It's over. For Democrats, that is.

Their big, "historic" impeachment, complete with its stifled giggles, souvenir pens, and the religious-style procession from House to Senate with articles of impeachment carried like the Blessed Sacrament, is bombing with the public.

According to the New York Post, public interest is so low that Democrats can't even fill the Senate visitor gallery.

The Senate spectator gallery was at least half-empty throughout the first week of President Donald Trump's impeachment trial and senators serving as the jury in the marathon sessions are taking notice — some stunned that there aren't more people watching history unfold, while others understand the public avoiding the repetitive proceedings. "I'm really surprised at that because this is kind of historic and I would think this would be an opportunity for people to get in there regardless of whose side you are on," Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) told The Post Friday.

So it's not just senators bored out of their gourds for this "historic" impeachment event — yawning, playing with their fidget spinners, or fleeing the room. Democrats can't fill the tiny Senate gallery with members of the public to watch it live. They can't even get rabid lefties anxious to say "I was there."

The Post continues:

"You know, 28 hours of hearing the same thing over and over again isn't all that exciting," said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has passed the hours with crossword puzzles. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who underwent back surgery in August, joked: "Well, if I had a choice I'd probably be home watching Chicago PD." He added: "No, don't put that in there or that would make me sound terrible."

A newscast last night in San Diego, on center-left NBC affiliate Channel 7 by Steven Luke, showed a long string of man-on-the-street interviews of voters bored out of their minds, most of whom were definitely not watching.

Here is the available shareable video, which doesn't have the coding we use at AT, but see if it works. If it doesn't work, go here.

"It's hard to watch over and over because they seem to be repeating themselves."

"Watchin' what?"

"I think some of them on the other side are so beyond annoying."

"I don't want to see him impeached. I like him." (The speaker here was a black lady.)

"Just cut it down, get to the bottom line."

Their center-left rivals, CBS Channel 8 and ABC Channel 10, didn't even do that story at all, and impeachment coverage on their websites is curiously minimal. Yes, maybe it's because they are lefties and don't want to report bad news for other lefties about public indifference in this big blue city, but more likely, they know it's a snoozer that won't draw clicks.

This news comes as a deadly poll of polls is out at RealClearPolitics, reporting that a majority of the public now does not want President Trump removed from office. Gallup and ABC/Washington Post got particularly high, five- and six-point margins arguing for this position. That's a majority of the public wanting to shut the whole thing down, based on an average of every major pollster in America. The pollsters, even the biased ones, are pretty much finding the same story no matter who they are, or something pretty close.

Take a look at that sharp spike in that black line on the RCP chart:



Image credit: RealClearPolitics, watermarked screen shot.

So much for impeachment. The bottom line is that impeachment is collapsing with the most important audience of all: the public. Democrats have not only lost the swing Republican senators for the breakthrough they need to support their call for new witnesses — by insulting them, no less — but also lost the public they were hoping to rally even if they couldn't get the Senate to convict. Instead of winning the public over, they've managed to turn the public against them, which is a fine mess they've gotten themselves into.

Seriously. The galleries are empty. The public is telling the press to make it stop. The RCP average shows a sharp swing toward President Trump.

If Democrats had any sense, they would move to join everyone else in seeking to shut their whole Schiff show down now — to save their skins.

Image credit: NBC Channel 7 News shareable video screen shot.