Dems Think Increased Outrage Is Helping Their Cause

Following President Trump’s win in November, Democrats throughout the nation took to the streets to protest … well, the fact that they don’t like the guy who won. And many of those “protests” were actually riots.

Now the left is pretending that the increase in public activism, regardless of the violence and the inscrutable messages, is turning the tide against Trump:

“In almost every special since Trump’s election, regardless of outcome, Democrats performed better in these districts than Hillary [Clinton] did just a few months ago,” said Carolyn Fiddler, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee.

Trump scored a surprise victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in November.

The Republicans’ 2016 sweep shut the Democrats out of power in Washington, capping a years-long slide for the party that saw the loss of its congressional majorities, several governor’s mansions and nearly 1,000 seats in states legislature.

Democrats say that Trump, his agenda, and conduct have energized their party and fueled leftwing activists to get involved. Party officials report an uptick of volunteers at local offices and point to the outcome of a host of special elections since Nov. 8.

Unfortunately, the Democrats need to understand a couple of facts about November they seem determined to ignore. While Democrats, in a handful of elections since the general election, have performed better, it’s not necessarily because people are so outraged over Trump that they’re flocking to the Democrats’ banner.

There are plenty of variables to consider: no Jill Stein or Gary Johnson, and almost any Democratic candidate will be more likable than Hillary Clinton. Further, Trump’s approval numbers have been on the rise.

None of that has much to do with activism.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of Americans find political violence reprehensible. All of this “activism” may end up hurting Democrats in the midterm elections next year, as more leftist activists seem to be embracing the idea that violence is justifiable. After all, just take a look at what happened in Berkeley recently.

Unless the saner wing of the Democratic Party learns how to keep the more radical elements in check, that increased activism won’t have the effect of the Tea Party of eight years ago — which, remember, never resulted in so much as an arrest, never mind a few destroyed blocks.

Instead, the choice to use public hysteria and PR stunts — rather than, you know, clear ideas — is likely to push more and more undecided voters towards conservative candidates. After all, most people have no interest in taking the side of people who are willing to burn down their own school.