One aspect of the general perception and portrayal of Republicans as the Stern Daddy party and Democrats as the Caring (but drunk and silly) Mommy party is that it is understood that whenever Daddy (the GOP, try to keep up) swings open his office door and threatens to come down and yell at whoever he needs to, he will get results.
It's understood that if the GOP goes full racist or full LAWNORDER or full WARWARWARONEVERYBODY - basically, goes the full asshole - this will be good for them electorally, and it's only their better nature, their sense of fair play, their ultimate goodness, that keeps them from using this superpower. Don't make Daddy have to come down there!
But most of the country aren't actually Maureen Dowd with terminal Daddy issues, and going the full asshole and teargassing people to pose like an idiot with Bible, or cheering on the cops for murdering black people, isn't necessarily the popular thing. Still when they threaten to bring out the riot gear and turn the racism dial up to 11, it is assumed to be so until some polls say otherwise.
