WaPo: Trump backers realize they’ve been played as WikiLeaks fails to deliver October surprise

[EricMaundry]

LONDON — The expectations were breathless.

For weeks, backers of Republican nominee Donald Trump have hyped the tantalizing possibility that the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks was on the verge of publishing a set of documents that would doom Hillary Clinton’s chances in November.

“@HillaryClinton is done,” longtime Trump associate Roger Stone tweeted Saturday. “#Wikileaks.”

The group’s founder, Julian Assange, did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm, suggesting to Fox News hosts that his scoops could upend the race with documents “associated with the election campaign, some quite unexpected angles, some quite interesting.”

The announcement by WikiLeaks that it would host a major news conference Tuesday only seemed to confirm that the bombshell was ready to burst. The pro-Trump, anti-Clinton media world rippled with fevered speculation.

But if an October surprise about the Democratic nominee really is coming, it will have to wait a little longer.

Over the course of two hours Tuesday — with the world’s media and bleary-eyed Trump die-hards across the United States tuning in — Assange and other WikiLeaks officials railed against “neo-McCarthyist hysteria,” blasted the mainstream press, appealed for donations and plugged their books (“40 percent off!”).

But what they didn’t do was provide any new information about Clinton — or about anything else, really.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/10/04/trump-backers-feel-played-as-wikileaks-fails-to-come-through-on-october-surprise/

[napi21]

1. Assange also promised to release a new document every week for the next 10 weeks

that are supposed to be bad news for Hillary. I wonder if these dumb a@%^& are stupid enough to get all excited AGAIN?

[regnaD kciN]

2. Oh, I'm sure they'll release something incredibly damaging to the Clinton campaign…

…it's just that the KGB hasn't quite finished creating it yet.

[2naSalit]

10. +1

[dawg]

3. The dude is so narcissistic that he thinks Hillary really wanted to drone him.

He's also foolish enough to think enough people would care about that to tip the election.

Personally, I think she was just being a smartass; venting her frustration. But as this election goes on, I'm getting less and less troubled with the notion of droning Assange.

[BSdetect]

4. Hope the CIA is working to debunk and destroy the putin attacks on this election.

[Koinos]

7. I have a feeling that the CIA is doing more behind the scenes than we will ever know.

I don't think Obama will tolerate hacking or interference in this election. There is most likely some counter-cyberterrorism going on. If it succeeds, we will probably never know how it was done.

[Hortensis]

12. Yes. Letting Putin wander loose around our national house,

vandalizing and thieving as he chooses without retribution, does not seem likely. Perhaps we'll learn about it from some book someday, or some genuine leaks.

[Koinos]

13. I know it's the wrong thing to think about...

But sometimes I imagine the many incredible movie plots that will emerge from this election season.

The scripts will practically write themselves.

[Hortensis]

14. Like the Trump commercials, the scripts

could only be written after. Before, who could believe "that"?

People are scaring me these days. We have a stable government, but its people are sailing way too close to the verge.

[Koinos]

16. At least a third of the population seems clueless or bonkers or worse.

A democracy cannot endure without a sound educational system, a population that reads and thinks critically, and a dedication to ethical and humanistic standards.

Instead, we have TV entertainment and infotainment, anti-intellectualism, and roguish or mindless self-indulgence. Our heroes are "celebrities," narcissists, criminals, and cheats. They are entertaining, after all. Good people are less fun to watch.

Our political system is broken because our culture is broken.

[Hortensis]

17. +1000.

[Sunlei]

5. Mr. Trump, you got to pay those hacker-guys to dump the files in wikileaks.

/The republicans always want free stuff.

[Koinos]

15. Oops, another subcontractor stiffed by Trump.

Trump may have missed a payment to his Russian "lenders." Not paying your bills has consequences.

[lillypaddle]

6. awww, poor widdle freeper freaks

they be so tired today. BWAHAHAAAAAA!

[ailsagirl]

24. makes me weep

Last edited Tue Oct 4, 2016, 11:14 PM - Edit history (1)

[lame54]

8. B-E-S-U-R-E-T-O-D-R-I-N-K-Y-O-U-R-O-V-A-L-T-I-N-E

[LonghornJack]

22. Perfect....Just Perfect!

ROTFL! I love that scene from Christmas Story! Ralphie was soooo hacked off!

You are spot on, lame54.

Thanks for the great post.

LHJ

[lame54]

23. Thanks - can you

give this a kick
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028205557

[BobbyDrake]

9. Karma is a boomerang, and this is the return on Trump's hotel rick-roll.

It couldn't happen to a more deserving crowd of deplorables.

[Mamajami]

11. Don't get too excited. You may be being set up for a big fall later. Assange is not done.

[FreeState]

18. He may not be done but he's off message

He blew his smoke on nothing. He is awful at marketing IMO.

Each time you get everyone excited and don't deliver you weaken your intended message. There will be less interest if he does produce something.

[Democat]

20. This user posts nothing but anti-Democrat posts and he's still here?

Amazing.

[SHRED]

19. Trump backers are being played by Trump

Just too stupid to realize it.

[SummerSnow]

21. Breaking news!!!

Trump says Assange is a liberal hack.

That'll be next, cause he's passed now.