Hey all, I’m trying a new, possibly shorter and much more frequent blogpost. I’m going to try to create a through-line between today’s news with yesterday, last year, and beyond. These are my hot takes – I do my best to get things right and speak truth well mostly to cyberspace but hopefully a few people too and always to power. If I get something wrong or if you disagree and want to have a respectful fact based debate I’d love that.

That said my first hot take from MSNBC 1pm hour on 15 July 2019

Post Mueller testimony Cybersecurity

There need to be cybernorms that say what countries can and can’t do. Absolutely, we don’t have that yet and I don’t see Trump Republicans clamoring for it.

So we know that Russia and other governments are going to continue with this cyberwarfare.

Media Thesis: We are lucky that no votes have been changed or voter names deleted.

But have we been lucky. Maybe votes weren’t changed or names actually deleted but do we know if they changed a single digit, added or deleted a hyphen. Some of those changes would have been more than sufficient to block voters in Georgia. Simple changes making it harder for people to vote. Maybe they give up and leave. Side note: more people weren’t able to vote in those three key states than the vote margin. So was nothing changed or is it possible small errors were introduced. Maybe the news should obsess about Mueller’s manner less and verify or not the safety of our ENTIRE ELECTION SYSTEMS. Beyond that – the Russians have been into our election systems, what data was gathered. How was it used? Was it particularly used in a few key states as identified by Manafort in his reports to his Russian handlers?

What is being done?

There are bills out there. Right after Mueller’s testimony where he reaffirmed what we all should know but many don’t (and been discretely, occasionally told) is that Russia isn’t done.

What we are told even more infrequently is that the Trump/McConnell Republican Party actually is welcoming that help. Trump and all of his cohort lied about all of their contacts with Russia and continued to have them. When President Obama went to Mitch McConnell in September and said we’re under attack by Russia and I need your help. McConnell didn’t look at his Commander in Chief and say understood Mr. President. Tell me what we need to do. He didn’t provide anything new or different to the proposal.

Oh no, Mitch McConnell, the Senate Majority Leader, and Paul Ryan, then Speaker of the House, looked around and said the country is under attack, but the attack will help us win and keep minority rule going a few more years. Yeah, no, Mr. President, we won’t do anything to help defend this country. Moreover, if you go out and you proclaim the truth that this country is under attack by Russia. We will contradict you. We will say you are saying that for partisan political purposes. We’ll delegitimize the election

So now that we know for sure that Russia attacked, is attacking, will attack, what are the Trump/McConnell Republicans doing? Are they taking up bills from the House to protect our elections? Of course, not. Are they taking up any of the bi-partisan bills from the Senate? Of course, not.

There are bits and pieces of work being done but there is no concerted effort to protect our elections.

Why?

My thesis – they welcome the help. Not only do the Trump/McConnell Republicans welcome the help, they know they need it. Minority rule doesn’t work. They are the minority. Trump lost by a lot, Republicans tend to lose by a lot but cheating won’t work forever. Unless you up the cheating game.

Your thoughts?