One of the strangest aspects of the Trump era is that “nearly everyone
seems convinced their side is losing,” said Will Rahn. Liberals, of course,
are morose because a man they view as “a racist, a sexist, a crook, and
perhaps even a traitor” occupies the White House, while his fellow
Republicans control Congress and a majority of state legislatures. Traditional
conservatives are unhappy that the GOP has become “unmoored”
from their small-government, respectable ideology, that “a charlatan” of
incoherent views now rules the party. Even the right-wing populists feel
like they’re losing, because “a clique of elite Manhattan Democrats,”
including Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, have pushed aside firebreathing
nationalist Steve Bannon. Besides, Trump can’t get any legislation
passed because of a hopelessly fractured congressional GOP. The
widespread sense of panic and loss is probably responsible for the fact
that the militant left and Trumpists both now justify censoring opposing
views. “It’s a remarkable, and perhaps unprecedented, moment in our
history.” Everyone—regardless of ideology—has a sinking feeling that in
the battle for the nation’s soul, “we’ve already lost.”
