Louis-Bonaparte's coup signaled the death knell of the democratic revolutions of 1848 and was viewed with alarm by progressives. The abolitionist MP from Martinique, Victor Schoelcher, denounced the Second Empire and warned Britain against allying with it, lamenting that Bonaparte had bribed the generals to let him come to power.
An essay in The American Whig Review that appeared not long after Louis-Napole'on's coup d'e'tat satirized the possibility of an American coup. I presume the subtext here was the presidential race between Whig nominee Gen. Whinfield Scott and Democratic Party standard bearer Franklin Pierce. Pierce won fair and square, even garnering both the electoral college and the popular vote.
So we've gone in America, from light-hearted satire about it happening over here to a concerted attempt to make it happen.
Bonus video:
Washington Post: "Audio: Trump berates Ga. secretary of state, urges him to 'find' votes"
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