Reddit Politics Summary Tuesday Dec 26th 17

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This is a digest of the top posts on reddit/r/politics over the last 24 hours.
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Hey, remember Roy Moore? Two weeks later, he still hasn’t conceded

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Russia is going to attack our next election. The Trump administration may not even try to stop it.

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• That’s the conclusion one has to come to upon reading reports like this new one from Adam Entous, Ellen Nakashima, and Greg Jaffe, which describes how powerless the federal government has been and continues to be in the face of an ongoing war that Vladimir Putin is waging against U.S. democracy.
• Of late their covert social media strategies have involved attacking the FBI, going after Republican politicians who are critical of President Trump, and even urging a boycott of Keurig when it pulled its advertising from Sean Hannity’s show.
• But let’s say that some time in 2018 — or even more likely, in 2020 — intelligence agencies and private analysts conclude that Russia is engaging in an effort to subvert our electoral process through hacking electoral systems, waging a covert propaganda war, or some other means we haven’t even thought of yet. What then? We know that President Trump sees every new development in terms of himself, and that he views any and all questions about Russian meddling as nothing more than an effort to delegitimize his glorious 2016 victory.

Russia never stopped its cyberattacks on the United States

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• We know we failed because Russia continues to aggressively employ the most significant aspect of its 2016 tool kit: the use of social media as a platform to disseminate propaganda designed to weaken our nation.
• But to get a sense of the breadth of Russian activity, consider the messaging spread by Kremlin-oriented accounts on Twitter, which cybersecurity and disinformation experts have tracked as part of the German Marshall Fund’s Alliance for Securing Democracy.
• And in mid-November, after Keurig pulled its advertising from Sean Hannity’s Fox News show for comments the host made defending Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, the Russians used their social media accounts to urge a boycott of the company.

"We know the system is fixed": Arnold Schwarzenegger talks gerrymandering, political reform, and saving democracy

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• Fearing only a primary challenge from the base, no one wanted to come together and solve problems. So Schwarzenegger invested his political capital in reforming the system, and didn’t stop when his first effort failed.
• The Commission, a dean wrote in announcing the award, "shows how citizens can take the lead in redistricting efforts to construct maps that respect communities and citizens and are fair to political parties.
• But I always tell them that everyone on a movie set is a star, because if we wouldn't have the set builder or the cameraman or the electricians, we would have nothing.

Russia Wants Americans To Doubt Mueller, Experts Warn

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• "There is a perception among the media and general public that Russia ended its social-media operations following last year's election and that we need worry only about future elections," the pair wrote.
• The most recent social media push mirrors what Russia did during the election, creating social media posts often based on factually inaccurate statements that were designed to shift voters’ views of Trump and Clinton. One post claimed that 69 percent of veterans disapproved of Clinton, a number with no source, saying that Clinton should not gain authority as commander-in-chief even if she won the election.
• Republicans are sowing doubt about the investigation with the public, with The Washington Post reporting on Sunday that party members intend to release a report showing "corruption" in the FBI and an anti-Trump bias.

Major Utah paper calls on Hatch to not seek re-election

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Former Trump Adviser Failed Ph.D. Exam Twice, Blamed 'anti-Russian' Bias: Report

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• The tale of the failed thesis began when academic examiners Peter Duncan and Gregory Andrusz first read over Page's paper after he submitted it in 2008.
• "While it’s relatively common for a student’s thesis to not pass muster once, it’s far less expected the second time around, given the process’s extensive feedback," The Daily Beast wrote on Friday.
• His email to the professors read, in part: "Your actions to date have been far more destructive than anything I have personally experienced in my 39 years on this planet," according to The Guardian.

College-Educated Women Are Moving Away From GOP

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• When Republicans regained control of the House in 2010, they were propelled by a big swing toward the party among women. Now, signs are emerging Republicans could be handicapped in 2018 by women shifting away from the GOP.

More Americans want to see Donald Trump impeached than would vote for him in 2020, poll finds

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• Representative Al Green forced a vote on his articles of impeachment earlier this month, claiming Mr Trump had committed "high misdemeanours" stemming from his "bigotry, hatred and hostility".
• A CNN poll from this month found his approval rating was the lowest of any President at the end of their first year since at least 1981. Mr Trump took office as the least popular incoming President in at least four decades, and continued to break records with his historically low approval rating.

The "What happened in your state last week?" Megathread, Week 52

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• Welcome to the 'What happened in your state last week' thread, where you can post any local political news stories that you find important in the comments. Since this is intended to be a thread about local politics, top-level comments that are exclusively about national issues will not be allowed.
• Speaking of November, Kyrsten Sinema, Ward's presumed opponent, voted Yes on the government continuing resolution despite lack of a DACA pledge or DREAM ACT legislation.
• Oh and if you end up resenting them because they put you in a bad financial situation and because you have a much larger responsibility than a none disabled child, oh well he doesn’t care how well they are taken care of.