Roundabout this time in 2020, Democrats were relentlessly desperate to beat Trump and were absolutely shelling out the money to the Democratic machine like:
Now, after several years of President Mumblety-Peg, they seem a little more content to hang onto their dollars:
Small-dollar giving at the federal level totaled $312 million in the first half of 2023 — a drop-off of more than $30 million compared to this point in the 2020 cycle. [Democratic fundraiser ActBlue] also had 32 percent fewer donors in the second quarter this year compared to four years prior, although its total fundraising including state and local campaigns increased slightly due to more recurring donors.
Thirty million is a good healthy dropoff. It's not a good sign. Interest in Joe Biden is flagging. He's a confused, doddering, incapable old man. Fewer people want to plunk down a bunch of money for that candidate.
Democratic consultant Ari Rabin-Havt says there has to be "a quick examination among Democrats about what is creating this enthusiasm gap." It's not hard! The party picked a 450-year-old man to be its standard-bearer. There's nothing inherently wrong with being 450 years old, of course, but it does tend to take the starch out of the difficult, highly competitive process of presidential politics.
We can probably expect this problem for Democrats only to increase as the campaign goes on and Joe gets more and more tired. Trump, meanwhile, thrives on this sort of thing. As Election Day 2024 gets nearer he'll doubtlessly just get more and more amped up. That sort of thing usually translates into more money.
There's still a long way to go before next November. Buckle up.
