The main point Ari made...or tried to make...to all the piling on reporters...was that it's a misnomer to call it "a shadow government". It's a contingency plan to keep the government going in the event of an emergency, and Ari's point was everyone in Washington knows there has been a contingency plan in place since the Cold War.
Ari would not go into details about who it involves, but one example he gave, was someone to make sure people kept receiving their social security checks.
Seems to me the Washington Post came up with the sexy sounding "Shadow Government" term to describe "the Contingency Plan". Democrats figured to use this to their political advantage, and the media is playing it to the hilt.
They borrowed it from the Christic Institute--as did a large number of tinfoil-wearing FReepers, oddly enough.
Everytime Helen Thomas opens her mouth, I want to throw something at the TV. Her contempt for Ari and this Administration is the worst I have seen from the WH Press Corps and they are all pretty bad to begin with!
They never listen to what Ari is saying and instead they act arrogant and pomposs when interviewing Ari. These press conferences should be shown in prime time so the American people can see the number of rude people that inhabit the White House Press Corps offices.