# Democrats or Republicans get gifted a 535-0 majority in Congress. What happens? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 17, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575 "2022-05-17T21:51:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/21 "2022-05-18T22:35:38Z")
I mean, there’s a little bit of a question as to whether they would go for remaining in power versus using power to enrich selves and backers. If they go for #2 first there’s a good chance the party implodes due to competing interests. If they go for #1 first there’s a good chance the party implodes due to strong demand for #2. Look at State legislatures who have comfortable majorities this year, but also need to redistrict. **Kent\_Clark** mentioned Missouri, but Florida Republicans also failed to accomplish much despite holding a solid trifecta - they had to hold two special legislative sessions and eventually gave up on redistricting due to bickering, opting to just use the governor’s plan. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/22 "2022-05-18T23:09:43Z")
If I can ask a slightly different version of the OP: what if one party was totally in control of all of the states while the other had all three branches of the Federal? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2022, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/23 "2022-05-18T23:22:41Z")
State conventions. See also the 21st Amendment. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/24 "2022-05-19T00:05:21Z")
> [@Kent\_Clark](#): > > In Missouri the Republicans have a Republican governor and a veto-proof (i.e., more than 2/3) majority in both the General Assembly and the state Senate. Not surprisingly, they get tripped up in their own intra-party squabbles. Yep, putting a “D” or an “R” after the name of every legislator wouldn’t eliminate political and policy cleavages – it would just shift where they take place. You’d quickly have organized “wings” within the dominant party along regional or issue divides like Southern and Northern Democrats in the mid-20th Century and the splits in Republican Party in the late 19th Century over the gold standard. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/25 "2022-05-19T04:08:43Z")
Democrats instantly fracture into two factions. Republicans: It doesn’t bear thinking about. But the rest of the world, with considerable justification, lobs every nuke they collectively control and turns the lower 48 into glass. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/26 "2022-05-19T04:43:41Z")
Democrats: Mandatory inter-racial or same sex marriage. Bonus tax breaks for both (.01%) Republicans: Mandatory weapon ownership /w open carry. ---
**Author:** ![Steven\_Maven](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steven_maven/32/3272_2.png) [@Steven\_Maven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Maven)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/27 "2022-05-19T15:11:09Z")
> [@Max\_S](#): > > the 2020 [Republican] convention did not amend the 2016 platform…. The 2020 Republican Platform said essentially, “We support President Trump.” Can you say, “Cult of Personality?” ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/28 "2022-05-19T16:54:20Z")
Dems: act like politicians, and get a little more accomplished than usual. Republicans: act like ruthless, abhorrent, power crazed jerks who hate everybody but rich middle aged white Christian cis straight able-bodied American born men. And there would never be a meaningful election again. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2022, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/29 "2022-05-19T17:39:59Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Republicans: Mandatory weapon ownership /w open carry. …with a rider attached that legally defines any visible minority seen carrying a weapon in public as an “immanent threat”. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2022, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575/30 "2022-05-26T08:49:24Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > Yep, putting a “D” or an “R” after the name of every legislator wouldn’t eliminate political and policy cleavages – it would just shift where they take place. I’m going to agree with this. Without opposition, any party is going to fracture into multiple factions. They’ll likely eventually coalesce into two groups and then you’re back to having a two party system. Or possibly into three groups with a small third group as a potential ally of either of the two larger groups, depending on which one offers the best deal. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-or-republicans-get-gifted-a-535-0-majority-in-congress-what-happens/964575.md?page=1)