The American Mandate

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece on what the purpose of a political commentator is. That article ( which you can find here) lays out how a pundit can gather power and affect the actions of influential men. This is an important topic for me, as I am a pundit and want to be honest about what I’m doing and why. In the days since I finished that post, I’ve thought more about the topic and how dissidents are to act. The primary role of the dissident, especially the dissident pundit, writer, or podcaster, is to attack the moral unity of the regime.

Despite common misconceptions, Elite theorists understand the value of public perception. Elites are subject to certain constraints. However, this does not take the form of popular sovereignty in the “ Vox Populi Vox Dei” sense, but that of consensus.

Gaetano Mosca wrote about what he called ‘political formulas.’ A political formula is the narrative or memetic justification for power. In America, we have two, although one is rapidly replacing the other. The first political formula is that of the republic. It goes something like this: “ America is the freest most prosperous nation in the world. We (the ruling class) provide you freedom and prosperity which is why we are in charge.” The newer formula, that of Nuremberg and the Civil Rights Act, is related but with a crucially different emphasis. That political formula can be stated as: “ We ( the elites) saved you from the evil and racist past. At present, we provide you with special status and protection. This is why we rule.” Each of these stories are justification for why the rulers have dominion over the masses.

A functioning political establishes the elite as legitimate. This legitimacy in turn fosters moral unity between the elite and the population. Moral unity is what promotes the ruled to ‘buy-in’ to this system. Mosca, and Machiavelli for that matter, wrote about how this moral unity engenders loyalty and devotion to the regime. Men are more likely to kill and die for a leader they see as legitimate. For example, simply look at our history. Lee was loved by his men, and so was able to inspire them to great action. However, if leaders lose legitimacy they lose the ability to command loyalty.

This is related to the Eastern concept of ‘The Mandate of Heaven.’ According to this idea, virtuous rulers are blessed by heaven with legitimacy and power. However, if an unworthy man takes the throne heaven withdraws its mandate and the ruler loses legitimacy. This is the same idea as the pollical formula but expressed differently. Rulers must be able to justify their control over the masses in a way that satisfies their subjects.

Legitimacy is important because all regimes rely on soft power to enforce order. Any ruler, no matter how tyrannical, would be unable to enforce their will on an opposed population. There are simply not enough resources to enforce compliance directly. Instead, all governments lean on legitimacy to set the baseline for civic morality and correct behavior. Look at out own empire’s inability to ruler over Afghanistan. Even though they command the mightiest army the world has ever seen, the GAE could not bend the population to their will. They were not seen as legitimate by the natives.

When a ruling elite loses moral unity with its populace ( and by extension legitimacy) it will soon lose power. We see this in the way the USSR fell apart during the Chornobyl Disaster. This accident shattered the political formula of the ruling elite. Once the narrative was shattered, the regime could no longer command loyalty and began to decline rapidly. Less than 3 years later, the wall fell and the USSR was finished. The system was terminal once it lost the mandate of heaven.

I view our role is to act as our regime's Chornobyl. As a dissident, I oppose the regime wholeheartedly and wish to see them driven from power. The way to accomplish this is to attack their legitimacy and moral unity.