General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAs of today, I think it is fine to question the very legitimacy of the GOP as a political entity
In political science, legitimacy is the right and acceptance of an authority, usually a governing law or a régime. Whereas "authority" denotes a specific position in an established government, the term "legitimacy" denotes a system of governmentwherein "government" denotes "sphere of influence". An authority viewed as legitimate often has the right and justification to exercise power. Political legitimacy is considered a basic condition for governing, without which a government will suffer legislative deadlock(s) and collapse. In political systems where this is not the case, unpopular régimes survive because they are considered legitimate by a small, influential élite. In Chinese political philosophy, since the historical period of the Zhou Dynasty (1046256 BC), the political legitimacy of a ruler and government was derived from the Mandate of Heaven, and unjust rulers who lost said mandate therefore lost the right to rule the people.
In moral philosophy, the term "legitimacy" is often positively interpreted as the normative status conferred by a governed people upon their governors' institutions, offices, and actions, based upon the belief that their government's actions are appropriate uses of power by a legally constituted government.
The Enlightenment-era British social philosopher John Locke (16321704) said that political legitimacy derives from popular explicit and implicit consent of the governed: "The argument of the (Second) Treatise is that the government is not legitimate unless it is carried on with the consent of the governed." The German political philosopher Dolf Sternberger said that "legitimacy is the foundation of such governmental power as is exercised, both with a consciousness on the government's part that it has a right to govern, and with some recognition by the governed of that right". The American political sociologist Seymour Martin Lipset said that legitimacy also "involves the capacity of a political system to engender and maintain the belief that existing political institutions are the most appropriate and proper ones for the society". The American political scientist Robert A. Dahl explained legitimacy as a reservoir: so long as the water is at a given level, political stability is maintained, if it falls below the required level, political legitimacy is endangered.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legitimacy
The way Republicans carried themselves today was nothing short of embarrassing. At best, they were children throwing a temper tantrum. At worst, they were mob soldiers intimidating a witness. Either way, there's no way that GOP governance can be considered an appropriate and proper thing in society.
Maven
(10,533 posts)It is past time to disregard them as a legitimate political entity. They are a rogue organization that has been engaged in a hostile takeover attempt for the last thirty years. They have certainly made clear that they have no intention of recognizing the legitimacy of the opposition party to share governance and no intention of recognizing the individual liberty of anyone but straight, white, conservative men. In fact, their only idea of liberty is the freedom of the powerful to oppress others. The fact that they deliberately mislabel our party (the 'Democrat Party') to turn it into a pejorative shows that they believe they can redefine us out of existence.
I cringed today every time a Democrat referred to the GOP as their colleagues or friends across the aisle. Meanwhile, Republicans spent the day spinning conspiracy theories about Lanny Davis, Tom Steyer (who must be the new George Soros), Elijah Cummings and on and on. They define bad faith. There is nothing they won't do and no rule or norm they won't break to defeat us. Time to stop pretending that there is anything redeemable about their party.
Volaris
(10,280 posts)I'm all for giving them the benefit of the doubt as the 'Other Party'.
But at this point, you're correct and they aren't much more than a criminal enterprise, of the type which RICO WAS WRITTEN TO DESTROY.