# How do the GOP secure a permanent victory in the USA, and destroy the Democrats' chances henceforth? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 28, 2016, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758 "2016-12-28T04:51:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/21 "2016-12-28T17:56:40Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > If the Soviet Union couldn’t maintain itself for 75 years, I seriously doubt that any Republican (or Democratic) victory could ever be “permanent.” Yeah, you can’t cut taxes on the wealthy indefinitely, while expecting the middle/lower class to shoulder the whole burden, at the same time that you’re cutting programs aimed at helping them. It takes a certain amount of money to run the country. It has to come from somewhere. > [@Velocity](#): > > … > But anyway - if the GOP were to achieve one-party rule, it would probably have to be done by underhanded means. Vote suppression, rigging, a SCOTUS that would rule in its favor, Ginsburg would have to pass away, even more gerrymandering, and maybe get the media to become less left-wing. Gee, you’ve just summed up the Republicans’ agenda for the foreseeable future. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/22 "2016-12-28T17:57:22Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > The state of Washington just had an elector vote for “Faith Spotted Eagle” and you need me to explain why a political party might have an interest in exerting a bit more control over their membership requirements? Just round up the whole state of Washington and re-educate all of 'em. Ms. Spotted Eagle is much more palatable for the office that Mr. Trump. > [@](#): > > Spotted Eagle was born in Lake Andes, South Dakota.[4][5] She attended the American University in Washington, D.C., and Black Hills State College in Spearfish, South Dakota,[1] and holds an MA in Educational Psychology and Counseling from the University of South Dakota. Her time as a student included an internship for then-senator George McGovern.[1] She has been a private consultant in PTSD counseling for veterans, as well as a school counselor, principal, and Dakota language teacher at Sinte Gleska College.[5][1] She is a founding member of the Brave Heart Society, an organization for teaching girls about traditional culture,[6] chair of the Ihanktonwan Treaty Committee, and the manager of Brave Heart Lodge in Lake Andes[5] which seeks to preserve Dakota cultural beliefs for the future.[1] Spotted Eagle served as a delegate of the Treaty Committee NGO at the United Nations ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/23 "2016-12-28T18:03:55Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Ms. Spotted Eagle is much more palatable for the office that Mr. Trump. Not the point. None of the Washington electors should have done anything but vote for HRC. Instead, one-third of them went faithless. But, if Washington state Democrats are comfortable leaving their vote for president up to whatever odd-balls get selected as electors, I guess that’s fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/24 "2016-12-28T18:06:35Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Yeah, you can’t cut taxes on the wealthy indefinitely, while expecting the middle/lower class to shoulder the whole burden, at the same time that you’re cutting programs aimed at helping them. It takes a certain amount of money to run the country. It has to come from somewhere. What portion of the tax burden do you think the middle/lower class are shouldering today? ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/25 "2016-12-28T18:06:35Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Not the point. None of the Washington electors should have done anything but vote for HRC. Instead, one-third of them went faithless. But, if Washington state Democrats are comfortable leaving their vote for president up to whatever odd-balls get selected as electors, I guess that’s fine with me. I’m a Washington state Democrat and I’m not terribly bothered by this. People want to make statements. I doubt (despite claims to the contrary) there would have been such votes if the election hung in the balance. I’m not sure, however, how the party would prevent this simply by requiring party registration in this state. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/26 "2016-12-28T18:08:48Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m not sure, however, how the party would prevent this simply by requiring party registration in this state. I doubt just requiring party registration would prevent it either. It would be a first step in that direction though. But hey, if you like your open primary / no party registration, go for it. Your state, your rules. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/27 "2016-12-28T18:13:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Just mere months ago, people were saying the GOP was doomed, but now it’s suddenly an unbeatable juggernaut? > > It’s the \*Democratic \*Party that will dominate in the decades ahead. > > But anyway - if the GOP were to achieve one-party rule, it would probably have to be done by underhanded means. Vote suppression, rigging, a SCOTUS that would rule in its favor, Ginsburg would have to pass away, even more gerrymandering, and maybe get the media to become less left-wing. I have to quibble with the last clause. The media is not left wing, they bend so far over backwards to not appear to be left wing that they are actually right wing. Look at the 2016 campaign- Hillary’s emails got more coverage than all real issues combined. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/28 "2016-12-28T18:19:05Z")
As it stands, even though more people voted for Hillary it didn’t matter. Democrats at this point are just a part of the coasts (the west coast and the northeast, about 15 states total) as well as the party of big cities. I do not see the GOP making inroads in either area. The dems will hold the coasts and the big cities for a long time for various reasons. But virtually everything else is under GOP control and probably will be for a while. The democrats cannot be destroyed, but they are pretty much neutered. Even though the dems control the big cities, many of those big cities are in red states so the state legislature can just neuter any city based progressive legislation. If a city wants to push renewable energy, gay rights, minimum wage hikes, etc. the red state legislature can block them. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/29 "2016-12-28T18:19:38Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I have to quibble with the last clause. The media is not left wing, they bend so far over backwards to not appear to be left wing that they are actually right wing. Look at the 2016 campaign- Hillary’s emails got more coverage than all real issues combined. How should we go about distinguishing “real issues” from non-real ones? I’d say that, since it was a big part of her losing the election, it certainly turned out to be a “real issue”, despite her best spinning and damage control efforts to avoid that outcome. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/30 "2016-12-28T18:21:21Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Are we now beginning an era of one-party rule in the USA? No. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > If not, how can that be made to happen? It can’t short of an armed revolution which isn’t happening anytime soon. And note, the vast majority of political violence in the U.S. in the past 60 or so years has been instigated by left leaning groups. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > How do the GOP secure a permanent victory in the USA, and destroy the Democrats’ chances henceforth? See above. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > How can the GOP and/or the conservative movement destroy the Democratic Party forever? It can’t. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > How can the GOP and/or the conservative movement secure permanent one-party rule? It can’t. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > Can the “Right” destroy the “Left” forever? No. But it would make an awesome plot to a [movie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games_(film)). Slee ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/31 "2016-12-28T18:39:48Z")
Where do people think the 65 million people who voted Democrat went off to? ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/32 "2016-12-28T18:44:59Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Where do people think the 65 million people who voted Democrat went off to? We’re hoping for Canada. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/33 "2016-12-28T19:15:20Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > It takes a certain amount of money to run the country. It has to come from somewhere. Conquest has worked pretty well in the past. It’s how Germany funded its war machine. Hell, Rome conquered so much, it was paying its own citizens with the surplus, forget taxes entirely. We have the biggest and most expensive military on earth. I’d hate to think so, but it’s probably just a matter of time before it gets used like municipal police are now – for revenue generation. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/34 "2016-12-28T19:20:49Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > We have the biggest and most expensive military on earth. I’d hate to think so, but it’s probably just a matter of time before it gets used like municipal police are now – for revenue generation. How does that work in an age where there aren’t crown jewels or big piles of gold to steal and most money is just digital 1’s and 0’s? If we conquered Cuba, for example, how do we turn that venture into a big profit? ETA: I’m not just being my normal smart-ass self either. I’m struggling to imagine a profitable venture that starts with shooting people and blowing up a bunch of stuff in the location that a profit is supposed to be made, so I was hoping you could give me some ideas (asking for a friend ;)). ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/35 "2016-12-28T19:27:46Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > As it stands, even though more people voted for Hillary it didn’t matter. > > Democrats at this point are just a part of the coasts (the west coast and the northeast, about 15 states total) as well as the party of big cities. I do not see the GOP making inroads in either area. The dems will hold the coasts and the big cities for a long time for various reasons. > > But virtually everything else is under GOP control and probably will be for a while. > > The democrats cannot be destroyed, but they are pretty much neutered. Even though the dems control the big cities, many of those big cities are in red states so the state legislature can just neuter any city based progressive legislation. If a city wants to push renewable energy, gay rights, minimum wage hikes, etc. the red state legislature can block them. And that will work until further splitting occurs as all the progressives leave the cities in the red states, and move to cities in the blue, brain draining these red states, and leaving them with empty, unproductive cities that provide little tax base. The conservatives in the rural parts of the blue states may move to red states where they can’t get abortions, but I doubt many of them will willingly move into a state with fewer economic prospects than where they would leave, even if the red state conforms more to their social ideals. So, red states will become sparsely populated, and more conservative, while the blue states become more populous and progressive. As we have seen, the electoral system in the US represents land area, rather than people, so this may not turn the country blue any time soon. Instead, the red states will vote to get the blue states to increase their financial support of the red states, then continue to complain about them. > [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > We’re hoping for Canada. So is Canada. They experienced the brain drain to the US for decades, now it’s our turn to reverse that trend. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/36 "2016-12-28T19:59:16Z")
There’s no way any one party can permanently dominate another party. It’s inevitable that either the losing party will shift in the ideological direction that gets them more votes, or that the majority party will then split into factions (one or both of which might then peel off voters from the minority party). People tend to overreact to single elections as if they represent monumental shifts in the political landscape. Big mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/37 "2016-12-28T20:16:26Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > Hell, Rome conquered so much, it was paying its own citizens with the surplus, forget taxes entirely. Rome had taxes. It just didn’t charge them equally; Italy was exempt from taxes and other provinces of the Empire therefore paid a disproportionate share. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/38 "2016-12-28T20:22:25Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Are we now beginning an era of one-party rule in the USA? If not, how can that be made to happen? > How do the GOP secure a permanent victory in the USA, and destroy the Democrats’ chances henceforth? > How can the GOP and/or the conservative movement destroy the Democratic Party forever? > How can the GOP and/or the conservative movement secure permanent one-party rule? > Can the “Right” destroy the “Left” forever? No, neither major political party is capable of “destroying” the other. Both major parties continually adapt to the social issues of the day, and absorb the best parts of more successful 3rd parties. As long as they keep evolving, they will both remain a major force in U.S. elections. If a U.S. political party were to be destroyed, it would come from within it’s own party. If they chose to stop listening to the other side, if they refuse to listen to their constituents (those people in their state who actually elected them), if they chose to get their political news from comedians, then that party is doomed to run out of people who chose to vote for them. Many people in the Democrat Party have recently been repeatedly predicting the end of the GOP. At the same time the Democrats were losing control of both houses of Congress. I guess they thought they were winning by losing??? ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/39 "2016-12-28T20:32:14Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Many people in the Democrat Party have recently been repeatedly predicting the end of the GOP. At the same time the Democrats were losing control of both houses of Congress. I guess they thought they were winning by losing??? I think they were winning by losing. It’s not an oxymoron. One reason the Democrats lost popularity is by getting a lot of their agenda enacted. That can be a worthwhile trade, IMO. Get your agenda enacted, hunker down for a few years while you pay a political price, then get re-elected when the public gets tired of the other party, enact more of your agenda, and so on again and again. Can be a worthwhile long term strategy. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758/40 "2016-12-28T20:35:04Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > I think that Americans like the two party system. It’s not going away any time soon. A lot of states are one-party states \*now. \*Conservatives would perhaps like having a choice between two _conservative_ parties. The Democrats are seen as anti-American Communists, and thus one-party rule is seen as a necessity. And people like you can be disenfranchised if you vote for the Enemy. You need to understand that power may now be in the hands of people whose ideology doesn’t tell them to share it, but to keep it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-the-gop-secure-a-permanent-victory-in-the-usa-and-destroy-the-democrats-chances-henceforth/775758.md?page=3)