousness for 2+ years, so on that level it's "important." But it's also been extremely harmful, in ways that one Twitter thread could never encapsulate. Anyway, this debate is necessary, and it shall (sigh) continue
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End of conversation
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Remember Barack "This is my last election, I'll have more flexibility after the election." Obama? Usually leaders of nuclear armed countries have had cordial personal interactions. I think CNN would have only been satisfied if Trump had challenged Putin to a Judo death match.
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You mean like this?! https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DikhvJtVsAEZIM6.jpg …
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You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to... You say “Trumpian flare,” I say “Undermining seven decades of international alliance”...
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