In order for a concept to be meaningful, it has to have things that fall within and outside of it. If the normal functioning of the government is rent seeking,

In order for a concept to be meaningful, it has to have things that fall within and outside of it. If the normal functioning of the government is rent seeking, then everything is rent seeking. If everything is rent seeking, then the term doesn't distinguish anything in reality from anything else. You can't have a discussion about rent seeking without the context that there is such a thing as legitimate government that functions in such a way as to provide public goods.