But even that does not pass the smell test; by starting but then losing the war the South created the exact opposite effect, solidifying federal power like never before.
That hurt Mr. Dinkins but may have had the unintended effect of solidifying his support among moderates of all races.
The exhibition's parallel lines of fossil and molecular evidence have the cumulative effect of solidifying the foundation for the more recent scientific narrative of human evolution.
In cloud computing, we've seen these network effects help solidify the position of massive players – locking new entrants out of the market.
Survivors of trauma frequently put themselves in situations that remind them of the trauma they suffered, and this typically has the effect of solidifying the pain associated with these memories.
But Mr Obama's deal, and his subsequent scolding of liberal Democratic opponents, have had the effect of solidifying a rock-hard opposition to extending upper-income tax cuts in that political bloc.
In other words, cannibalisation is worth it, if the overall effect is to solidify your position as the first name anyone thinks of when they think of coffee.
Disney has changed its governance rules to allow for a more independent board, but critics say the net effect was to solidify Eisner's control, not to subject him to dissent.
"Along with more deeply understanding the exact origin of the older brother effect, it helps solidify the idea that, at least in men, there's a strong biological basis to sexual orientation.
"One of the side effects was to solidify organized crime and create a real, international organization out of what was, in essence, small criminal groups," Finckenauer told me.
