In 2016, Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton, shocking the world. Conservatives rejoiced, believing we had taken back the reins of the country. But we missed the bigger battle. We failed to recognize the extent of the damage caused by eight years of Barack Obama's administration and decades of progressive entrenchment. Real wars are not won at the ballot box. It is being waged against an insidious force embedded deep within our institutions: the administrative state, or “deep state.”
This is not a new problem. America's founders foresaw it, but the term “deep state” did not exist in the 1700s. James Madison warned in Federalist 48 that combining legislative, executive, and judicial powers into the same hands is “the very definition of tyranny.” But that's exactly where we find ourselves today. Unelected bureaucrats in agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, and Department of Justice have more power than our elected officials. They seize government power, dictate policy, and stifle change with impunity.
This is a battle for the soul of our country. The nation's founding vision of a constitutional republic is under siege.
We have felt the effects of this growing tyranny firsthand. During the coronavirus outbreak, so-called experts have taken control of our lives and crushed civil liberties under the guise of public safety. Our intelligence and judicial systems have been turned into weapons of political warfare targeting the sitting president and his supporters. Meanwhile, actual criminals were given permits, turning American cities into lawless war zones.
Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1816 that “the officers of every government are apt to manipulate the liberties and property of their constituents to their will.” Today we see Jefferson's prophecy fulfilled. The deep state wields unlimited power over our freedoms, and information itself is controlled by the fourth branch of government, the legacy media.
Even if we win the election, the deep state will not admit defeat. Switch to survival mode. President Trump's first term proved this. Despite its historic mission to dismantle the bureaucracy, the deep state fought back using all means possible: leaks, investigations, court decisions, and obstruction at every turn. And now, with Trump potentially returning to office, the deep state is preparing to do it again.
Progressives have made their plan of attack clear, and they are not hiding it.
U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickell (D.N.C.) recently boasted: About forming a “Shadow Cabinet” to rule alongside the deep state, regardless of who is in the White House. Mr. Nickell called this “democracy's insurance.” To be clear, this is not insurance. That is sabotage.
They will employ a “top-down, bottom-up, inside-out” strategy that will overwhelm and collapse any efforts to reform the system. From the top, federal judges and shadow officials will block President Trump's every move. Governors in blue states such as California and New York are preparing to push back against federal authorities. During President Trump's first term, California filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration. Expect more of the same from January 20th.
At its core, progressive groups like the American Civil Liberties Union will flood the streets with demonstrators, just as they opposed the Trump administration's first phase of immigration reform. They have refined their tactics since 2016 and are poised to unleash a wave of social unrest. These are not voluntary movements. They are organized attacks aimed at destabilizing the regime.
Finally, from within, the deep state continues its mission of self-preservation. Government agencies will drag their feet, leak sensitive information, and undermine policy from within. Their goal is to make everything a chaotic mess, so the core of their power, the bureaucracy, remains untouched and becomes more powerful.
We cannot repeat the same mistake we made in 2016: celebrating victories while the deep state plots its next move. Progressives never think they are losing. When they lose power, they simply change tactics and pump even more blood into their bureaucratic hearts. We may win the election, but the battle against the deep state will only intensify. As George Washington warned in his Farewell Address, “Government is not reason, not eloquence, but power. And power, like fire, is a dangerous servant and a terrible master.”
This is a battle for the soul of our country. The nation's founding vision of a constitutional republic is under siege. The Deep State has shown us its plan to bypass the will of the people and rule from the shadows. But now that the shadow is revealed, we have a choice. Will we accept this tyranny of silence, or will we demand accountability and reclaim the heart of the nation?
The battle has only just begun. I can't afford to lose.
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