# Where do the Republicans go if Trump loses? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 22, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268 "2020-09-22T23:19:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/101 "2020-10-12T00:43:46Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > That was the rationale for Reagan & Papa Bush to perpetrate Iran/Contra and for W to start a war with Iran so Darth Cheney could make big $$: they knew once they were out of office, they’d get a pass, a slap in the historical wrist, and that’s that. > > No More. Trump and his henchmen go down to the fullest extent of the law. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > If Trump doesn’t die in jail, I suggest we remove the words “justice” and “karma” from the dictionary. The US had plentiful time to figure out if there could be an enforceable mechanism to make high officials behave like proper public servants, while balancing the reality that Great Power politics involves the ocassional necessity to be able to do some Not Very Nice Things. Unfortunately, the easy thing to do was to hang on to that the only punishment will be losing office, IF the people are annoyed enough, and we won’t take it against each other personally. All of it secured and guaranteed merely by a gentlemen’s agreement about norms. That you could one day have people in power who wipe themselves with gentlemen’s agreements and norms, **should** have been a contingency provided for. But it wasn’t. ---
**Author:** ![erpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e56c9b/32.png) [@erpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erpa)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/102 "2020-10-12T00:44:50Z")
Excellent reference to fight my ignorance, thank you! ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/103 "2020-10-12T01:13:11Z")
Sure thing, the amazing thing is how openly hostile the GOP is to democracy. They don’t even try to hide it. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/104 "2020-10-12T01:18:30Z")
It’s been interesting to read a few conservative thought pieces about this subject. Basically it appears that they want to convince more voters of the correctness of the Trumpian agenda instead of moving towards more centrist policies. America first, protect religious freedoms, boys are boys and girls are girls and that’s that. I don’t think the moderate conservatives will be able to regain control of the party for a while. They’ve got a pretty awful tiger by the tail on their side of the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/105 "2020-10-12T04:59:46Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > That you could one day have people in power who wipe themselves with gentlemen’s agreements and norms, **should** have been a contingency provided for. But it wasn’t Okay, so we didn’t fix the barn door and a couple of horses ran off. Do we let another horse run off, shrug and mumble “Whaddya gonna do?”. Or…pardon me if this is a radical notion…we fix the eff-ing barn door!! No More. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2020, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/106 "2020-10-12T20:44:19Z")
Here’s an opinion piece, a little short on facts maybe, by _The Ringer’s_, Justin Charity, where he opines pretty much what I’ve been saying. That the Don will still be a force. How much of one, imo, depends on the actual number of true believers. > From Biden’s inauguration through the 2022 midterm elections, Trump may well project his dominance in GOP primaries for the foreseeable future. He’s yet unrivaled in his singular influence among conservative voters—that’s the subtext to so many questions about Trump’s political intentions should he lose. Trump’s critics, and maybe even his own confidants, would prefer to regard Trumpism as a surreal phase with a decisive conclusion; a nightmare, for sure, but a nightmare punctuated by some proverbial daybreak. But what if Trump never ends? Four years ago, Trump defeated Clinton and even then he kept campaigning against her into the new year. Before he even launched his political career, Trump hijacked the political agenda, railing against Obama and weighing in on every political news cycle in his imperious, all-caps manner. So it’s easy to imagine Trump storming onto the South Lawn and piling into his final motorcade in January 2021, knowing he’ll never surrender the bully pulpit. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/107 "2020-10-13T02:24:58Z")
He’d have to tone it down a bit, at least. The tone he’s used on Twitter for the last four years would get him banhammered very quickly once he isn’t prez any more. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/108 "2020-10-13T18:06:50Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > As for what to do about Trump’s crimes, IMO the first priority should be a full, accurate, and public accounting of his actions. We might find that they’re so bad that not prosecuting would be nearly impossible… Agreed with the first priority. What about a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, similar to what South Africa did? The higher ups (Trump family, Barr, and other top level enablers) could be left out, but for EVERYONE else, there would be the promise of no prosecution, and forgiveness, as long as they came to the commission and told the absolute and complete truth of what they know. Let it all play out - those in the lower levels who helped Trump can testify, be forgiven and then move on. Gather all the facts. Make it completely public and transparent. Then prosecute the higher level toadies. You don’t even need to go after Trump himself. Just show that his legacy is one of absolute corruption and garbage. ETA: Just read your post @Senegoid Great minds and all that. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/109 "2020-10-13T18:29:56Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > You don’t even need to go after Trump himself. - Awww… \ Don’t be a buzzkill! I wanna wanna wanna go after Donnie! Otherwise, no fun! 😼 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/110 "2020-10-13T18:34:32Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > He’d have to tone it down a bit, at least. The tone he’s used on Twitter for the last four years would get him banhammered very quickly once he isn’t prez any more. Could well. OTOH, **[Conservapedia (as explained on the real Wikipedia)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservapedia)** is a real thing. As much as it may read like a caricature to you and me, it’s real. so is [**Westboro Baptist Church (real wiki again)**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church). I could easily see an outfit like Fox or somesuch launching a Twitter lookalike whose whole claim to fame is “No whiny libtards; all the Trumply Truth you want in one safe space for you and all other Real Americans!” They’d have 100M subscribers pretty quickly. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/111 "2020-10-13T18:53:17Z")
Yeah, but they are so out of touch, they will probably call their new services “FoxBook”, and “Yipper”, ending up with a completely different demographic than they were expecting. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/112 "2020-10-13T19:44:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I could easily see an outfit like Fox or somesuch launching a Twitter lookalike whose whole claim to fame is “No whiny libtards; all the Trumply Truth you want in one safe space for you and all other Real Americans!” They’d have 100M subscribers pretty quickly. If the GOP wants to isolate themselves in a virtual ghetto, that’s fine with me. ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/113 "2020-10-13T20:17:00Z")
They’ve already had two attempts at having a right wing safe space version of twitter: Gab and Parler. They all end up coming back. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/114 "2020-10-13T20:29:44Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > If the GOP wants to isolate themselves in a virtual ghetto, that’s fine with me. No, that is risky. I feel like social media almost hacks the human brain. My brother screamed at his niece (a young, presumably liberal, woman), calling her a “liberal b\*\*\*h”. To be fair, he is mentally challenged and isn’t American, but that’s still not okay, and this happened pretty recently. He had little enough to do with his time since COVID hit except watch Tucker Carlson and a large number of conspiracy videos on Youtube. Now he’s going around claiming the United Kingdom is spying on people by forcing them to wear bracelets with tracking chips in them, against their constitutional rights. UK has cameras all over the place, and doesn’t have a constitution, and obviously the story is not true. Also, your cell phone has a tracking function, otherwise Google Maps wouldn’t work, and most people love their cell phones. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/115 "2020-10-13T20:41:05Z")
As @Kimera757 said. if they just stayed in their bubble and stayed home that’d be fine. But they vote, the protest, they join movements like the Michigan Militia and all the rest. Arguably the entirely to Trump’s success can be laid at the feet of social media and RW propaganda. RW propaganda got the ball rolling back in the 90s w Limbaugh _et al_, but social media is what converts a stationary pea into a giant boulder hurtling downhill to smash the village. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/116 "2020-10-13T20:45:40Z")
> [@Boycott](#): > > They’ve already had two attempts at having a right wing safe space version of twitter: Gab and Parler. > > They all end up coming back. As much as it goes against what I’d _like_ to believe (that light is the best disinfectant and all that), Reddit has shown that deplatforming works (they’ve had their own alternate networks, like Voat). The network effect is _powerful_. Send the nuts to their ghetto and their numbers will dwindle. They have less power to recruit new members, and less ability to retain any that they do get. The ghetto ends up devoid of content other than the extremist kind, which makes it even less interesting. So as you say, the people drift back to the network where all the interesting stuff is happening, but without the continuous radicalization. Maybe some of them even slowly deradicalize due to the lack of constant reinforcement. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/117 "2020-10-16T19:32:10Z")
And now Republican Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announces that he wrote in Ronald Reagan on his ballot for President. 🙄 What does he think he’s proving here? It’s like he’s trying to frame a metaphor for the death of effective opposition to Trump in the Republican Party. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/118 "2020-10-17T01:36:37Z")
I saw that. It _is_ a particularly contemptible gesture, and a waste of his vote. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2020, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/119 "2020-10-17T01:56:10Z")
He voted for a racist tax cut and spender, but you know, dead. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2020, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268/120 "2020-10-17T11:12:32Z")
I think I’d rather have the dead racist tax cutter in office than the live one. At least the vandalism of the executive branch would stop [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-republicans-go-if-trump-loses/921268.md?page=5)