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Rubber stamp (politics)

 

 
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Rubber stamp (politics)
 
 
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A rubber stamp, as a political metaphor
List of political metaphors

This is a list of common political metaphors. ...
, refers to a person or institution with de jure
De jure

De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".The terms de jure and de facto are used instead of "in principle" and "in practice", respectively, when one is describing politics or legal situations....
 considerable formal power but little de facto
De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning the fact" or in practice but not necessarily ordained by law. It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or technique that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or contrary to a regulation....
 power, one that rarely disagrees with more powerful organs. For example, in a dictatorship
Dictatorship

A dictatorship is usually defined as an Autocracy form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator, without hereditary ascension....
, the legislature
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
 may be little more than a "rubber stamp" of approval on the dictator's decrees
Rule by decree

Rule by decree is a style of governance allowing quick, unchallenged creation of law by a single person or group, and is used primarily by dictators and absolute monarchs, although philosophers such as Giorgio Agamben have argued that it has been generalized since World War I in all modern states, including representative democracies....
. Conversely, in a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of constitutional government, where in either an elected or hereditary monarch is the head of state, unlike in an absolute monarchy, wherein the king or the queen is the sole source of political power, as he or she is not legally bound by the constitution....
, the monarch is typically a "rubber stamp" to an elected parliament, even if he or she legally possesses considerable reserve powers and/or disagrees with the parliament's decisions.

The term itself likely stems from the commonplace practice of subordinate employees or officials being deputized and given the authority to sign the name of their superior or employer.






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A rubber stamp, as a political metaphor
List of political metaphors

This is a list of common political metaphors. ...
, refers to a person or institution with de jure
De jure

De jure is an expression that means "concerning law", as contrasted with de facto, which means "concerning fact".The terms de jure and de facto are used instead of "in principle" and "in practice", respectively, when one is describing politics or legal situations....
 considerable formal power but little de facto
De facto

De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning the fact" or in practice but not necessarily ordained by law. It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or technique that are found in the common experience as created or developed without or contrary to a regulation....
 power, one that rarely disagrees with more powerful organs. For example, in a dictatorship
Dictatorship

A dictatorship is usually defined as an Autocracy form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator, without hereditary ascension....
, the legislature
Legislature

Legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to create and change laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law....
 may be little more than a "rubber stamp" of approval on the dictator's decrees
Rule by decree

Rule by decree is a style of governance allowing quick, unchallenged creation of law by a single person or group, and is used primarily by dictators and absolute monarchs, although philosophers such as Giorgio Agamben have argued that it has been generalized since World War I in all modern states, including representative democracies....
. Conversely, in a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of constitutional government, where in either an elected or hereditary monarch is the head of state, unlike in an absolute monarchy, wherein the king or the queen is the sole source of political power, as he or she is not legally bound by the constitution....
, the monarch is typically a "rubber stamp" to an elected parliament, even if he or she legally possesses considerable reserve powers and/or disagrees with the parliament's decisions.

The term itself likely stems from the commonplace practice of subordinate employees or officials being deputized and given the authority to sign the name of their superior or employer. In situations where this superior official's signature may frequently be required for routine paperwork, a literal rubber stamp
Rubber stamp

Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to an or pattern that has been carving, molded, laser engraved or Vulcanization, onto a sheet of rubber....
 is used, with a likeness of their hand-written signature. This could also be utilized personally by the individual named on the stamp, to prevent hand fatigue and save time when a large number of documents need to be signed. In essence, the term is meant to convey an endorsement without careful thought or personal investment in the outcome, especially since it is usually expected as the stamper's duty to do so. In the situation where a dictator's
Dictator

A dictator is an authoritarian ruler who assumes sole and absolute power without hereditary ascension such as an absolute monarch. When other states call the head of state of a particular state a dictator, that state is called a dictatorship....
 legislature is a "rubber stamp," the orders they are meant to endorse are formalities they are expected to legitimize.

The metaphor can also be used as a verb, to rubber-stamp.

Among auditors and military personnel, the synonymous term "pencil whip" is common.