Liberals are the only ones trying to constantly legitimize institutions. They are institutionalists at the their core which is why reform rather than abolition (revolution?) is the only path they want to take. I feel like for Americans, it tends to go that that liberal institutions are established by liberals then the pendulum swings the other way and they are de-legitimized by right wingers. They later lose power to liberals who attempt to re-legitimize those same but weaker institutions. Nothing really changes because nothing is supposed to change.