New York Times: Venting at Democrats and Fearing Trump, Liberal Donors Pull Back Cash

? Protest in DC Begins ?

“This is What Democracy Looks Like” pic.twitter.com/q6HLpTLOWu

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 17, 2025

? CRINGE WARNING ?

Enraged Protester Decides to Sing a Song He Wrote for Trump and Elon? pic.twitter.com/X4t7yicMcF

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) February 17, 2025

Week 5 began this afternoon.

This is where the Democrats are at now.

New York Times:

“Several dozen Democratic political operatives had just gathered to discuss the party’s future at an upscale resort nestled along the Potomac River when the very first speaker unleashed a blistering address about the “hard truths” they needed to confront.

“Now is not the time for taking refuge in comforting platitudes,” said Jonathan Cowan, the president of the centrist group Third Way, which had organized the private event last week. “Now is not the time to bet on the other guys” messing up “so badly that we win simply by not being them.”

The remark, with a much coarser term than “messing,” reflected a deepening distress, shared by a wide range of Democratic strategists, lawmakers and donors, that the party is at risk of missing a critical window for introspection and reform in the aftermath of the devastating 2024 election.

The fear is that Democrats are squandering one of the few silver linings of losing: the chance to learn lessons from defeat. …”

New York Times:

“The demoralization and fear gripping blue America in the early weeks of President Trump’s administration have left liberal groups and their allies struggling for cash, hurting their ability to effectively combat the right-wing transformation of the federal government.

The small-dollar online spigot that powered opposition to the first Trump administration has slowed to a trickle as shaken liberal voters withhold their donations.

Charitable foundations that have long supported causes like voting rights, L.G.B.T.Q. equality and immigrants’ rights are pulling back, devoting time to prepare for expected investigations from the Republican-led Congress.

And some of the country’s biggest liberal donors have paused giving, frustrated with what they see as Democrats’ lack of vision and worried about retaliation from a vengeful president. Some Democrats say a few of their reliable donors are now openly supporting Mr. Trump, or at least looking to curry favor with him.

Fund-raising slowdowns are common after a presidential defeat and before marquee midterm races fully begin. But interviews with more than 50 donors, strategists and leaders of activist organizations show that many Democrats believe this year is different. …”

Compare to Trump’s first term.