The Russians didn’t do anything to us that we weren’t already doing to ourselves

What do you mean "We" Mr. Never Trumper?  Lowery has a point but misses the mark.

If only Joe McCarthy had lived to see this moment, when it’s suddenly in vogue to attribute large-scale events in American politics to the hand of Russia and to inveigh against domestic subversion.

Robert Mueller released an indictment of 13 Russians for crimes related to their social-media campaign to meddle in our internal affairs in the run-up to and aftermath of the 2016 election.

Mueller obviously isn’t a McCarthyite, and can’t be held responsible for the hysteria — and hopeful expectations of an impeachment-level event — that has built up around his work. His indictment is, as far as anyone can tell, rigorously factual.

That’s probably the point of it — to create a record of an episode that we should want to know as much about as possible and prevent from ever happening again.

[No.  The point of the indictment is to be to generate publicity for the Anti-trumpists, because none of those indicted will voluntarily come to the US to face trial.]

 But the scale of the operation shouldn’t be exaggerated. In the context of a hugely expensive, obsessively covered, impossibly dramatic presidential election, the Russian contribution on social media was piddling and often laughable.

The Russians wanted to boost Trump [No, the Russians wanted to dirty up the candidate who everyone assumed - including the Russians - would win the election.  The Rusians also supported Sanders ans Jill Stein.] but as a Facebook executive noted, most of their spending on Facebook ads came after the election.  The larger goal was to sow discord, yet we had already primed ourselves for plenty of that.

...

If you read the Mueller indictment, you might think the Russians were everywhere, not only advertising on Facebook (“Trump is our only hope for a better future”; “Ohio Wants Hillary 4 Prison”), but organizing rallies around the country.

But it’s not clear these rallies even came off.

The New York Post couldn’t find any evidence of planned pro-Trump and anti-Hillary rallies in New York — not exactly a swing state — in June and July of 2016. Pictures and videos that appear to be from Russian-initiated pro-Trump “flash mobs” in Florida show a handful of people in various cities. This at a time when Trump was routinely holding rallies with thousands of people that garnered lavish media coverage.

The biggest Russian rally success appears to have been an anti-Trump event in New York after the election drawing 10,000 people.  [And heavily covered by CNN/MSNBC and by attended by Michael Moore]