Conspiracist delegitimation rejects the normal cycle of alternating party power

Evidence

From the conspiracist standpoint, a victory for Democrats is not just a loss for Trump Republicans; it is the result of nefarious dealings, and it is dangerous. As a result, conspiracists cannot accept, as partisans must, that defeat is temporary. For them, there is no question of a cycle of elections bringing parties to power alternately or of parties sharing power. Rather, the opposition must be disabled from effectively occupying office. It must be rendered impotent. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 208

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the defining feature of democratic partisanship (accepting temporary defeat) contrasted against conspiracism’s refusal of electoral cycles. — connects to: Prior polarization and weakened parties preconditioned conspiracism’s delegitimating effects — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 104; Framing parties as conspiracies constitutes an attack on democracy itself — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 191; Those who reject pluralism find even open party rivalry anathema — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 198 (+3 more)