In a way, it is understandable that the Democratic Party would refuse to reckon with the fact that its biggest celebrity not only refuses to associate himself with the brand but admits to boldly and unrepentantly lying to their voters. This is a party with a depleted bench of talent, but no shortage of grassroots enthusiasm. At the moment, its priority is to keep the enthusiasm as high as possible in the hopes that the talent problem will resolve itself.

So far, that strategy has not yielded much in the way of results. Democrats appear to have determined to go all-in on “The Resistance.” Professing that Donald Trump is a unique monster who must be opposed at every turn has kept demonstrators in the streets and high-dollar donors’ wallets open. It is, however, a risky bet.

What if, as has been the case so far, Donald Trump remains a relatively ineffective president? The president’s most controversial executive order has been halted in the courts. The efforts to revise and reform the tax code and ObamaCare landed with a thud. Trump has reversed several of Barack Obama’s executive orders, but he has retained some—like deferred deportation for the children of illegal immigrants—he insisted he would repeal. Conservatives soothe themselves with the appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, but that only maintains the status quo ideological balance on the court prior to the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. It doesn’t move the ball forward for conservatives, and the parliamentary maneuvers invoked to secure his seat ensure that this will not be a cost-free proposition for Republicans in the long-term.