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Originally Posted by roachboy
what's amazing to me is that there is no particular legitimation problem that has followed from this for the system as a whole.
my cynical conclusion is that the bush administration has demonstrated that impunity will get you far in america, that almost nothing can happen that will create any real problems for the state itself, that legitimation is not an issue---these are indicators of the soft authoritarian system we live under, while we wander about imagining ourselves to be politically free.
compare even on the issue of fuel prices the total passive inaction in the states as over against what is happening in spain, france, south korea.
which system is more free?
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Korea.
During NixOn's reign, we had crises with the Pentagon Papers and Watergate. These were genuine legitimation crises, which were resolved within the framework of the state. Compare this to the Iraq situation.
I think the differences come from the Clinton-Lewinsky-Starr farce. (I don't care if he lied, it was still a fucking farce.) This has created a legitimation problem for legitimation problems -- as it was probably intended to. Another difference would be the absence of alternative models of legitimation. Back in the '70s, there was discussion of more or less radical alternatives to the status quo. The system were under pressure to resolve the NixOn Problem within the parameters of the U.S. politi al system. There's the succession of Alfred E. Neuman prezidents to blame as well. but i have to get back to work.