American anti-partyism historically aimed to democratize, unlike today’s conspiracist version

Evidence

The new conspiracist assault on parties feeds off a long history of antipartyism in America. But it has very little in common with the most important antiparty movement, Progressivism, whose wholesale attacks on the party system were justified as a defense of democracy. The antiparty charge has historically been made this way in the name of making the system more democratic. In this respect, conspiracist antipartyism is something new; it aims not to improve democracy but rather to delegitimate it. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 214

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the book’s overarching project on conspiracy politics and to histories of antipartyism; resonates with the ‘populism vs. pluralism’ framework. — connects to: New conspiracism is antiparty, not “just fix it” pragmatism or reform-minded Progressivism — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 219; Conspiracy exposure has at times served democratic reform — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 33

Broader Connections

• Conspiracy exposure has at times served democratic reform #corroborates (0.85) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 33
• New conspiracism is antiparty, not “just fix it” pragmatism or reform-minded Progressivism #qualifies (0.75) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 219