There is a show on FX called The Americans. It is about a Russian husband and wife operating as spies in the United States. The show is set during the era of the Cold War and all the things they were doing to get American secrets to the Soviets.
Let’s play a what if…
We know the Soviet Union, and now the Russians, play the long game (something the United States actually should learn to do rather than needing immediate gratification). What we don’t know really is how long of a game they’ve been playing.
What if the trump family are actually Russian assets? All of the antics over the years would be a great way to hide it. The failed businesses, the failed marriages, the failed emotional intelligence. What better way to hide who you really are by appearing as a buffoon, and then doing things in plain sight that are so outlandish as to be almost unbelievable, and untenable, while appealing to white supremacist and hate groups. The twice impeached former president did all of those things, up-to and including inciting an insurrection, which almost succeeded. This line of thought really isn’t all that new since he idolizes Putin.
But what if Lindsey Graham, Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, Joni Ernst, Kevin McCarthy, Devin Nunes, and many other elected officials in Congress are also Russian assets in the manner of The Americans.
Just as the Republicans were playing the long game of getting as many conservative judges on the Bench, and figuring out ways to suppress the vote (a “game” that has been going on since our inception), the Russians have been playing a long game of getting their people in elected offices, not just at the national level, but also within state and local races.
This what if makes some sense. They’ve been working on dividing the nation for a long time. They’ve been working on suppression of the vote for a long time. They’ve been working on precise gerrymandering for a long time. They’ve been working on dismantling many of the safeguards put in place during the Great Depression.
What better way to destroy our democracy than from within, slowly, gradually, to where we were being boiled alive like a frog in a pot. Our rights have been gradually chipped away at as have our institutions been chipped away at over a long period of time. They’ve even gradually taken over media through deregulation and ending the Fairness Doctrine.
Someday maybe we will know the full truth. The what if could be just another theory among so many. But, if one stops and ponders for a bit, it makes sense.
What if?
Personal Reflections of a Middle-Aged Man 