Gone are the dramatic days of President Obama’s campaigns for the White House, when “hope and change” was the rallying cry, zeal was plentiful and emotions ran high. An early case of voter fatigue appears to have set in among many Americans this time around. Just 29 percent of registered voters said they would be “excited” if Hillary Clinton won the presidency according to a CNN poll released Tuesday.

About a third overall — 35 percent — said Mrs. Clinton’s election would make them “proud.” Meanwhile, 39 percent of the voters felt “embarrassed” about the whole thing and 46 percent said that the thought of another President Clinton actually made them “afraid.” Another 47 percent were “hopeful.”

The poll also addressed this burning question: Will the Republican Party unite in time for the presidential election in November? Yeah, pretty much. But it will be close. Currently, only 11 percent of registered GOP voters say that the party itself is united, By November, another 49 percent say the party will be united by election day. A stubborn 38 percent, however, are convinced things still will be amiss in November.

BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES

“This is not a drill. Hillary’s campaign finally has Bernie behind them and they are going full steam ahead to take Donald Trump down.”

So says a public message issued Tuesday from Great America PAC, a super PAC backing Mr. Trump. The organization is prudent to be prepared. A new negative narrative against the presumptive Republican nominee is ready for launch, according to Politico, which reports that Hillary Clinton’s campaign plans to “unleash TV hell on Trump” on Thursday.

There are other battle fronts. The Media Research Center continues to track biased and unfair mainstream news coverage about Mr. Trump. The latest: In a close study spanning six months, the press watchdog found that network evening newscasts dwelled on supposed Trump “controversies” four times as much as Mrs. Clinton’s questionable issues, with barely a mention of the Benghazi matter. More is on the way, and it’s going to get louder.

THE GOP WAR CHEST

As press and pundits speculate over Donald Trump’s campaign financing, the Republican National Committee has significant numbers. The Grand Old Party has raised $155.8 million for the 2016 election so far. Though critics wish that it all came from anonymous trillionaires, 98 percent of the donations were $200 or less, and the average amount was $70. Republicans have raised $50 million more than the Democrats at this point.

There is bang for the buck, too. The tough but ebullient GOP chairman Reince Priebus reports that the party now enjoys “the best-staffed, most wide-reaching, and most data-driven ground game” in history. A record-breaking number of Republican voters have also turned out for the primaries in recent months.

“We’ve had a 148-week head start on Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee, who are only now assembling a general election ground game. With nearly 500 paid staffers in the field, thousands of heavily-trained organizers ready to share our Republican message, we’ve never been better prepared to engage voters and boost turnout in a presidential election year,” Mr. Priebus adds.

HOLA: TALKING IMMIGRATION

Underway at a Capitol Hill hotel on Wednesday: The 10th annual “Hold Their Feet to the Fire” radio showcase hosted by the Federation for American Immigration Reform. Several dozen well-known talk radio hosts will broadcast their shows live for two days from the site; their guests include members of Congress, law enforcement, experts and front line folks troubled by unsecured borders and illegal immigration.

“This event provides the public with insight, clarity, choices, and solutions,” says Bob Dane, executive director of the host group. “More importantly, it is about holding our elected leaders accountable for securing the borders, enforcing immigration laws, and reforming our policies so that America’s broad national interests are properly served.”

It will be noisy outside the hotel, however. The Center for Immigration Integrity will rally to protest what they call “the most racist event of the year,” referring to the Federation for American Immigration Reform as a “designated hate group.”

THE HILL UPS THE ANTE

Institutional knowledge is still a valuable commodity, even in the raucous media marketplace. The Hill, the stalwart political newspaper that has doggedly chronicled every aspect of Capitol Hill since 1994, plans to launch a new opinion section with a focus on “diversified views from top minds,” or words to that effect.

Now on board to help them do it: Jim Roberts, who spent 26 years as an assistant managing editor for The New York Times before racing off to join Mashable, a nimble digital upstart which supplies “tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.”

Mr. Roberts has an interesting skill set, now that news publishing is full of hair-raising terms like “verticals,” “platforms” and “revenue streams.” He will act as a consultant for now; the new section will be ready to roll in a few months.

POLL DU JOUR

• 51 percent of Americans say Donald Trump would best handle the economy as president; 89 percent of Republicans, 36 percent of independents and 15 percent of Democrats agree.

• 43 percent overall say Hillary Clinton would be best at the economy; 5 percent of Republicans, 36 percent of independents and 84 percent of Democrats agree.

• 50 percent overall say Mr. Trump is best able to handle gun policy; 91 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 12 percent of Democrats agree.

• 43 percent say Mrs. Clinton is best for gun policy; 4 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 85 percent of Democrats agree.

• 48 percent overall say Mr. Trump is best able to handle terrorism; 89 percent of Republicans, 49 percent of independents and 11 percent of Democrats agree.

• 45 percent say Mrs. Clinton is best for terrorism; 4 percent of Republicans, 40 percent of independents and 86 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A CNN/ORC poll of 1,001 U.S. adults conducted June 16-19.

• Battle cries and happy talk to [email protected]

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