Like week-old meat left in a hot car, the stench of defeat is starting to overpower the swag pens and stifled giggles in the Democrats' impeachment project.

Axios has fresh news about how bad it is:

Officials in both parties tell me that — barring surprise new information — President Trump is on a glide path to swift acquittal at his Senate impeachment trial, despite a blizzard of evidence bolstering Democrats' accusations.

• Why it matters: Trump has a decent chance of avoiding witnesses and of losing zero Republican votes on conviction.
• Think about that: When the news broke, did anyone think every single Republican in the House and Senate would have his back? Bill Clinton pined for such unity. 

A source close to House Democrats sounded morose after Trump's defense team made its opening arguments yesterday: "I think our team feels like we did everything possible and are going to lose anyway."

• "It feels like maybe we’ll still get a witness, but more likely not, and even if we do it won’t matter," the source added.
• "The GOP gamble is always that most voters don’t care about process ... Up to us to make them pay for this."

The whole thing, from Axios big Mike Allen, king of the swamp, in a column that almost always can find a silver lining for the Democrats otherwise, (and didn't this time), can be read here.

The news comes as we were watching closely for signs of peel-off from either Republicans or Democrats on the Senate floor. Signs of something happening began a couple of days ago when #NeverTrump Republican and jealous former contender Mitt Romney expressed his displeasure with the Democrats' Schiff show, and made a de facto statement of support for Trump, which we know had to be distasteful to him but not as distasteful as hearing from his voters.

Second, there was the insane "insult the jurors" strategy employed by the likes of impeachment manager Rep. Jerry Nadler who managed to insult at least two of the four potential swing Republican senators who might have voted with the Democrats who sought to call witnesses to the Senate trial, a job they failed to do themselves when they had control in the House. Instead of flatter and appeal to them, hoping to get them to go along for the ride as might have been expected, Nadler chose instead to insult Senators Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins, pretty much calling them first traitors and then cowed pawns of Trump, which somehow didn't win their hearts.

Way to own-goal it, bozos.

They lost that group, and most of that magic four spoke out in anger, and then it got worse, at least for Democrats.

It wasn't just public sentiment shifting decisively in favor of Trump on impeachment, as this RealClearPolitics poll of polls showed.

It wasn't just Trump's string of hardcore victories -- over Iran, with our top trading partners in China and between the three amigos, as well on the Mexican border where illegal border crossings fell a staggering 90%. And don't forget Brexit with an awesome U.S.-U.K. trade treaty in the wings.

It wasn't just the lack of public interest in House impeachment manager Adam Schiff's long, long, long speeches that kept even the Senate visitor galleries empty.

It wasn't even a new poll out showing Trump's public approval soaring to the highest level of his entire presidency.

Internal polls must have been even worse, because now we are seeing restless Democrats looking to break from the pack, making little noises of discontent, starting from the red-state Democrats who need to be on their best behavior around voters, starting with this pair here, according to The Hill:

Two red-state Democratic senators signaled on Saturday that they are undecided on whether to convict President Trump and ultimately remove him from office. 

 

The comments came after three days of opening arguments from House impeachment managers and as the president's legal team started to lay out its case in a brief Saturday session.

 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) told reporters he takes his oath of impartiality "very seriously." He noted that while he thought Democrats did a "good job," he is eager to hear from Trump's' team and will "see where we go from there."

 

"I'm as impartial as I can possibly be, as I've always been. I'm wide open on this, and we'll see where the facts go," Manchin said.

 

Sen. Doug Jones. (D-Ala.) said he believes House Democrats have made a "compelling case" but added that he wants to listen to the defense being mounted by Trump's legal team. 

 

"I'm hoping to hear the facts and the rebuttal from the president. So I think that's only appropriate," Jones said.