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Another way to not worry about the immediate collapse of Democracy is to have literally any knowledge of recent history:
January 20, 2000 less than half of Americans view Bush's win as fair, 15% say he's not the legitimate president https://news.gallup.com/poll/4687/seven-americans-accept-bush-legitimate-president.aspx
The supposed lesson of 2000 was to not concede.... https://theintercept.com/2018/11/10/democrats-should-remember-al-gore-won-florida-in-2000-but-lost-the-presidency-with-a-preemptive-surrender/
For a decade refer to it as stolen https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2012/06/yes-bush-v-gore-did-steal-the-election.html
With confused claims about what exactly the fraud was, for a recount that studies later proved wouldn't have helped https://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=93642&page=1
Calling it stolen at the time
http://archive.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6543
http://archive.democrats.com/view.cfm?id=6543
Calling it stolen 15 years later https://www.salon.com/2015/12/19/george_w_bush_vs_al_gore_15_years_later_we_really_did_inaugurate_the_wrong_guy/
Calling it stolen from the House floor
Or in 2016 literally having President Bartlett beg electors to steal the election
Maybe... close elections generate perverse incentives for partisans to question the legitimacy of democratic institutions. Maybe parties want power...Maybe voters reward irresponsible claims that feel tough. Maybe institutions work despite those incentives, not bc they're absent.
1996
"Bob Dole pressed dual attacks Friday on the news media for trying to ``steal″ the election and President Clinton" https://apnews.com/article/3d562a48f23c6e419b03af81e3b166e6
"Bob Dole pressed dual attacks Friday on the news media for trying to ``steal″ the election and President Clinton" https://apnews.com/article/3d562a48f23c6e419b03af81e3b166e6
1988
The campaign was perceived as one of the nastiest of the century, and polls suggested that while citizens blamed both candidates for the tone, a larger share was assessed against Bush https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/11/09/Bush-defeats-Dukakis-to-become-41st-president/6411193270882/
The campaign was perceived as one of the nastiest of the century, and polls suggested that while citizens blamed both candidates for the tone, a larger share was assessed against Bush https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/11/09/Bush-defeats-Dukakis-to-become-41st-president/6411193270882/
1984 was a landslide, but 1980 literally gave us the term October Surprise
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Surprise_conspiracy_theory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Surprise_conspiracy_theory
1976 was dominated by Ford's pardon of the last guy for breaking laws to steal the election
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pardon_of_Richard_Nixon
1972 was dominated by the guy breaking laws to steal the election, with the power of a nation at war, with a draft, after putting MEN ON THE MOON, and then winning 48 states in a landslide.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watergate_scandal
1968 had a candidate illegally negotiating with a foreign adversary to prolong a war, and the incumbent knowing about it from illegal wiretaps but choosing to ignore it because he wanted him to win. Even though he was from the other party. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/notes-indicate-nixon-interfered-1968-peace-talks-180961627/
1960
Also, bonus fact, complain about Barr all you want but Kennedy appointed his F'ing brother as AG. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/08/08/heres-a-voter-fraud-myth-richard-daley-stole-illinois-for-john-kennedy-in-the-1960-election/
Also, bonus fact, complain about Barr all you want but Kennedy appointed his F'ing brother as AG. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/08/08/heres-a-voter-fraud-myth-richard-daley-stole-illinois-for-john-kennedy-in-the-1960-election/
1952 and 1956 are boring unless you're at all worried about a popular military general taking control of the executive. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/09/eisenhower-memorial-liberals-ike.html
From 1933 to 45 FDR held power, his VP until 1953. 20 years of rule leading to the 22nd amendment. People who think U.S. democracy is at risk now, but somehow not then, are verifiably ignorant about U.S. history and don't understand our democracy. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/this-president-bucked-norms-and-fought-his-own-party-he-wasnt-named-trump/
