za zda-ró-vye (or “cheers” if you don’t speak Russian yet)

These are the thoughts of one of many, normal, everyday Americans. As such, I think they’re worthy of airing. Maybe others think the same way too:

Do you remember the Cold War? I don’t really. I was born towards the tail end of the Cold War and still young while it made death rattles. I guess I’m a Cold War Kid but not completely. Relations between the US and the USSR were already thawing by the time I arrived on the scene. Brezhnev, Gorbachov, and Yeltsin with Reagan and Bush Sr. ushered in Russian policies like Perestroika (changes to the governmental system) and Glasnost (a more open government). Suddenly, for awhile, things weren’t that cold any more. An implied conflict wasn’t as necessarily implied.

However, that mentality didn’t just vanish in the 1990s. Even after I played with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and GI Joes, blissfully unaware of why so many entertainment baddies were Russians, the Kremlin came under the control of a former KGB officer, Vladimir Putin. And even after we had already witnessed Rocky start to defrost relations following training in the frozen Russian tundra, Putin still yearned for a time of perceived USSR and KGB power and influence. He focused maniacally on how to re-empower the once influential KGB and how to make Russia “great again.” Of course his perception was one tinted with access, not the perception of someone waiting in long lines for food or shoes. So someone steeped in a KGB mentality, steeped in a Soviet mentality, steeped in a Cold War mentality, took control of the Kremlin. Putting that mentality into practice meant finding ways to expand Russian influence in an attempt to bring back the “glory days” of the KGB and the former USSR.

While attempting to implement his goals, Putin found an unlikely ally. Probably to his great surprise, someone actually complimentary and supportive of his behavior ran for control of the highest office in our land, attempting to become the leader of the free (how free?) world and the leader of his enemy. (A formerly icy cold foe had become just a luke-cold foe. But now, could that foe potentially become even a friend?) Still, with such a decentralized system of selecting an American leader how could the goal of reinvigorating Russia be furthered?

While the size of the US created a question, the US electoral system itself provided the answer. The giant democracy selected a President, and thereby, its military and international leader, through a strange system referred to as the “Electoral College.” Through the College’s functioning each State, in general elections, elects electors, whom in turn actually elect the President. Many States are considered sure electoral victories so only a few could potentially swing either way. Still, if enough swung one way, the results could be favorable for Russia. A pro-Russian election in the US might styme Russia’s most prominent opponent. Perhaps Russia could even enlist a new ally. With such high international stakes, how could the shirtless red bear sit idly by?

The answer is that he couldn’t. The answer is that the Cold War mentality won out. The United States was the enemy. The United States was the opponent. There weren’t rules. This was about winning. This was still war! The only drawback might be if Russia was caught. But, why wouldn’t Putin want to exercise as much control over the enemy as possible? All’s fair in war after all. Strategically, the problem was that overtly helping his chosen candidate might be seen as international tampering. It might injure, instead of propel, his choice. So, if he couldn’t overtly assist who he wanted, he could instead help his choice by hurting the alternative. With only two real options, less for one automatically meant more for the other.

That was the solution. That route provided the means to help Mother Russian interests. Putin could help prop up one by pushing down the other in order to make a victory seem at least barely plausible. And he could easily invest in ways to obscure the results in the few places the Electoral College made disproportionately important. The little biggies. Wide popularity didn’t really matter as much as specific popularity in a lot of the same places where votes per person also counted for more. As long as Putin properly maneuvered he could further the goal. He could help secure a victory for his choice and he (the Russian G.O.A.T. in his mind) could help make Russia great again.

And that looks to be exactly what happened. Opportunity seized. High risk? Sure, but potentially a very high reward. If money equals speech in the US, then Russia had a lot to say. So what if they weren’t technically a citizen? All that was needed was to throw a Russian wrench in the works, sit back in front of the fire place, sip on some chilled vodka, eat some caviar off a pearl encrusted spoon, and watch. Goal met.

So the most influential person in the entire American election was the Russian president. Though the hacking wasn’t necessarily delicate, US citizens may now be indifferent (I hope not) to foreign intervention in our elections.

Choosing to turn a blind eye to it all re-affirms foreign involvement. Before thinking of party and partisanship think of patriotism. Think of being an American and what that means to you. No matter what “American” does mean, it probably doesn’t mean “Russian.” And however you think, by the mere fact of Russian involvement, Vladimir Putin has already returned to the Cold War.