“Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd is a man after my own heart.
He, too, says “meddling” is too mild a term to describe what the Russians did in 2016. That is, he says the Russians didn’t merely “meddle” in our presidential election.
Todd pointed out that “meddle” defines when someone takes an interest in something that is not their concern. Yep, that’s meddling. My American Heritage Dictionary says meddling is “to intrude into others’ affairs.”
Todd wants to know what term to use to describe what the Russians did. Interfere? Attack?
I prefer “attack.” It was a direct assault on our democratic process. They intended, according to U.S. intelligence analysts, to swing the election in Donald John Trump’s favor. Whether they had a tangible impact on the election result, of course, remains a wide-open question.
But I agree with Todd. “Meddling” doesn’t cut it as a term to define what the Russians did.