# What's going on now will teach future Republican presidents to hold on to power all the more tightly **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 13, 2021, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476 "2021-01-13T21:58:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/1 "2021-01-13T21:58:50Z")
What future-Trumps in the GOP may learn from this whole spectacle is that **once you lose power, it’s virtually impossible to claw it back.** Falling from power is a greasy slippery slope - once you start that downward slide (which, for Trump, started in the wee morning hours of November 7,) you never climb back up again.The time to maintain power is when _ **in** _ power, not when having already lost and frantically trying to snatch it back from the jaws of defeat. With that in mind, I would expect a far more authoritarian approach when or if the Republicans are ever back in power (presidency + Congress.) They’ll solidify things with an iron grip so as to never allow a “Trump 2020” to happen again - they won’t ever want to be in a position again where they having nothing but Hail Mary passes to throw (asking Pence to overturn the results, hoping rioters can do something, etc). ---
**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:** [January 13, 2021, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/2 "2021-01-13T22:10:39Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > The time to maintain power is when _ **in** _ power, not when having already lost and frantically trying to snatch it back from the jaws of defeat. Not sure what you mean here. Of course, once you lose an election is a bad time to try to reverse it. It would be far better to try to appeal to voters, and win the election. Other than that, all it seems that you have said is the oft quoted, " If conservatives become convinced that they _can_ not win democratically, they _will_ not _abandon_ conservatism. The _will_ reject _democracy_", and somehow or other make it sound like it’s democracy’s fault that they are this way. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/3 "2021-01-13T22:11:52Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > Of course, once you lose an election is a bad time to try to reverse it. It would be far better to try to appeal to voters, and win the election. More like, once in power, change the levers and mechanisms so you _cannot_ lose again. Some Trumpers don’t see the problem as Trump campaigning poorly or doing a bad job, but rather, allowing a system whereby Democrats could win. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2021, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/4 "2021-01-13T22:28:54Z")
So, like I said, they would abandon democracy. It’s not like that’s not what they have been doing for the last couple decades anyway. Is this supposed to be a warning, that Republicans have abandoned the principles that this country was founded upon, and that we should never let them win, as if they have any power, they will use it to deny suffrage to anyone who opposes them? The most basic idea of democracy is to accept that you _will_ lose some. And when you do lose, you have to admit your defeat, and then go out to try to win the next one. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/5 "2021-01-13T22:31:53Z")
Jesus, the balance of power has switched numerous times between parties throughout the history of our government. Don’t paint doomsday scenarios over one idiot that happened to get elected one time. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/6 "2021-01-13T22:34:34Z")
I do think there should be negative consequences for the lot of them, though. No need to encourage even the slightest possibility that a future president thinks it’s time to pull a Putin. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/7 "2021-01-13T22:36:52Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > More like, once in power, change the levers and mechanisms so you _cannot_ lose again. I think you’re a bit late to the party here. Republicans have been doing this for a long, long time. See the [REDMAP project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REDMAP). The court-packing, the gerrymandering, the ridiculous voter ID projects, voter suppression by Republican secretaries of state. They’ve been trying to tilt the field in their favor for _decades_. Nothing will change there. The only thing that will change is they’ll have a new bloody shirt to wave in their tiresome yet tireless chorus of “we’re just reacting to what Democrats did.” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2021, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/8 "2021-01-13T23:19:50Z")
It’s not clear what more they could have done to cook the election. It is time for the Dems to take advantage of the following clause of the constitution: > 1: The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators. What they should do is force independent redistricting, automatic voter registration, prescribe how ballots are distributive, allow unlimited mail-in voting, require a minimum number of precincts per district so as to avoid long lines. States must be required to allow everyone to vote withing 15 minutes of arriving at the polling station. Follow this by removing this law from the purview of SCOTUS. ---
**Author:** ![Jay\_Z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Jay\_Z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Z)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/9 "2021-01-14T01:43:59Z")
Maybe the OP wants to specify what the “iron grip” means. A lot of the elections are in control of the states, as we saw here in 2020. States are subject to their own laws, and attempts at post hoc rulings were unsuccessful. States suing other states were unsuccessful. Rulings before elections can work better, but voters can adjust to that. Voters are aware of suppression efforts, and they often anger voters and may increase turnout in spite of the efforts. What else? Open rigging? Military coups? They all could be attempted, and might be. The problem with thoroughly undemocratic measures is that one party rule is like no party rule. The dictator makes the rules. If the dictator feels like banning abortion, he will, otherwise not. Your party becomes meaningless. Otherwise this just sounds like one of these internet posits that requires that everyone else simply sit around slack jawed while the evil people put their plans in with no resistance. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/10 "2021-01-14T02:13:28Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > one idiot that happened to get elected one time. It’s more than than. Much more. Take a look at the craven turds who actually voted on Jan 6 to take a steaming dump on the constitution and try to overturn the election in states where they lost. THEY are more of a problem than the Cheeto Faced Shitgibbon who is soon to be gone. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2021, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-going-on-now-will-teach-future-republican-presidents-to-hold-on-to-power-all-the-more-tightly/930476/11 "2021-01-14T02:25:43Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > THEY are more of a problem than the Cheeto Faced Shitgibbon who is soon to be gone. Agreed, because they’re still in power. ☹ That honestly scares me.