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> The deep state realizes that while it may not elect the president, it can shape them very quickly Instead of seeing this as some sort of covert manipulation

> The deep state realizes that while it may not elect the president, it can shape them very quickly Instead of seeing this as some sort of covert manipulation, maybe this phenomenon is a reflection of just how much people prefer the status quo. IIRC a lot of jurisprudence is based on deferring to status quo. It seems natural that a new president's administration should remind them "hey, listen, we've thought about item Q on your agenda a lot and we can't do it because of X, Y, and Z." On the other hand, I've shown up on software teams before and asked, "Hey can we try Best Practice X?" -- only to learn that "Yes, we have all thought long and hard about Best Practice X but it Just Couldn't Possibly Apply Here. Also, Dave doesn't care for it." ;)

thevardanian 9y ago
There's that but there's also just the simple trajectory, and momentum our laws, and law makers have. That is there are multiple actors in society that have self-interests, whether that be getting reelected next election cycle, or getting the shweet government contracts to run your business. The confluence of all those independent actors may act towards similar behaviors, and that produces a sort of illusion of "Deep-state ventriloquists". Think invisible hand. It's just that everyone is essentially forced to make the same kind of logical next step decisions due to environmental constraints, like economy, laws, etc.
braveo 9y ago
I'll reject a suggestion for trying "Best Practice X" about 90% of the time. If you can't come to me with a concrete problem and a concrete solution I'm not interested. Maybe that solution is "Best Practice X" and maybe it isn't, but at that point it's solving an actual problem. "Hey, can we try Best Practice X" is solving no problems.
TeMPOraL 9y ago
Also, you can't really run a state if you replace all government workers every few years. Politicians come and go, the actual work is done by those who stay in public institutions for long.

thevardanian 9y ago

There's that but there's also just the simple trajectory, and momentum our laws, and law makers have. That is there are multiple actors in society that have self-interests, whether that be getting reelected next election cycle, or getting the shweet government contracts to run your business. The confluence of all those independent actors may act towards similar behaviors, and that produces a sort of illusion of "Deep-state ventriloquists". Think invisible hand. It's just that everyone is essentially forced to make the same kind of logical next step decisions due to environmental constraints, like economy, laws, etc.

braveo 9y ago

I'll reject a suggestion for trying "Best Practice X" about 90% of the time. If you can't come to me with a concrete problem and a concrete solution I'm not interested. Maybe that solution is "Best Practice X" and maybe it isn't, but at that point it's solving an actual problem. "Hey, can we try Best Practice X" is solving no problems.

TeMPOraL 9y ago

Also, you can't really run a state if you replace all government workers every few years. Politicians come and go, the actual work is done by those who stay in public institutions for long.