About Those "Bombs"

I don't pretend to know more about the actual facts on the ground in regards to the devices sent to various left persons. What transpires here is mostly educated speculation on the matter.

First it seems highly likely that these devices are in fact fakes. They were never meant to explode or harm the alleged target. It does seem to be a literal terrorist incident much like Anti-fa's vandalism and threatening letter to the Republican club in NY. We will know whether the items were in fact explosives soon enough. Either the relevant agencies will have a press conference in which they tell us what kind of explosive was in the device along with either a demo of the destructive force it would have when exploded; OR there will be radio silence. You should take radio silence as an admission that these were fakes. There is also a chance that the relevant agencies will tell us that they are fake (if they are). I have seen commentary online by alleged experts in bombs who say that these devices are clearly fake because:

1) Pipe bombs don't have wires at both ends.

2) The "Alarm clock" was an LCD bedside clock available from Amazon and has no alarm function.

I cannot verify either one of these statements so take them with grains of salt.

What is important here is to think of who benefits. Lets first go with it's a Trump/Republican supporter who has been riled up by Trump's commentary on the media and Democrats and therefore decided to "do his part" (assuming it's a he). Let's do a pro and con analysis:

Pro: What does he gain? Media attention. Ego gratification. Perhaps some kudos from random internet people. That's all. Cons: He certainly has not eliminated any "enemies" from the field. He hasn't changed any minds. He has given the MSM a talking point to blame Trump for "the environment". Politically it doesn't do much to help Trump or Republicans. This will be particularly true if he is found out prior to the elections.

Now let's assume that this is a false flag perpetrated by a leftist, though not necessarily a Democrat:

Pros: By framing the event as an attack by "far right" and "Trump supporters" (often synonymous in MSM), He manages to push forward the prevailing MSM narrative of violent fascists vs. innocent put-upon liberals. Indeed the head of CNN already went there. Schumer et-al already rejected Trump's condemnation of the devices. Every left-wing media outlet has discussed how Trump's "attacks on media" are the cause of the "environment" and "climate". This will work to motivate left-leaning persons to [further] support Democratic candidates.

Cons: The only real con to this is like the other prospect. Being found out prior to the election would be a devastating blow to Democrats. Not because Democrats are behind the apparent hoax. But because it would be clear to the public that isn't necessarily supportive of Trump that the far left is increasingly out of control and supported by Democrats. It would be the Kavanagh Bump on steroids.

Also it is likely that if the person is discovered after the elections, Trump would be handed a hammer with which to [continue] to hammer the MSM and various politicians.

That said, I believe that if the person does NOT turn out to be a Trump supporter or Republican, that the event will quickly be memory holed with an adjusted narrative which removes the event but keeps up the chatter about "climate". As what happened with Congressman Scalise and Rand Paul

Again, this is speculation based on the current limited information. [update 4:13PM] The NYT is reporting as follows:

The packages have shared the same traits: a manila envelope containing a 1-inch-by-6-inch length of PVC pipe filled with powder believed to be a pyrotechnic substance and packed with shrapnel. The pipes were also equipped with a small battery, a digital clock as a timer and an initiator, which causes the bomb to explode, a law enforcement official said.

"Powder believed to be a pyrotechnic substance".

I think by this time we would know whether it was a pyrotechnic substance. The device found this morning was transported to a secure location. It doesn't take long to determine if the powder was explosive or not.

But Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said on Thursday that the devices were functional explosives.

“They are bombs capable of detonation. That has been established,” Mr. Cuomo told CNN. “Was that purposeful or incidental? Was it a poorly constructed bomb?”

Sorry but Governor Cuomo has shown himself to be a liar. His commentary regarding Anti-fa's recent behavior shows he is given to political machinations. The governor is not an explosives expert and neither am I. I will take the word of actual experts over Cuomo any day of the week.