Let’s say that the entire Russia thing turns out to be a big misunderstanding. And, let’s assume then that Donald Trump gets re-elected and serves two full terms, resigning peacefully after a normal, democratic election. mmmmmmkay?

So at some point during those years there will have been midterm elections that likely flip the House and the Senate, since that isn’t entirely unlikely in American politics.

Still with me?

Now, during the last year of Trump’s presidency a Supreme Court justice dies suddenly. What would happen if Democrats decided to not even hold a vote on a Supreme Court appointee? Even if Trump decided to put forth a candidate that both parties could agree on. Someone like Merrick Garland. And what happens if the Democrats in charge said ‘no’, and dug in their heels further?

And what if, let’s say, a Bernie Sanders type candidate is elected as President after Donald Trump. Let’s call him Barney Summers.

Suddenly Barney begins to rapidly use Executive Orders to do things like: “Once a year we will now have an “Open Border Day” along our southern border. And during that day, anyone who shows up with the all of their paperwork filled out, gets instant status as a United States citizen.

Also, President Barney Summers begins to appoint every progressive activist he knows. People who have longed to get on the inside to regulate and straighten out all of the government programs that they’ve been protesting against for decades. Suddenly coal companies are required to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines and upgrades if they want to remain in business. Corporate executives who had previously taken golden parachutes after tanking their company, and fleecing American consumers, are retroactively prosecuted, fined, and jailed for their crimes.

The military is suddenly required to justify every purchase they want to make…And to do so, must get three separate quotes from different vendors, all to be reviewed by the citizens. Meanwhile, public education finally gets an unfettered budget, allowing the entire system to be rebuilt in the image of far more successful European educational models, which would now include funding every citizen being allowed to obtain a 4 year degree at a community college. All of this would be paid for by the taxes that the Defense Department were not able to justify needing anymore.

Or, what if they Defense Department gets quietly defunded and dismantled, in much the same way the State Department is currently being subjected to?

Police in various states begin to pull over, arrest, and abuse, primarily white men who are identified as posing a threat to our nation’s security. The evidence used to justify these threats is based on superficial things like, gun racks in their vehicles, and various bumper stickers that identify them by their political leanings.

Also, during this time, legislation is passed that bans any and all Americans from purchasing, or possessing, all forms of assault weapons. The President begins to label that entire industry as “The Lying Gun Lobby”, and drives changes that make it legal to sue the weapons dealers and manufacturers, on behalf of anyone killed or harmed by their products.

I think you can see where I am going with this, so here are my questions:

Just exactly how loud do you think the voices would be in the Republican party then?

Would people like Paul Ryan be okay if the new Speaker of the House refused to listen to the opposition, or even allow any dissenting ideas onto The Floor for a vote?

Do you think they would be able to recognize even a little bit of the irony that they were suffering through?

Just a thought experiment for you, on this beautiful May weekend.