A recent edition of the New York Times (NYT) contained a phrase so ingenious and perfectly fitting, it’s shameful a conservative didn’t diagnose it first; “anti-Trump burnout.”
Describing the pink hat-wearing, rally organizing, street marching, and infamously screaming liberals who became infamous leading up to the 2016 election, they are everywhere. A fixture of almost every city (at least in part) across the nation, they were the major push behind the Democrats, especially in 2020 when Trump ran for re-election. Now that he is back for the 2024 GOP ticket, they simply don’t have it in them to fight a battle they lost before it even began.
In the article, the NYT referenced a Yahoo News/YouGov poll conducted in late September 2023 that focused on attitudes for the 2024 election. While 26% of Republicans said they feel “exhaustion,” a whopping 39% of Democrats chose “exhaustion.” Funnily enough, though, for the left, “dread” was chosen first and is an even bigger sign of just how bad they feel about Biden being their main choice.
Rebecca Lee Funk, the Washington-based founder of the Outrage, a progressive activism group and a purveyor of resistance-era apparel, provided the most tell-tale introspection. “Some folks are burned out on outrage. People are tired. I think the last election, we were desperate to get Trump out of office, and folks were willing to rally around that singular call to action. And this election feels different.”
She’s right; this election feels different.
Dems aren’t desperate to get Trump out of office. They are desperate to take a break from the fight; they are tired of perpetually finding reasons to complain about everything. Having to find an angle to be the victim in every situation has worn on them greatly, and getting to move away from that will be a nice change of pace.
By simply sitting back, relaxing, and accepting the defeat that is coming in November, they can get themselves ready to fight the next losing battle they find to cry about. God knows they already have their plates full as they make up stories of discrimination that serve to do little beyond embarrass them.
