Donald Trump

Similarly, major Republicans—such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell—have refused to acknowledge or congratulate Biden on his win.

Many political commentators have treated these refusals to acknowledge reality as merely childish or temporarily delusional. 

But another—and darker—possibility exists: Trump and his fellow Republicans believe they can strongarm their way into supreme power by ignoring the will of American voters.

Trump has repeatedly “joked” about how wonderful it would be if the United States—like China—had a “President-for-Life.” 

And the Republican party has long held to a double-standard: One that applies exclusively to its own members and another for its opponents. For example:

During the 2016 Presidential race, members of Trump’s campaign met with Russian Intelligence agents on several occasions.

The most infamous of these meetings occurred on July 9, 2016. High-ranking representatives of Trump met at Trump Tower with at least two lobbyists with ties to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

The participants included:   

• Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr.;
• His son-in-law, Jared Kushner;
• His then-campaign manager, Paul Manafort;
• Natalia Veselnitskaya, a Russian lawyer with ties to Putin; and
• Rinat Akhmetshin, a former Soviet counterintelligence officer suspected of “having ongoing ties to Russian Intelligence.”

The reason for the meeting: Trump wanted any “dirt” the Russians could supply on Hillary Clinton, his Democratic opponent.

Reince Priebus, the incoming White House Chief of Staff for newly-elected Trump, was outraged that many Americans believed that the Russians had helped elect him. He demanded that outgoing President Barack Obama vouch for Trump’s legitimacy. 

“I think President Obama should step up,” Priebus said on January 15, 2017, on ABC’s “This Week.”

“We’ve had a great relationship with the White House….I think the administration can do a lot of good by telling folks that are on the Republican side of the aisle, look, we may have lost the election on the Democratic side, but it’s time to come together.”

Reince Priebus

“You didn’t have Republicans questioning whether or not Obama legitimately beat John McCain in 2008,” Priebus added.

“This Week” host George Stephanopoulos replied that Trump had questioned Obama’s legitimacy as an American citizen until almost the end of the 2016 Presidential race.

“But look, George, that’s not the point!” Priebus said, visibly agitated. “The point is not where Barack Obama was born! The point is that we’ve got congressmen on the Democratic side of the aisle that are questioning the legitimacy of President-elect Trump.”  

Trump and his fellow Republicans may think they can strongarm their way past the verdict of more than 75 million American voters. If they attempt this, they may get the revolution they have long predicted.

And it may not end well for them.

Contrary to popular belief, revolutions don’t start when people are without hope. They start when oppressed people believe they can have a better future.

Case in point: The Mexican Revolution (1910-1920).

From 1877 until 1910, General Porfirio Diaz ruled Mexico with an iron hand. Most of the best acreage was owned by a small minority of rich landowners. Millions of peasants lived in abject poverty.

Porfirio Diaz

Then, in 1910, an aged Diaz—possibly on a whim—decided to allow Francisco I. Madero, a democratic reformer, to run against him.

For the first time in three decades, ordinary Mexicans believed they had a chance for a better life. But when Madero began attracting major support, Díaz ordered him jailed during the 1910 election.

On June 21, Diaz staged a fraudulent election. Its verdict: He had been re-elected almost unanimously.

This case of massive electoral fraud aroused widespread anger throughout the Mexican citizenry. 

On October 4, 1910, Madero escaped from prison and was soon smuggled across the United States border. From El Paso, Madero called for revolt against Díaz.

Suddenly, revolution erupted throughout Mexico. Emiliano Zapata led a revolt from the southern state of Morelos. Francisco “Pancho” Villa organized a massive army that took the important city of Juarez, just across from El Paso.

Francisco “Pancho” Villa

Díaz was forced to resign from office on May 25, 1911 and fled to Spain six days later, on May 31. He eventually settled in Paris, where he died on July 2, 1915.

For four years, millions of Americans who thought Trump a tyrant awaited their chance to vote him out of office. They did so on November 3—giving Joe Biden more votes than any Presidential candidate in American history.

If Trump pulls a Porfirio Diaz on the electorate, he may meet the same fate as Diaz.