I think part of it is defeatism, part may be depression, and part may be, as someone noted, keeping one’s head down.
Going back to your OP: no, I truly do not think that large numbers of Democrats and liberals are, in any way, “comfortable” about Trump returning to the presidency.
If I seem relaxed it’s only because I’ve checked out. I don’t have the energy to be outraged all the time anymore. I’ll vote against who I have to, but beyond that, I’m playing video games instead of thinking about the horror. The horror.
Trump fatigue syndrome and a bit of defeatism.
“Doom, despair and agony on me, deep dark depression, excessive misery…” that about sums it up. 
Of course anger will come later.
Yep.
Well, the House is so close that we have some power there. The GOP will have to be unanimous on anything they wanna pass.
All protests will do is excite trump about the size of the crowd he is getting. 
My experience has been the opposite.
Maybe some are appropriately concerned that Pam Bondi or Kash Patel will order them shot or jailed if their protests are Not To Trump’s Liking.
ETA: and these are people who Keep Lists and Hold Grudges. I don’t think anybody believes that the interregnum is a ‘safe time.’
It’s a good life! Please don’t send me to the cornfield.
That’s another factor muting our response. There’s much less Triumphalism on the side of Trumpers this time around (my local Trumpers haven’t even mentioned Trump’s win to me), and there’s also a lot more factional infighting this time around. He hasn’t even taken office yet, and yet, there are major fractures forming between the MAGA and Musk parts of the party. Also, his people are seeing the complete wastes of space he’s putting into key cabinet positions, and some are starting to realize he’s not a serious person.
We’re waiting and hoping that this internal discord will derail the worst of what is to come.
At this point, everyone knew what Trump was about, the racism, fascist tendencies, the lies, the incompetence. The American people chose to elect him anyway, with a slim majority this time.
So, I’m resigned. Grieving for the country that I thought was better than this. Protests would only give him an excuse to bust some heads.
I think the US has two years to reject this authoritarian – if the voters don’t hand him a “shellacking” in the midterms, we will be in a place that I no longer recognize is the country I grew up in.
In the meantime, we’re working on a foreign citizenship, just as a backup.
I think the main difference between now and 8 years ago, is that back then we were in shock, having recently discovered that America wasn’t what we thought it was. This time around we have come to terms with the fact that a large portion of our country lives in a different reality and is immune to reason, and that this isn’t an one time abberation that can be corrected by Marching in the streets with pink cat ears.
I agree There’s nothing we can do right now. To the OP, I’m much less comfortable with Trump’s second win. The first time I thought he had no real agenda (having no real principles or policies) and would be less interested in actually doing anything, and would just enjoy the perks of the office. Now I know that while he’s lazy and incompetent, he’s also stupid and vengeful. And he likes to give power to the wrong sort of people.
I disagree. Many Dems and otherwise sane folk are terrified. But many others would be more accurately describes as depressed, beaten down, feel helpless, embarrassed of their country and countrymen, focusing on selfcare…
I know absolutely ZERO Dems/liberals who are comfortable w/ Trump’s upcoming administration.
I’d like the OP to explain what Dems ought to do, and how effective protest marches were 8 years ago. Given the date, is it too late for us to book travel to DC?
But I’m going to March in the streets with pink ears anyway.
I’m too old, too fed up , been doing it so long that I not going to quit now.
Then I think if anything we’re disagreeing on the matter of degree. In many cases I’d bet that the depression, beaten down, helpless, embarrassed emotions are the results of the fear, nay, near-certainty of what Trump and his ilk are going to attempt during the next four years, with at least some degree of success.
They aint gonna build the concentration camps in cornfields.
Please tell me you get the Cornfield reference. You’ve been on this board far too long not to.
Yeah, and it’s not like they realistically expected to NEVER lose from here on out.
I mean, all the left-leaning people seem to be living in a sort of unrealistic mental world where they were desperately hoping Harris would win, while not even considering that she might lose, either in 2024 or if she won, in 2028.
I don’t feel like “once Trump dies, all will be well” is a very good plan for the future. It may well be how things end up, but it’s better to plan that MAGA will be around for a good while, and they’ll be holding the reins of the Republican party and US Right.
That’s why I’m a bit confused about all the despair and terror on the Left; they’re going to have to discover a way to live with the Right/MAGA in the long haul , and not approaching anything post 2016 with that mindset seems a bit childish/head-in-the-sand or at the least, unrealistic.
Of course I do.
It’s a Good Life.
I will add an emoticon to make the dark humor more obvious.
But i do think there will be concentration camps- with some new name of course.
I’m checking into getting an EU passport and citizenship, which appears to be possible (but expensive) and which I would not have considered doing two years ago. Trump is a big part of the reason.
I agree with this, but I think it’s a fundamental flaw of our short and regular election cycles (plus the long campaigns). We don’t plan for the long haul; we plan for the next two years. I don’t think it’s because people’s heads are in the sand or because they’re childish, but I agree that the practical effect is as if they were.
Trump has been elected; there’s a cautious wait-and-see approach, and people are planning to deal with the spot fires and the emergencies as they break out. I hope, somewhere in the background, there is a larger plan, but who is leading the opposition to Trump? Democrats ? (whose own leadership is… who?) Someone outside of politics?