Masha Gessen: The Problem Is Not Russian Interference. Its That We Let It In.
b'President Donald Trump may be following Vladimir Putin\\u2019s Autocratic playbook closer than we all realize\\u2014and the Russian interference was just the tip of the iceberg. In this bonus members-only episode of The New Abnormal, the New Yorker staff writer and Surviving Autocracy author Masha Gessen joins co-host Molly Jong-Fast to talk about this phenomenon. They explain that leaders like Trump and Putin put a system in place to hold power, and if you\\u2019re wondering how a man like Trump could do something so seemingly elaborate, it makes sense. \\u201cThe destruction they wreak is all the more effective because of the incompetence,\\u201d Gessen explains. \\u201cThey thrive on instability. The more anxious people are the less likely they are to opt for change \\u201d Biden, they say, will have to dismantle this system (though they wish the president-elect would ditch the \\u201cBuild Back Better\\u201d campaign). Why? For the same reason they dislike when people solely focus on Russian interference. \\u201cWe\'ve been very stupid to focus on it as much as we have,\\u201d Gessen explains. \\u201cThe problem is not Russian interference, the problem is we sank so low to where Russian interference sank in.\\u201d Plus! Hear why they compare Trump to a \\u2018witch afraid of water\\u2019 when it comes to lawmakers of color like AOC and the late John Lewis.
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