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> You may not agree with the current administration, but they won the popular vote A republican candidate narrowly won the popular vote for the first time in 2

> You may not agree with the current administration, but they won the popular vote A republican candidate narrowly won the popular vote for the first time in 20 years, a metric that has no value in our system of government. And somehow you think this factoid puts the current administration in a position where they dare not be defied? Give me a fucking break.

gruez 2y ago
>A republican candidate narrowly won the popular vote for the first time in 20 years, a metric that has no value in our system of government. I can't tell whether you're trying to make a nitpicky point about how the president is elected, or you're trying to claim the concept of political legitimacy doesn't exist.
- krapp 2y ago
  I think they're claiming that the popular vote has no real relationship to political legitimacy in the US, which is true, because the electoral college/FPTP system is explicitly designed to render the popular vote essentially meaningless through layers of abstraction and gatekeeping. It's only really useful for propaganda, and not even that useful - Republicans claimed a sweeping mandate from the masses even in 2016 when millions more people voted for Hillary Clinton.
- ceejayoz 2y ago
  Political legitimacy exists. Overstating one’s narrow win as a giant mandate does too.
  - gruez 2y ago
    >Overstating one’s narrow win as a giant mandate does too. The "giant" part is inserted entirely by you. The point is that he's elected president, and the usual excuse about the popular vote doesn't apply.
    - ceejayoz 2y ago
      No, it isn’t inserted by me. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/16/g-s1-38003/trump-mandate-presidents https://www.npr.org/2024/12/16/g-s1-38003/trump-mandate-pres... > "America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," he said. Which given the maps at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_United_States_presidential_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_United_States_presidentia... and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_United_States_presidential_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_United_States_presidentia... is just a dumb claim.
- standardUser 2y ago
  Political legitimacy isn't static, but it is primarily demarcated by hard numbers in our system. And going by the hard numbers - the ones actually referenced in binding documents - the Republican Party currently has one of the weakest grasps on power of any ruling party in our country's modern history. A rational administration would appreciate that fact and govern accordingly.

gruez 2y ago

>A republican candidate narrowly won the popular vote for the first time in 20 years, a metric that has no value in our system of government. I can't tell whether you're trying to make a nitpicky point about how the president is elected, or you're trying to claim the concept of political legitimacy doesn't exist.

krapp 2y ago
I think they're claiming that the popular vote has no real relationship to political legitimacy in the US, which is true, because the electoral college/FPTP system is explicitly designed to render the popular vote essentially meaningless through layers of abstraction and gatekeeping. It's only really useful for propaganda, and not even that useful - Republicans claimed a sweeping mandate from the masses even in 2016 when millions more people voted for Hillary Clinton.
ceejayoz 2y ago
Political legitimacy exists. Overstating one’s narrow win as a giant mandate does too.
- gruez 2y ago
  >Overstating one’s narrow win as a giant mandate does too. The "giant" part is inserted entirely by you. The point is that he's elected president, and the usual excuse about the popular vote doesn't apply.
  - ceejayoz 2y ago
    No, it isn’t inserted by me. https://www.npr.org/2024/12/16/g-s1-38003/trump-mandate-presidents https://www.npr.org/2024/12/16/g-s1-38003/trump-mandate-pres... > "America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate," he said. Which given the maps at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_United_States_presidential_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_United_States_presidentia... and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_United_States_presidential_election https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_United_States_presidentia... is just a dumb claim.
standardUser 2y ago
Political legitimacy isn't static, but it is primarily demarcated by hard numbers in our system. And going by the hard numbers - the ones actually referenced in binding documents - the Republican Party currently has one of the weakest grasps on power of any ruling party in our country's modern history. A rational administration would appreciate that fact and govern accordingly.