Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The Deep State is the State

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Saturday, May 27, 2017

The Deep State is the State

Click here to access article by Ron Jacobs from CounterPunch.

I think that Jacobs offers a useful analysis of the current struggle between the Deep State and Trump. Many bloggers are confusing the Deep State, or the active politicos of the ruling capitalist class, with their secret, unaccountable surveillance and subversion agencies like the CIA, FBI, and all the rest (I believe there are 16 such agencies). Most of the time Jacobs separates the two, but in the following sentence he lapses into confusing the two.

If Trump is able to get the agencies of the deep state to work for the factions he represents—either by replacing those loyal to others not named Trump or by cajoling and coercing them to change their loyalty—he will think the deep state is a great thing.

Trump will never take over the secret agencies of the Deep State because they have been organized to serve the ruling capitalist class which has become a very powerful transnational ruling class that is in control of the US Empire. Although a billionaire real estate mogul, he is small potatoes compared to the ruling transnational operatives. He will of necessity keep bending to the latter's will or he will be ousted one way or another.