First posted 1/02/2017
In this post I offer a screenshot timeline of the disinformation campaign
against Hillary Clinton from June through November of 2016, though
GOP smears against her go back decades.
This post was first published as A Gilded Throne of Lies: The Right-
Wing War on Truth.
I’ve changed the title to illustrate what the U.S. government confirms
as fact: Russia attacked the United States with a new form of
propaganda spread by new technologies.
“Russian disinformation takes its roots from the Soviet dezinformatsiya, which consisted of operations aimed at influencing opinion in the West through fakes and forged ‘disinformation’.
in Russia, press freedom has been very limited.
The tradition of opposition media was totally annihilated during the communist era and despite the hopes for the development of free media environment after the collapse of the USSR, Russia has followed the path of heavy propaganda. Recently, a new global strategy has been set in motion, linked to the notion of soft power.
President Putin himself recognized the concept of weaponisation of information. In a 2014 interview, he declared: “The rapid progress of electronic media has made news reporting enormously important and turned it into a formidable weapon that enables public opinion manipulations. The intense media warfare has become a mark of the times, when certain nations attempt to monopolize the truth and use it in their own interests”. Since then, the so-called “weaponisation of the information” has become an essential tool of Russian foreign policy, and several specialists acknowledged that Russia has been using information as a weapon. The term “information warfare” was coined a while ago, taking its roots in the Cold War and the rise of communication technologies, however, “weaponisation of information” appears to be a rather new phenomenon.
Russian propaganda has evolved in sophistication, intensity, reach and impact.
Russian efforts are carefully orchestrated, thoughtfully targeted, generously funded and professionally produced.
The truth is not important and there is a strong sense of relativism.
The Kremlin exploits the idea that the ‘truth’ is a lost cause and that reality is essentially malleable.”
from To inform, or disinform: Russia’s new propaganda war
In simple terms, weaponised disinformation is the use of mass media to subvert reality to such a degree that the people are no longer able to trust their own perceptions.
Russian Disinformation as a weapon works to erode the trust between the
people and their institutions.
This trust is essential to the success of free and open democracies.
If you want to bring down American Democracy, the best way is to erode the people’s faith in reason and the Rule of Law.
The result of this attack against the United States was that false allegations based on a daily leak of unverified rumors about Hillary Clinton dominated the media despite video taped evidence of Donald Trump bragging about his sexual assaults on women.
Despite the revelation that he has not paid taxes in decades.
Despite accusations of the rape of a child.
Despite his own demonstrable lack of insight, qualifications, and
fitness to be President.
Even now, as our government attempts to assess the damage of this attack, Trump’s team argues that President Obama’s sanctions against Russia are excessive.
The incoming President doesn’t think an attack on our political process
is a big deal.
How did this happen?
Let’s review a timeline on Russia’s 2016 assault on reality that gave the
Presidency to Donald Trump.
There is no evidence for any of the accusations made against Clinton
or the Democrats in the clippings below.
RG 2016
Scary stuff once again. I have made a couple of Russian friends and many Ukrainian friends over the time here. They all left for one reason: They don’t feel save to live in their country. Now Putin is doing his magic and “moving” into the US with a newly elected President who doesn’t seem to care (does he not get it or is??? I doubt it… there is a lot in for him personally…). It will be interested to see what will happen next. Not sure why but Orwell’s Animal Farm suddenly comes to my mind.
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Disinformation is mass gas-lighting.
The less access people have to information the more susceptible they are to gas-lighting.
I don’t know a single Adult abuse survivor who doesn’t describe a childhood devotion to the abuser.
This is especially true of psychological abuse.
Parts of America are convinced that American Democracy is their enemy.
Yet they are alive to celebrate Trump after eight years of viciously smearing Obama.
If Obama had been the Islamic dictator they said he was they’d be dead.
The fact thousands of vocal Obama haters are still alive to go about their lives is what makes American Democracy great.
Something is wrong when people are this disconnected from their lived expedience.
The recovery from this is hard and I wonder if its too late for us to save ourselves.
Perhaps Putin has won this thing and we are witnessing the conquest of our nation.
I don’t think we can save our country without the help of those he used as tools.
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Yup…
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Dear Rob,
Thanks a million for this post. You out did yourself by really connecting the dots to nail this Russian connection with its influence on the 2016 presidential elections.
Happy New Year, Gronda
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Thanks Gronda…I find the level of denial in the U.S. unsettling. We don’t seem to understand that psychological weapons are just as devastating as bombs — perhaps more devastating because they are insidious.
Happy New Year
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I don’t know if you’ve read my posts lately. My husband and I have decided we’re likely going to pack things up and move out. Narrowed it down to a couple of countries and just doing a little research on them. I know I should stay and fight the fight, but just don’t think I have it in me. I’m exhausted. If we go, it may just be for awhile and then we’ll come back to battle, but we really don’t know. Everything is up in the air,
I wake up every morning and Trump is the first thing that comes to mind,..and the last thing I think of before bed. It’s hell.
Thank you for your excellent posts regarding these troubled times. You’re one of my first reads when I hit the blogosphere.
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I will get around to your blog…I’ve been writing like a maniac lately….I want to know more about this decision. Thank you for telling me Bradley.
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You’re welcome
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Reblogged this on Home Sweet Home Wyoming and commented:
Screen shots to remind you; how the media decieved you. Why did you vote for trump?
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Isn’t it an interesting timeline…
Can you see how the public was softened for Director Comey’s announcement by a week of ‘Wikileaks’ email announcements.
By the time Comey released his letter it was logical for people to assume that the FBI ‘must’ have had something damning–The Fox news announcement of Clinton’s pending indictment buried Clinton.
And the ‘apology’ from Fox News was too little, too late.
Goebbels is smiling in Hell.
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Goebbels seems to be everywhere. If we don’t remain vigilant we will see the MSM normalize him again. You’re many shared blogs make me feel a part of something. Thank you. I’m in the reddest state and the last eight years ha lost us many froends.
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Losing friends because the issues are framed in black and white is a sign that something is wrong.
My parents were Democrats but they had conservative friends — I am sorry that this has happened to us.
Thank you for your comment.
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My folks wouldn/t even tel me who they voted for when I asked.
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There is that tradition of secrecy at the ballot box.
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Or I was a girl. They told me to my face I was not worth as much as my brother.
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That sucks…
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— Very well stated, for more insight and understanding, watch Lada’s post-election video… it’s a breath of
fresh air, just brilliant analysis:
https://futuristrendcast.wordpress.com/2016/11/04/lada-rays-final-us-election-predictions-addendum-to-esr16-us-elections-and-what-will-happen-after/
Trump is our Prez… God help us all.
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I think God gives us choices and waits for us to clean up the messes we make…:)
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Wholeheartedly agree, God’s way of “knowing thyself”.
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