"Lock" on the Presidency???

[Demrepdan]

The only "lock" I can think of, that hasn't already been mentioned, is probably from 1861 to 1885, when the Presidency was pretty much controlled by the Republicans. True, Andrew Johnson was a Democrat, however he wasn't elected President. But in 1872, people pretty much KNEW that Ulysses S. Grant would be elected again. The ex-General Civil War hero, who couldn't be beaten by the evil Democrats who helped bring upon the War Between the States. However, Grant turned out to be one of history's worst Presidents, and people were willing to turn to the Democrats once again. Which, of course, lead to the 1876 election, which prooved that Democrats could win elections again, since they won the popular vote and Benjamin Harrison won by just ONE electoral vote. To look even further back, from 1801 to 1829, the Democratic-Republican party (Go Dem-Reps!) controlled the White House. It seems that when you look at the past, people had a one set mind for nearly 20 years at a time, until they turned to the other side of the political spectrum. But now people jump back and forth from party to party quicker than a jackrabbit on a hot August day.
Note: I'm not quite sure what that metaphore meant. You figure it out...