Will this (or something like it) happen at some point in the future?

[Crumpets]

The scene: some holographic cable news channel c. 2041...

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Given how much pining there is for the good old days of Republican moderates like George HW Bush and Gerald Ford and Democratic moderates like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, it seems like only a matter of time before Obama and Trump are seen as generic, moderate blobs, right?

[elcorazon]

The scene: some holographic cable news channel c. 2041...

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Given how much pining there is for the good old days of Republican moderates like George HW Bush and Gerald Ford and Democratic moderates like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, it seems like only a matter of time before Obama and Trump are seen as generic, moderate blobs, right?

Obama yes - Trump no

[FalloutBoy97]

I honestly don't think that the parties can become much more polarized than they are now without the government disintegrating. If Donald Trump is someday regarded as a "sensible moderate" we are engulfed in full-blown civil war.

[Beefalow and the Consumer]

The scene: some holographic cable news channel c. 2041...

You must be logged in to read this quote.

Given how much pining there is for the good old days of Republican moderates like George HW Bush and Gerald Ford and Democratic moderates like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, it seems like only a matter of time before Obama and Trump are seen as generic, moderate blobs, right?

Obama yes - Trump no

History will see Trump the way it now views Barry Goldwater.  Winning message, but ahead of his time and the wrong person to deliver it.

Right-wing populism, protectionism, isolationism, nativism, and foreign policy realpolitik are going to be the driving forces of the GOP.  No doubt about it.  And when the first Republican Trumpist actually is elected President, they'll look at Trump as a harbinger of things to come.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

A less scandal-ridden Trumpist will likely win at some point in the future.