[Baynative]

“Which human failings will manifest themselves most readily in the administrative machine? Lust for power, automatism, and mental rigidity -- all these breed suspicion and intrigue. Being a high civil servant subjects man to a dangerous temptation, simply because he is a part of the ruling apparatus. He finds himself caught in the strategy complex. The magic of becoming an executive and a strategist provokes long-repressed feelings of omnipotence. A strategist feels like a chess player. He wants to manipulate the world by remote control. Now he can keep others waiting, as he was forced to wait himself in his salad days, and thus he can feel himself superior. He can entrench himself behind his official regulations and responsibilities.

[buckalfa]

The collective behavior of institutions derive from the illusions and drive for self preservation of its individuals. I am sure asshats like Comey are secure in their delusional belief of the righteousness of their actions. They destroy the Republic by fantasizing they are saving the Republic. That is why government must be made small and the citizenry armed.

[AndyJackson]

The deep state got two real infusions that got it going. First was Clinton - Gore who brought us the new media, the spin cycle, talking points and all that. Then they brought us reinventing America which was about privatizing government. This had nothing to do with bringing competitive efficiencies to government operations, but rather allowing more, especially left supporting, contractors to dip their beaks into the public fisc.

What really got the whole mess going though was Bush/Cheney, the neocons, 9/11, DHS and the Iraq invasion, all of which grew the DC Beltway contracting business into the behemoth we see today. Remember these guys don't do anything. They don't build airplanes, tanks, ships or anything. They do paper studies.

To buy the support of the left for the Iraq invasion Bush / Cheney let the left have whatever they wanted, so long as they had a free hand in Iraq - doubling down on the strategic blunder of the Age.

And don't think that Cheney and his friends didn't make out like bandits from Iraq. Our modern Army goes nowhere without contractors to provide housing, logistics, technical expertise, etc.

Yeehaaa! Round 'em up and rope 'em in baby. The taxpayers never knew what hit them. So I have no use for progressives. But Bush/Cheney - the spit in my mouth from those two dissolves concrete.

[wastoute]

What are they gonna do when the dogs quit eating it?

[mo]

it really ain’t all that complicated.

Exempt yourself from the tax and regulatory burdens Fed.gov has imposed upon all the peasants and peons ...and VOILA!!

Anyone can be “Deep State”

the consequent financial leverage, if wisely invested in the legislative and judiciary branches and key bureaucratic slots, will prevent anyone form catching up to you.

eventually all will see these creatures pay little or no real tax at all whatsoever...nor are subject to the same law the rest of us are

[gattaca]

Federal govt unions are a good example. They don’t want a smaller govt. They need a bloated govt.

[Cen-Tejas]

As a developer, I’ve been dealing with a kind of “local deep state” for 40 years. It’s nice to SEE that the General Pubic is inch by inch becoming AWARE.

[Savage Beast]

"a peculiar, silent form of battle goes on in all of the countries of the world -- under every form of government -- a battle between the common man and the government apparatus he himself has created."

This is an extremely serious problem, as many of us have long recognized but many have not.

Part of the problem is a human tendency to view government as a benevolent guardian institution rather than a group of people who are as self-serving and as subject to corruption as anyone else.

There is therefore a tendency to trust government and government officials, especially in a democracy or republic where the governed are under the illusion that they are in control of those who govern them, not realizing that their self-serving governors have ample opportunity to exploit them, and considering human frailty, inevitably will.

In fact, those attracted to the power of government are less likely than the average person to be trustworthy and more likely to be corruptible.

The popular imagination has long considered a politician to be the archetype of the corrupt self-serving predator; however only the most discerning and ruthlessly honest recognize the magnitude of the problem.

[LS]

“He can entrench himself behind his official regulations and responsibilities.”

Interesting. Was watching “Operation Finale” last night about the capture of Adolf Eichmann and his numerous defenses for what he did. This was high among them. He was just “defending his country” and “following orders.”

[Shane]

“Without a doubt, the Deep State must be confronted and defeated for the health of our nation. But how?”

That’s the real question. How about we try to come up with some implementable suggestions rather than the pontifications read here.

[Tijeras_Slim]

bflr

[Savage Beast]

"Being a high civil servant subjects man to a dangerous temptation" "The magic of becoming an executive and a strategist provokes long-repressed feelings of omnipotence." "Now he can keep others waiting, as he was forced to wait himself"

The corrupting influence of power is hard to resist. The temptation is great. Acquiescence to it can be insidious.

The acquiescence to tyranny can also be insidious. This is what has happened in the USA. The American People have long considered themselves the masters of their own government. Today, more and more of the People have awakened to the realization that a cabal of power-hungry government employees has seized control of the US government and has subjugated the American People.

Whether or not enough of the American People will awaken to this realization in time to prevent an irreversible take-over of the US government by this cabal remains to be seen.

This cabal almost succeeded in staging a coup d'état in November 2016 and consolidating its power. It was thwarted by the election of President Trump, but it has by no means abandoned its ambitions.

This is what America's great current social divide is all about. (See tagline.)

This is also why the cabal and its supporters hate President Trump with such viciousness. He prevented their coup d'état.

Many of their supporters are well-meaning Americans who have not awakened to the realization that tyranny is upon us.

Donald Trump is a brilliant, highly puissant man, who recognized this cabal for what it is--though he underestimated its power and entrenchment--and was compelled, by his love for the USA and the American Dream, to thwart its plans for seizing absolute power over the USA permanently. As an outsider, a man of independent wealth, who had already satisfied his ambitions, he was not tempted by the power of government. Instead, he recognized the corruption of the cabal and its acquiescence to the temptation of power; he also recognized the danger the cabal poses to America.

Who will win this Manichaean struggle remains to be seen.

Will it be the forces of good and benevolence? Or will the cabal succeed in seizing permanent control of the USA and subjugating the American People?

We will know before long.

[1Old Pro]

The deep state is just another word for the go along to get along uniparty. What threatens the deep state on the Right is Trump and from the Left the activist radical progressives. The Deep state is establishment folks who enrich themselves by keeping the status quo in force - but people are sick of the do nothing elected officials from both sides and the deep state is under attack and fighting back.

[griffin]

Awesome article and commentary!

[DeweyCA]

FTA: "Now we see how the Deep State became so deeply entrenched in our government and why its members will fight against any threat to it. The members of the Deep State are fighting for not only their jobs and their power, but their very sense of being. What meaning do they have in life if they were shown that they are in fact dispensable, that they can be replaced or their positions or departments can be eliminated? In the end, their egos depend upon the maintenance and growth of personal power and prestige.

Understanding that the fight is not just about power and money, but self-identity and ego, goes a long way to seeing how ugly the battle between the American people and the Deep State over the government will become -- and how the battle has actually been raging for years."

.

People, especially those who are unwilling to submit their egos to a sovereign God, must create their own meaning and significance in life. They must strut around pretending to be something that they are not. And if they were logical, then, according to their secular worldview, they would have to face the reality that all of their efforts will, in the end, amount to nothing, as the universe eventually attains a cold death. As Shakespeare, wrote in MacBeth: "This life, which had been the tomb of his virtue and of his honour, is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

This article fits in well with "The Ruling Class" by Angelo Codevilla.

[GOPJ]

The reason the deep state's powerful AND incompetent is because DC is run by the incompetent children and grandchildren of people who got to DC based on merit.

When a loser son or daughter gets a position they don't deserve and couldn't earn - the first thing they do is attempt to secure the job - create ‘insurance policies’ to safeguard their sinecure.

It's why 90% of DC is concerned with covering their asses and having 'insurance policies'...

[Rocky]

Bookmark

[Farcesensitive]

We need to bring back the spoils system.

[DiogenesLamp]

he Deep State: How it Came to Be and Why it Fights so Hard

Hard to say when it began exactly, but a good choice of starting point would be the corruption introduced by the President from Illinois.

Corruption, influence, favor trading, and other forms of underhanded behavior were rampant during and after the Lincoln administration.

Lincoln set the example by using his office to do favors for people he wanted something from. He promised Seward (His number 1 primary opponent) a Job as his Secretary of State to help him secure the election. Lincoln handed out jobs and appointments as favors for anyone who would do something for him in exchange. He got the 13th amendment passed with bribes and threats as needed.

Lincoln conducted business the "Chicago Way." He was a lot like that other race obsessed liberal lawyer from Illinois who became President.

The US government became highly corrupt during and after Lincoln came to town, and it has exhibited the same sort of corruption ever since.

[dirtboy]

The Deep Staters usurped all kinds of powers, and with those powers it is extremely difficult to pull them back.

[a fool in paradise]

Communists and Globalists have been there since at least the 1930s (and HCUUA predates that).

FDR’s administration was filthy with Communists and Fascists.

McCarthy was called out for questioning the patriotism of Communists in the State Department and US Army. Now we’ve seen Communists at the top of the CIA and FBI and White House all during the same administration.

We are fucked.