Delegitimation turns mistrusted opponents into public enemies, unlike ordinary mistrust.

Evidence

Even diffuse and widespread mistrust, which is a sign of anxiety about democracy, stops short of the judgment that government institutions and democratic politics have neither meaning nor value and are not authoritative. That is the difference. Where mistrust is a necessary element of democratic accountability and widespread mistrust is a sign of democratic failing, delegitimation is an active assault on democracy. Delegitimation exists when a political opposition that is mistrusted comes to be seen as a public enemy, for example. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 86

Categorization

• DEFINE: The mistrust-versus-delegitimation boundary is the chapter’s load-bearing conceptual distinction.
• XREF: connects to: Mistrust is democratic, delegitimation assaults democracy — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 86; Characterizing opponents as criminal enemies is a step toward regime delegitimation — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 210; Delegitimation strips institutions of standing to persuade or govern — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 26 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Mistrust is democratic, delegitimation assaults democracy #qualifies (0.85) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 86
• Delegitimation strips institutions of standing to persuade or govern #expands (0.85) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 26
• Characterizing opponents as criminal enemies is a step toward regime delegitimation #expands (0.82) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 210
• Claims of routine unconstitutional overreach convert normal contestation into delegitimation. #exemplifies (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 205
• Conspiracism’s purpose is delegitimizing opponents, not correcting error #corroborates (0.80) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 16