And so I am clear, I do not know what Trump or his staff knew or did re: Russia. My "beef" is largely just the immense hypocrisy being exhibited by Swake, the media, and others when it comes to this entire thing. Freakin Obama told Russia after the 2012 election he would have more flexibility.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsFR8DbSRQETo me, that is way more concerning than any of this Russia disclosing Hillary's and DNC's emails those people drafted. Or that Trump benefited or not from those disclosures. And Hillary's Russian uranium deal? That bothers me too. But hell, I have not become singularly obsessed with this stuff because I do not believe for one damned minute that Hillary, Obama, or Trump are/were working with "the enemy" to destroy this country.
You know, I don't really have a major issue with your position here, but I'll rebut just a bit for the sake of argument.
First off, so that I completely open here, I viscerally cannot stand Donald Trump. That has nothing (directly) to do with his political positions, etc, he is simply the kind of person that I immediately dislike, and so my opinion of everything he does is clouded by that innate emotional response. Still, even with that, I had expected (hoped?) that he was smart enough to moderate his demeanor once he became president. Somehow, to become "Presidential". So far, that hasn't happened. But I'm trying to separate the person that is Trump from President Trump. (I am really, really, trying...)
The major difference, as I perceive it, between Trump and Obama or Hillary, is not policy. Heck, we can debate policy all day. It is simply that I don't think that he understands, or cares to understand, statecraft. Obama and Hillary, for both good and bad, understand politics and how to play the long game. Trump simply doesn't, and his very nature is set against that kind of thinking. He is a deal maker. He thinks in terms of immediacy and near-term goals, to the exclusion of long-term gain. I get it. I understand it. I just don't think it is the best way for a President to go about business.
When Obama said "I'll have more flexibility..." that was a power play. Basically, "let me get elected and then we can negotiate". Again, long-term thinking. Trump didn't tell the Russians "let me get elected". He said "hey, you got any dirt on Hillary that would benefit me". (OK, paraphrasing, but that is pretty much what he said.) Trump encouraged the Russians to interfere in the election for his personal short-term gain.
And, full disclosure, I don't like the Uranium deal either. But that is much more nuanced than anything Trump has done. Actually, that's very Reagan-esque. Saint Ronnie (and I actually like most of what Reagan did) made deals that were definitely illegal, but that were designed (wrongly or rightly) to have a long-term gain for the US as a whole. Same with the Uranium deal.
The gist is that while I can disagree with Reagan, Bush, Obama, and Hillary, I am certain that regardless of the specifics of a position they had understanding of the long-term ramifications of their position. Trump? Not so much. I simply don't think he has the intellect or the emotional fortitude to think past the immediate deal.
So, TLDR, the difference is that Trump, whether I agree with a specific policy or position, simply doesn't understand what he's doing. I rather have "the devil you know" over a loose canon any day.
