Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters - and help elect Trump (WP)

[athena]

9. And they will do it again if we let them.

A month or two ago, I was looking at a Kamala Harris campaign video on YouTube and saw comment after comment attacking her. Most comments were from accounts that had nothing publicly visible, but I saw one comment that had three liked or favorite (I don’t remember which) videos with Russian titles. The Russians are already causing discord. After all, there was never any reason for them to stop.

If you see a post by someone disparaging any candidate, consider that it may be from a Russian troll. Even high post counts are no guarantee that someone is for real, since the Russians have been planning this interference for years. I am convinced that the reason DU was so inhospitable to Hillary supporters throughout the primaries in 2016 was due to Russian manipulation, which unfortunately resonated with some here. Based on what many DUers have been posting about some of our strongest candidates, I see no reason to think that anyone has learned anything from the 2016 experience. If people don’t open their minds and hearts this time around, I fear we will get another four years of Trump. And that will mean the end of American democracy.