What in Wikileaks proved that Clinton was conspiring with an antagonistic foreign power to swing the election in her favor?
Wikileaks stuff was basically about the primary. Why does any of that matter to a Republican?
Please look for yourself on the site below. It makes for interesting reading and several surprises (for me anyway). Until yesterday I didn't know about many of these as they weren't covered by any of the mainstream U.S. media.
The Top 100 Most Damaging WikiLeaks
As for interest to Republicans, I agree with you Jeff. I'm baffled as to what exactly was revealed that would cause someone change their mind from Mrs. Clinton to Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton's assertions this was the case. What's surprising here?
As far as I can recall from media reports here's the "most damaging" of the emails revealed by WikiLeaks.
-Mr. Podesta saying the emails must be dumped on March 2nd just two days before the House Select Committee on Benghazi sent Hillary Clinton a document retention subpoena on March 4th. I think that would have that would be obstruction of justice. But did anyone seriously believe the Obama Justice Department was going to allow the prosecution of Mrs. Clinton? I can only wonder what pictures the FBI had to wade through in the examination of Mr. Weiner's laptop.
-That Mr. Podesta is not very nice in his assessment of other associates.
-The Democratic National Committee was in the tank for Mrs. Clinton favoring her over Mr. Sanders. A casual observer of the superdalegates would confirm that without WikiLeaks.
-That Ms. Brazile gave her debate questions ahead of time.
-That Mr. Sanders is an atheist and not a bona fide progressive much less a real democrat.
-That he is held in contempt by many Clinton staffers as well as then DNC Chair Ms. Wasserman-Shultz. That the DNC had Sanders insiders providing them information on his campaign.
-Collusion between the DNC and mainstream media, with party officials on record instructing mainstream media what to do and say. Is this a surprise to anyone?
-The DNC planned a fake Craigslist ad for women to work for Mr. Trump replete with sexist requirements. I thought that pretty amusing.
-E-mails reveal top Clinton officials speaking derisively about Evangelical Protestants and plotting against the Catholic Church. This is nothing new. Mrs. Clinton in a 2015 speech said “…And deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.” And goes on to say that the change of Christian beliefs is the “unfinished business of the 21st century.”
-That Mr. Obama’s fundraising help was seen as insufficient.
None of these are the blockbuster that the Access Hollywood tape of Mr. Trump's lewd conversation was. It should have doomed him and there are a lot of interesting theories as to why it didn't. Some include Mr. Clinton.
So which could have had the greater impact in manipulating the election?
The WikiLeaks, even if it was instigated by the Russians.
The media, NBC in this case, sitting on the Access Hollywood tape for eleven years and springing it, not in the Republican primary when it would have advantaged his party rivals. It may have hopefully allowed for a more appropriate nominee. But that would have seemingly put Mrs. Clinton at a marked disadvantage in the general election. One can only speculate how many votes it cost Mr. Trump.
Personally, I believe the election took a swing on two simple things.
The untimely death of Antonin Scalia and the opening on the Supreme Court (every conservative I've spoken to gave this as the #1 reason to vote Trump).
Mrs. Clinton's "deplorables" speech. It motivated a lot of people to vote that would have stayed home the way they did for Mr. Romney (not unlike his 47% remark).
The book "Shattered: Inside Hillary Clinton's Doomed Campaign" by Jonathan Allen & Amie Parnes suggests the Clinton Campaign was deeply flawed and probably doomed from the start. I'm only half way through it but it's truly alarming. I'm left with the depressing question as to why is it that a nation of our talent and intellectual capital can only come up with no-win choices like Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump.
Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead once said that choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.
