How important were the activities of the Russians in the 2016 election? What was the focus of the Russian efforts in the 2016 election? If you follow the news through the mainstream media, you must think that the Russians made a massive effort to have Donald Trump defeat Hillary Clinton. That's wrong; here are the facts:
1. The Russians spent $46,000 on Facebook prior to the election according to Facebook itself. That includes both the primary campaigns and the general election. To put this in context, during just the general election campaign, the Clinton team and the Trump team spent a total of $81 million dollars on Facebook ads. In other words, for each dollar the Russians spent, the candidates spent $1760. On top of that, PACs and other political organizations spent millions on Facebook ads as well. What the Russians did was insignificant.
2. The main efforts by the Russians were not limited to having Trump beat Clinton. Initially, the Russians' efforts were centered on helping Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton. On the GOP side, their first efforts were to help Trump against Jeb Bush. This is all part of the $46000 discussed above. But the Russians did not end their efforts there. After the election was complete, the Russians spent MORE than $46,000 in their efforts. They ran ads that both promoted Trump and attacked him. On the day after the election, the Russians ran a series of ads to promote something called the "Not My President" rally outside Trump Tower in New York.
It seems pretty clear that the goal of the Russians was to spread discord and upset across the USA. That is something that they managed to do extremely well because they got the Democrats and the media to grab hold of their narrative and run with it. Overall, however, the Russian effort was extremely minor and unimportant; it also did not focus mainly on helping Trump beat Clinton.
UPDATE: the New York Times, of all place, is discussing today one of the big impact moves by the Russians in 2016. They organized a rally to protest radical Islam. Twelve people showed up. They also organized a counter rally for the same time and place, but fewer people showed for that one. It's all a big nothing.
1. The Russians spent $46,000 on Facebook prior to the election according to Facebook itself. That includes both the primary campaigns and the general election. To put this in context, during just the general election campaign, the Clinton team and the Trump team spent a total of $81 million dollars on Facebook ads. In other words, for each dollar the Russians spent, the candidates spent $1760. On top of that, PACs and other political organizations spent millions on Facebook ads as well. What the Russians did was insignificant.
2. The main efforts by the Russians were not limited to having Trump beat Clinton. Initially, the Russians' efforts were centered on helping Bernie Sanders against Hillary Clinton. On the GOP side, their first efforts were to help Trump against Jeb Bush. This is all part of the $46000 discussed above. But the Russians did not end their efforts there. After the election was complete, the Russians spent MORE than $46,000 in their efforts. They ran ads that both promoted Trump and attacked him. On the day after the election, the Russians ran a series of ads to promote something called the "Not My President" rally outside Trump Tower in New York.
It seems pretty clear that the goal of the Russians was to spread discord and upset across the USA. That is something that they managed to do extremely well because they got the Democrats and the media to grab hold of their narrative and run with it. Overall, however, the Russian effort was extremely minor and unimportant; it also did not focus mainly on helping Trump beat Clinton.
UPDATE: the New York Times, of all place, is discussing today one of the big impact moves by the Russians in 2016. They organized a rally to protest radical Islam. Twelve people showed up. They also organized a counter rally for the same time and place, but fewer people showed for that one. It's all a big nothing.
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