It would be quite useful to see unbiased reporting and analysis about assertions like this, with quantitative data. Political ignorance in the US has long been known and somewhat widely reported upon. Ilya Somin's "Democracy and Political Ignorance" has been out since 2013 and a revision was published in 2016. While it addresses ignorance of government organization and political process more than the effects of either deliberate or unintentional misinformation, the two are plainly related.
A significant question that seems rarely addressed is the relation of the apparent Russian organized information to the total, both in quantity and in source. It seems unlikely that the Russian organizations described made up what they propagated as much as they amplified garbage ideas already current to some degree in the politically illiterate segments of the US population. Further, based on what probably is a comparatively very small numbers of such actors and their productions, claimed success in disrupting the US polity seems a rather extreme stretch.
Indeed, the frenzied reporting on it may well be far more disruptive: in stirring up an oversensitive president to actions and statements that do him and the country no good, and in generating numerous congressional and criminal investigations that, so far, have not revealed much of great consequence. The investigations are incomplete and may yet bear fruit, but much of what has been reported so far can be understood as originating in the political ignorance of the President and some his advisors, both now and during the campaign. It should not be overlook that Donald J Trump is among the least prepared of all US presidents, in both experience and temperament.
It is somewhat a fluke that despite his obvious limitations, he was an energetic and effective campaigner whose message, for what it is worth, resonated well with a near majority of the (on average, fairly ignorant) voters, while his chief opponent, with her own burdens, was less energetic and effective in key states. The Russians might have had some effect, but not likely enough to measure in the overall noise of the campaign. Democrats and others looking to assign blame would be better off focusing on Jill Stein, who collected enough votes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan to give Clinton a win in those states and in the electoral vote.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
