I quit this thread back on page 16 because I got the impression none of this Russia stuff matters. Questions:
When people talk about Russia being bad or an enemy, do they really just mean Putin? Like, your regular Russian probably likes the idea of America and would just assume Russia have a lot of the stuff America has, right?
What did/does Russia/Putin have to gain by doing whatever they did to make Trump president?
Not sure if the first question is actually serious. Yea, people are talking about the Russian state, not any individual Russian as being hostile to America. Same with just about any developed country.
On the second, John Oliver I think did a good job explaining this a while back. Putin is routinely criticized by other countries as well as his own people for sham elections and a government style that undermines individual freedoms. The more America looks like a dumpster fire, the more Putin can say "see, you think it's really better anywhere else?" So the more American people fight over the fairness of their own election system, the more Putin can legitimize his own authority in Russia.
That is a benefit Putin can get from meddling pretty much regardless of who wins. But Trump makes things even better because he came out with some very isolationist policies during his candidacy. By refusing to lead a bunch of global initiatives, it creates a vacuum that countries like Russia and China can step into, which allows Putin to gain more power internationally as well. Trump is also very stupid, so if Putin was going to choose someone to be his adversary, it is a pretty easy call.
