> It's easy to imagine that a feeling of despair about the efficacy of one's vote would drive someone to stay home.
That's true, but I don't think Democrats had a feeling of despair before the results came in. It seems like most Democrats are shocked that the election turned out this way.
If it helps, the right seems shocked it turned out this way, too.
Personally, I realized last week that I had no reliable way to know what to expect. There was ample data to support predicting any outcome.
If true, their media diet betrayed them. This outcome was obvious.