It started as conspiracy theory (there’s hidden folk running our country) and became a political mantra (the Democrats are a hidden Deep State, especially if their name is Clinton or Biden, or they ever shook those Democrats hands).

Let’s be honest, while bureaucracy certainly sometimes gets in the way of things here in the US, the "state", regardless of what it's depth might be, wasn’t exactly a Kafkaesque problem. Moreover, for decades the near constant flip flop of which party was in charge had impacts on just how entrenched regulations and enforcers of any state might be.

At least until the current administration, who is both highly conspiratorial as well as believing everything other than what they do is the conspiracy (plot twist: they are the conspiracy). I would have thought it difficult to pull off a conspiracy-to-dislodge-nonexistent-conspiracies strategy but lo and behold, the wanna be King has managed to do just that.

The methodology: fire, dismiss, close, and defund everyone and everything, then replace those with incompetent fools and incoherent and inconsistent policies.

Let me back up for a moment (can you hear the beeping?).

The (near) textbook definition of Deep State is "a term used to describe unauthorized secret networks of power operating within a government but independent of its political leadership."

Four key words show up in the definition: unauthorized, secret, power, and independent. Most Deep State believers seem to think that you can see these in four ways in Trump-Washington DC: intelligence agencies (the secret part), a military-industrial complex (the power part), lobbying groups (the unauthorized part), and think tanks (the independent part).

You can't argue that those four things don't exist. They do. But you can give them magical powers they don't actually have by waving your conspiracy wand on Fox News. Moreover, you shouldn't ignore the fact that all four of these tend to be dominated by conservative leadership. And thus a Deep State is born. An immaculate conception if you ask me.

So let's evaluate what's happening today to get rid of the Deep State:

• Fire everyone in the FBI, hire jackbooters for ICE, DEA, et.al. Investigate and attempt to lock up everyone for everything.
• Change the military into the War Department and give it an expanded budget. Be sure to give contracts to your relatives and friends.
• Just hire the lobbyists and think tankers you like best to run your administration.

What that produces is what I call the Shallow State. It's not secret, as it's been done in plain sight. It's not unauthorized because 44% of registered voters put the King of the Shallow State in power. And it's not independent because its run of King Donald, by King Donald, and for King Donald.

I’ll say this: this new Shallow State does exist, and it’s so shallow anyone looking towards Trump-Washington DC should be able to see it.

Emphasis on should. Because as it turns out, the believers in conspiracy (Deep State) don’t believe in conspiracy (Shallow State).