The most important factor that typifies a functioning Democracy is the peaceful transfer of power after elections. The fact that both sides agree on the legitimacy of the process and the verdict of that process is crucial. The concession speech and the congratulatory phone-call are not just political niceties. They are an essential part of the Democratic tradition, particularly in the United States. They legitimize the new Presidents authority and stress the validity of the process and the institutions of the state.

Throughout the history of the Republic both sides have agreed on the electoral process and the necessity of accepting its outcome. George Washington labored for years to try and orchestrate a peaceful transition of power from the first to the second President. He knew very well that his example would set the precedent for the future of the country, and he worried that the politically divided infant Republic would tear itself apart as soon as his universally-respected hand was off the tiller. But when the moment of truth came, John Adams was fairly in and Washington was safely retired. Then Jefferson, Madison, Munroe and so on.

Every President since then has preserved this sacred tradition. It has been what separated the United States from other presidential democracies that rapidly descended into dictatorship. Even in moments of maximum danger for the Republic, the Civil War, the World Wars and the Great Depression this tradition was preserved.

 

The work and discretion of great men over centuries is now being casually slandered by a man unfit to host a reality TV show, let alone fill the chief magistracy. I’m not suggesting there are not problems with the system. I’m not defending the status quo as flawless and unimprovable. But Trumps position is dangerous for two reasons.

Firstly, because it deprives his opponent of legitimacy in victory. And that is the source of power. We all obey the government because we perceive its power and authority to be legitimately constituted and thus its laws also valid. Saying that someone stole the election is tantamount to saying they are not really President. That they can’t really send American soldiers into battle, sign treaties, promulgate executive orders and so on. It strikes at the very hart of the stability and functioning of the Republic.

Secondly, if the opinion that the system is rigged is allowed to metastasize within the electorate then it reduces the credibility and standing of the democratic process itself. And that is where you start getting into real trouble. Because once people stop believing that votes and outcomes are connected the incentives to participate collapse.

The fact that we are here is frankly sickening. This is a fundamental characteristic of the American system. It should be axiomatic. It should be, as it has been before, taken for granted as part of a general patriotic commitment to the values and traditions of the nation. That it should have to be explained at this late hour is a sign that there is something growing in America that does not belong on the vine. And we will hear more of it. Because while we may be done with Trump in less than a months time, he is not the disease. He is merely the rash it has broken out in.