# The anti-Trump resistance has become exhausted **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** trump\ **Created:** [February 20, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846 "2024-02-20T19:02:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/121 "2024-02-26T14:44:18Z")
There’s a lot of Chuck Todd Syndrome in the media- EVERY event that happens anywhere is spun as bad news for Democrats. ---
**Author:** ![TXRebel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6de8d8/32.png) [@TXRebel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TXRebel)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/122 "2024-02-26T15:47:02Z")
Count me into the 70% that just wishes we had a better choice. As far as I’m concerned shame on both parties that this is the best they could offer. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/123 "2024-02-26T16:01:15Z")
That’s a good name for it! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/124 "2024-02-26T16:45:45Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > Yes! At some point doesn’t the shine wear off of the invincible, omnipotent strong man if he _keeps fucking losing_? No, because they simply rewrite their memories and believe that he won, in the same way that they believe that he kept all his promises, that he was admired as a strong leader by other countries, and that he cares about God and America. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/125 "2024-02-26T18:16:58Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > No, because they simply rewrite their memories and believe that he won, in the same way that they believe that he kept all his promises, that he was admired as a strong leader by other countries, and that he cares about God and America. You may be right, but I don’t think so. Cults run out of gas after the promises are broken. Maybe not the first time, maybe not the second time, but at some point the cult members lose interest. “Jesus Christ, I guess the election was rigged…again? This is getting tired. How about we back a fascist that wins one once in a while.” ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/126 "2024-02-26T19:59:28Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > You may be right, but I don’t think so. Cults run out of gas after the promises are broken. Sometimes cults only run out of gas when they off themselves in [greater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown) or [smaller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown) [numbers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Solar_Temple#Mass_murders_and_suicides) ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/127 "2024-02-26T20:52:02Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Sometimes cults only run out of gas when they off themselves in [greater](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown) or [smaller](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonestown) [numbers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_Solar_Temple#Mass_murders_and_suicides) Hey, whatever gets the job done! I’m not particular. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/128 "2024-02-26T20:52:34Z")
Another article, this time not by the NYT. It’s about the primaries, but it gives a good sense of how voters are very much **not** looking forward to Biden vs. Trump II. > **[Primary apathy in Michigan: Democrats, GOP struggle as supporters mull...](https://www.yahoo.com/news/primary-apathy-michigan-democrats-gop-174649864.html)** > > Rev. Steve Bland Jr. remembers the massive get-out-the-vote effort he helped mobilize four years ago, when pastors and community leaders spread out across Detroit neighborhoods, made phone calls and worked around the clock to encourage people to... ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/129 "2024-02-26T21:08:17Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Another article, this time not by the NYT. It’s about the primaries, but it gives a good sense of how **voters are very much not looking forward to Biden vs. Trump II**. I think the bolded is generally true right now across the U.S. – but for the sake of precision, let’s note that this article is specific to Michigan voters. They’re a swing state, of course, so what’s happening in Michigan is important to watch. An aside: I believe that the “_not looking forward to Biden-Trump II_” factor has been a BIG confounder in head-to-head polls attempting to get an over-the-horizon view at November’s general election. Some respondents are doubtlessly giving “protest answers”, most especially those tepid on Biden (saying they’re ‘undecided’ most likely). I’m curious to see what the same polls (incl. swing-state specific polls) look like after the conventions, when both candidates are locked in. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/130 "2024-02-26T21:53:49Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Here’s [a link shooting down your idea regarding Biden’s spending priorities](https://www.axios.com/2023/11/15/biden-early-advertising-campaign-2024). But my link could be wrong. Your link isn’t wrong, but you do neglect to point out that your link also says that Biden fully intends to employ a ground game, just later in the cycle than Obama did. So it doesn’t really “shoot down” my idea regarding Biden’s spending priorities. I would submit that comparing what Hillary Clinton was up against in 2016 and what Biden is up against in 2024 is fundamentally different than what any other presidential candidates had to account for before or since: That is, the significant and often overlooked impact of election subversion by Russia and now others. I rarely see it listed as part of what defeated Hillary Clinton, and likewise, no one seems to be factoring it into Biden’s runs in 2020 or in 2024. That’s a mistake, in my view. > [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I’m wondering about the phrase “far more effective” in your post. I’m not telling you what to post, but I do wonder about whether such a claim has data behind it. Here’s one article in Vox from 2020: > **[The pandemic is forcing Democrats to ask: How important is door-knocking,...](https://www.vox.com/21366036/canvass-ground-game-turnout-gotv-phone-bank-tv-ads-mailers)** > > Political scientists say contacting voters by phone might be just as good as going door to door. But it’s generally accepted that person-to-person contact, whether by phone, letter or face-to-face is the most effective way of getting out the vote. As @PatrickLondon points out, it’s not about trying to convert the opposition. It’s about identifying people on the fence or generally reliable but feeling a little meh about the current cycle, and then taking the trouble to give them reasons why choosing your candidate is a good move for them. It takes a lot of money to run these campaigns. Since you admit you know little about it, I encourage you to do some additional research into this. * * * > [@BobLibDem](#): > > There’s a lot of Chuck Todd Syndrome in the media- EVERY event that happens anywhere is spun as bad news for Democrats. I haven’t heard this term before, but it really is the _perfect_ way to characterize it! * * * I will make one more point: One of Biden’s biggest challenges is that he is, you know, _actually governing_ while simultaneously campaigning. He’s got some tough issues, like the border and the war in Gaza. In a 40+ year-long political career, Trump and his minions will find lots to exaggerate, criticize and outright lie about, while simultaneously not only doing nothing themselves or offering any solutions, but actively working with our adversaries to defeat Biden and Democrats. I’ve watched elections for a long time, and this is a new, significant factor beginning with the 2016 cycle. The impacts are substantial and growing. We ignore it at our peril. Putin’s entire country and future depends on the outcome of our 2024 election. You can bet he’s pulling out all the stops to subvert our 2024 election, and in ways that will make 2016 look like a kid’s birthday party. It’s already working pretty well. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/131 "2024-02-26T22:10:39Z")
> [@TXRebel](#): > > Count me into the 70% that just wishes we had a better choice. As far as I’m concerned shame on both parties that this is the best they could offer. One party has as their leader a bad businessman who cannot conduct business without engaging in fraud, who is a rapist, and broke our long history of peaceful transition of political power from one administration to the next . The other has as their leader a guy who is a bit older than we’d like. To classify them both as a shame is just myopic. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/132 "2024-02-26T22:32:48Z")
Or perhaps one guy who wants to destroy democracy and become a dictator and whose major backing from Christian nationalists intending to turn the country into a theocracy while the other guy is four years older yet much more fit. None of these “but one guy” scenarios work with an electorate that somehow remembers they were much better off under Trump. Telling them that Trump will destroy democracy is simply unbelievable. It’s too much. He gets away with saying these things because until now they _were_ utterly unbelievable. Even most democrats can’t believe them. They probably don’t even know he says these things because, unlike us, the general public doesn’t spend their time on what Trump says every minute. Why the mainstream media do not make every Trump anti-democratic pronouncement front-page news, whatever that means these days, is a mystery. Possibly they don’t believe him either. He’s someone offering the masses bread and circuses, so his pronouncements are easily dismissed as more nonsense. Convincing regular voters is impossible if the media is not blaring this reality every minute. I was just about to post the line from @PhillyGuy’s link of Biden going to a ground game this year before @Aspenglow ninjaed me. Personal contact is a must even in this era. But prepping the potential voters first is also a must. Give them a reason to be upbeat and energetic. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/133 "2024-02-26T22:50:12Z")
I’m not exhausted, I’m just sick of trump. So so so sick of him. I think there’s a big difference. I’ll vote for Joe Biden or Kamala Harris. I don’t care which. I know what my job is in this election. So I’m not as engaged this time. That’s for my benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/134 "2024-02-26T23:04:08Z")
> [@Odesio](#): > > One party has as their leader a bad businessman who cannot conduct business without engaging in fraud, who is a rapist, and broke our long history of peaceful transition of political power from one administration to the next . The other has as their leader a guy who is a bit older than we’d like. To classify them both as a shame is just myopic. Seriously. Biden is who we have. Personally, I’m delighted and disgusted with all the ageist bullshit. Everyone needs to get over it. ---
**Author:** ![silverwolf77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silverwolf77/32/14970_2.png) [@silverwolf77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silverwolf77)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/135 "2024-02-26T23:47:34Z")
I am worried about the upcoming presidential election. The whole progressive side seems demoralized and it couldn’t come at a worse time. While Biden may not have the best track record, if tRump gets into office, it could be the end of our democracy. I say we on the left need to dig down deep and vote en masse to protect our hard won victory. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/136 "2024-02-26T23:51:00Z")
> [@silverwolf77](#): > > The whole progressive side seems demoralized and it couldn’t come at a worse time. While Biden may not have the best track record, if tRump gets into office, it could be the end of our democracy. I don’t think anything that you said right here is true. Not that progressives are demoralized, or Biden has a bad track record, or democracy is literally going to end because Trump gets another 4 years. If you’re worried because of these things, comfort yourself because it’s not the truth. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2024, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/137 "2024-02-27T02:52:14Z")
Yeah, if you spin it like he “was robbed”, then you never have to actually confront the election results themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2024, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/138 "2024-02-27T05:09:25Z")
> [@Stratocaster](#): > > You may be right, but I don’t think so. Cults run out of gas after the promises are broken. Maybe not the first time, maybe not the second time, but at some point the cult members lose interest. You’d think so, but it doesn’t always work that way. I heard an interesting podcast about Leon Festinger. He studied an apocalyptic cult to see what would happen when their predicted disaster didn’t happen. Some of the cult members left, but those who stayed clung even more strongly to their beliefs. Festinger coined the term “cognitive dissonance” to describe the mental discomfort of having one’s beliefs challenged, and the contortions they go through to not have to admit they were wrong. > [@Velocity](#): > > Another article, this time not by the NYT. It’s about the primaries, but it gives a good sense of how voters are very much **not** looking forward to Biden vs. Trump II. I’ve heard this described as a campaign between the two most-disliked politicians in America. The thing is, if the Democrats nominated someone else, Trump and Fox News would have the better part of a year to make that person as hated as Biden is. ---
**Author:** ![Jihi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jihi/32/17768_2.png) [@Jihi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jihi)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2024, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/139 "2024-02-27T06:25:46Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Why the mainstream media do not make every Trump anti-democratic pronouncement front-page news, whatever that means these days, is a mystery. I remember after the 2016 election there being a lot of naval gazing from different media sources and news organizations about how they covered Trump. There’s more than a few people that believe the mainstream news media and their obsession and hanging on every word Trump said in 2016 is what led him to his victory. From what I can tell essentially the argument is that “there’s no such thing as bad press.” I do watch quite a bit of MSNBC I confess. And that subject still gets brought up frequently, if not a great length, by their anchors and talking heads. They’re still not entirely certain about how they should be covering trump. MSNBC generally doesn’t show Trump’s speeches live they monitor them and then play snippets and clips if there’s something that they believe people really need to hear otherwise they’ll have people read his quotes from transcripts and whanot. I found a recent-ish article from The Guardian, April 2023, that goes into some of the same subjects. > **[Has the media forgotten lessons learned from covering Trump in 2016?](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/06/media-coverage-trump-arrest-2016-repeat)** > > From tailing helicopters to photographers perched on ladders, the ex-president enjoyed a disproportionate amount of footage – again ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2024, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846/140 "2024-02-27T06:46:27Z")
> [@Jihi](#): > > I do watch quite a bit of MSNBC I confess. And that subject still gets brought up frequently, if not a great length, by their anchors and talking heads. They’re still not entirely certain about how they should be covering trump. MSNBC generally doesn’t show Trump’s speeches live they monitor them and then play snippets and clips if there’s something that they believe people really need to hear otherwise they’ll have people read his quotes from transcripts and whanot. Well most people don’t watch “quite a lot” of any news channel. Not trying to pick on you. But people really shouldn’t watch that much of news channels. Maybe documentaries or stuff like that. But there is only so much news in any day that really matters. Another Trump speech isn’t news and really doesn’t need to be watched at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-anti-trump-resistance-has-become-exhausted/997846.md?page=8)