'Tempted to despair': Trump's resilience causes Democrats to sound the alarm

[RandySF]

Anxiety is coursing through the Democratic Party as President Trump emerges from his impeachment proceedings as a potent threat for reelection, with party leaders and activists uncertain about how to beat the incumbent and worried about a nominating race that remains crowded and is growing more acrimonious.

While Democrats see Trump as a corrosive figure and a threat to the nation, they also see the president and his well-funded campaign tailoring a reelection bid around the strong economy and visceral appeals to his ardent supporters.

Trump’s robust political standing came into view this past week, as he claimed vindication from his acquittal in his Senate trial despite damaging House testimony about his conduct with Ukraine — and set off on a path of retribution by ousting some officials who were witnesses. At the same time, his Gallup approval rating ticked up to 49 percent, its highest point yet.

The developments have generated convulsions of angst among Democrats, who watched their first-in-the-nation Iowa presidential caucuses conclude in a chaotic fiasco and deliver an inconclusive result. Many in the party are now sounding the alarm that denying Trump a second term could be far more difficult than they had calculated.

“We have a president who isn’t merely unconventional or challenging institutions and elites, or coloring outside the lines. He’s unmoored,” Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Del.) said. Yet, Coons added, he is “very aware” that Trump could win reelection “with these economic numbers at his back, all as millions of Americans grow numb to his behavior.”



https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/tempted-to-despair-trumps-resilience-causes-democrats-to-sound-the-alarm/2020/02/08/8301b71a-4906-11ea-b4d9-29cc419287eb_story.html

[MontanaMama]

1. I don't like giving this any space in my head.

Even talking about it seems to give him power.

[2naSalit]

13. Seems that way, huh?

[coti]

2. This is garbage.

Please don't post crap like this.

[bdamomma]

9. Yes exactly.

We are the majority.

[Skittles]

3. articles like this are silly

lots of time between now and November

[2naSalit]

14. Yes!

And as I advised last month, expect the unexpected... all year long. It's going to be one roller coaster ride, we're still climbing the that first, long grade. But we're getting close to the top.

[Jarqui]

4. The part that not everybody is cluing into seems to be that

they're going to continue to cheat - doing whatever they have to.

Many are carrying on like their vote is going to matter.
The scary part is that it might not matter because they're going to do whatever they have to steal the election.

That is the thing that has me rattled.
I'm not throwing my hands up but I am worried.
They have to do this or else they're going to jail.

[coti]

6. We're winning this, and we're going to win in November. nt

[Jarqui]

7. We have little choice but to play it that way

But I'm jittery

[RandySF]

10. Then why is my anxiety turning into depression?

Because of the way it all seems to be playing into November. And it doesn't end well for us.

[coti]

11. You're failing to recognize our strengths.

You think that, just because Russiapublicans don't give in and admit the truth, they are stronger than us. But we're on the side of the truth, and there are more of us. We're fighting downhill. We're stronger. When we win the election, they'll break and break hard.

[ms liberty]

18. We have to do what we did in 08. Overwhelming turnout.

Obama won by numbers large enough to make it impossible to steal. We have to do that again. I don't know if we can do it, but we have to try. My concern is that they have become so brazen in their criminality that I see the potential for them to steal it anyway, right out in the open, and dare us to do something about it.

[GoCubsGo]

21. We did it in 2018, as well.

People for get that this gave us the "Blue Wave" that allowed the impeachment to happen in the first place. They screech about Dems trying to reverse the 2016 election, while they did just that to the 2018 election by letting that asshole walk.

[pbmus]

5. 'You are Not going to silence our voice'

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100212970135

[bdamomma]

8. We are not

doing this We will fight these bastards we are on our home turf.

[Joinfortmill]

12. No, no, and no

[ChoppinBroccoli]

15. I Love How The Media Is Acting Like Trump DID Something To Survive Impeachment

Everyone knew he'd survive the impeachment before it ever started. Not because he's "resilient" or "bulletproof" or any of the other superhuman adjectives the media wants to saddle him with, but because of ONE reason and one reason ONLY: he had a spineless, gutless, Republican Senate that put their Party above the Constitution and their country. I wish the media would stop talking about Trump like he's some kind of super-politician that can get away with anything because he's just so skilled or popular or whatever they think allowed him to survive the Senate trial. Why is THIS the story instead of, "The first impeachment trial to not allow witnesses or exhibits"? You'd think the "liberal media" would be all over that angle. Unless........

[MontanaMama]

16. Absofrigginlutely.

100% this.

[MustLoveBeagles]

17. Powered by People

Please read this.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016247204#post1

[GoCubsGo]

19. Same shit, different day.

Whenever we find ourselves in similar situations, there's always a wave of gloom-and-doom hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing by a vocal contingent on the left. It's often fuel by the media's "Democrats in disarray" narrative, including articles like this. Time to turn it off and get to work proving them all wrong.

[treestar]

20. The economy doesn't matter

All the damage he is doing to people on that end, and they still vote for him. Likewise people who realize he is unmoored will not think the economy will crash because he leaves the office.

[Andy823]

23. Yep

His base will support him, and his poll numbers are NOT up to 49, that poll was shown to have over sampled republicans.

There were almost 100 millions people that did NOT vote in 2016, his base DID vote. Those who sat home figured it wasn't worth it because how could someone like trump win. Well he did win, and I don't think those "millions" of voters will do that again. They came out in 2018, and they will this year. We have to get out and vote, not sit around feeling depressed, which is what trump wants us to do.

All the doom and gloom threads doesn't help anyone!

[DeminPennswoods]

22. The media is going to push the horse race narrative

all the way to November. Dems "in disarray" or "desparing" or "anxious" is what helps sell papers and get online clicks.

There are no individual state polls showing Trump gaining strength or other nonsense. His strongly disapprove numbers (to me a good measure of enthusiasm) are near 50%, at least 20 pts higher than his strongly approve (to me his base) numbers.

The article is based on one Gallup poll showing increased approval, but expect pundits to keep pushing that narrative.

Think about it, if a Dem president had these numbers, we'd all be saying "he's toast" in Nov.