What Does the Russian Attack Really Look Like? A Word from None Other Than the Enemy.

It isn't often that I will cite a report authored by the GOP members of the committee headed up by Lamar Smith.  But this blog post is entirely based on its report "United States House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Majority Staff Report:  Russian Attempts to Influence U.S. Domestic Energy Markets by Exploiting Social Media."

Their conclusions, while couched in a heavily pro-fossil fuels language, are basically sound. The Russian attacks on our democracy included a great deal of manipulation of our national discourse on energy.  Putin has a lot to gain from both injecting vitriol into our discourse, generally, and into manipulating our energy decisions, in particular.

I quote their more salient conclusions here.  Please read them.  And then take a long hard look at the ads that Russians posted to inflame our discourse on energy. They have everything to gain from us believing that other Americans are "idiots," or worse.  These ads consistently make us FEEL others are wrong, and we have to FIGHT.  None of these ads explore the difficult challenges of policy, compromise, transition.  They each push for extremism and visceral, gut reactions.  Indeed, there were one or two ads here that I didn't want to include in this post because I agree with them...and I don't want them maligned as Russian and I don't want to admit that I am susceptible to manipulation, too.  

It is clear, we ALL have some soul-searching to do if we want a nation of laws and a democracy that represents our interests, not those of a petroligarch in Moscow.

"By posting content that supports positions held by both liberals and conservatives alike, the Russians used social media to instigate and inflame discord in the United States. Russian social media manipulators intentionally injected foreign propaganda into American political discourse. These Russian agents are only interested in creating discord in America while hiding behind an anonymous and misleading social media pseudonym, as demonstrated by the highly divisive, often contradictory posts provided in this report.
...
Based upon the findings detailed above, it is clear that Russian agents are using social media to influence and impact U.S. energy markets. Regardless of one’s political or ideological views surrounding U.S. energy policy and climate change, the American people deserve to be free from foreign political interference. As such, the Committee will continue to work with social media companies, which have taken positive steps to bring transparency to the online debate. Americans have a right to know that much of what they view online is being disseminated by foreign agents in an effort to disrupt U.S. energy policies. The goal of these foreign agents is to shape Americans’ perceptions of energy and of climate change issues."

 

 

 

 

 

At this moment in time, it is clear that the people we have elected to office are there because they represent Russian interests.  We need to remove them.  The question is...will we do it by falling prey to the same attacks, or will we do it in the best interests of our nation?

It comes to us.  Will we do the hard work of listening to others, digging through compromises, and supporting real policy that will address reality?

I leave you with one very reasonable answer to this question:  Fights Worth Having, Brett Stephens.  Please take some time to formulate your own.  Our nation's welfare depends upon it.

And I leave you with this perspective from Retrospective.

"For What It's Worth"

There's something happening here

But what it is ain't exactly clear

There's a man with a gun over there

Telling me I got to beware

I think it's time we stop

Children, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

There's battle lines being drawn

Nobody's right if everybody's wrong

Young people speaking' their minds

Getting so much resistance from behind

It's time we stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

What a field day for the heat

A thousand people in the street

Singing songs and carrying signs

Mostly saying, "hooray for our side"

It's time we stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

Paranoia strikes deep

Into your life it will creep

It starts when you're always afraid

Step out of line, the men come and take you away

We better stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

We better stop

Hey, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

We better stop

Now, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?

We better stop

Children, what's that sound?

Everybody look - what's going down?