Expression "good and hard"

The expression "good and hard" is most famously attributed to American journalist and social critic H. L. Mencken, who used it to describe the negative consequences of populist democracy. Outside of this political context, it is also used as an informal intensifier. 

The Mencken context

In his 1920 essay "A Little Book in C major," Mencken defined democracy as "the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard". 

• Meaning: In this satirical aphorism, the phrase means that if a majority of people vote for a bad leader or misguided policies, they will have to suffer the painful or difficult results of their decision.
• Recent usage: The phrase has seen recent use in political commentary following elections, with writers evoking Mencken's cynicism to suggest that voters will face the harsh reality of the outcome.