Presidential conspiracism functions as willful arbitrary rule

Evidence

In the eighteenth century, Paine’s Common Sense was a rallying cry and a resource in the fight against the willfulness and arbitrariness of a king who had his own view of political reality and who imposed it on the colonies. Today, common sense is a resource for fighting the new conspiracists, who also claim to own reality. When conspiracism takes hold in a president who has the scope of power captured by the phrase “the imperial presidency,” we are right to see presidential conspiracism as willful, arbitrary rule. We are right to invoke Paine and counterpose common sense to conspiracism. Paine’s confidence in common sense made American independence possible. Common sense is necessary to protect democracy today. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 312

Categorization

• ADDENDUM: Continues this chapter’s direct polemical frame; relevant to assessing conspiracism’s threat to democratic legitimacy.
• XREF: connects to: Presidential recognition power makes conspiracism uniquely divisive at the top — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 145; Trump brought conspiratorial claims into the White House presidency itself — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 157; A president’s conspiracism coerces officials into accommodation and distorts governance — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying: The New…, 170 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Conspiracism functions as a political explanation of hidden power #expands (0.80) — Michael Barkun, A Culture of Conspiracy, 1077