Donald trump and the republicans continue to float the idea ( or propaganda) that there is a "deep state". What is the deep state? Its the intelligence agencies and the FBI for starters. Its the court system and officials who work behind the scenes who are undermining the United States. Coincidentally, These are the same institutions and people who have provided road blocks to trump's radical agenda. From immigration to the investigation of the Russian hacking into our elections, these agencies are stalwarts to the rule of law and democracy. But that does not stop trump and some republicans in congress from attacking them in a manner never seen previously. In particular because the Justice Dept and FBI have focused their investigatory powers on the Russians interference in our election, trump has gone to war with them with as much vigor as most of us would like to see in protecting this country from the next cyber attack from Russia.

So if for the sake of argument, there is a deep state, and to be clear all agencies and institutions in our government can make mistakes in judgement or fail to follow protocol every time, then there must be an accounting for the governing powers that are at the surface that we as citizens see how they perform every day. Fittingly, they should be called the shallow state for one does not have to look very deeply to find how their performance as it measures to what is best for the country.

in that context the "shallow state made up of this president and a one party rule in government, the republicans are by any measure a failure in the first 14 months of trump's presidency.
When we use the word failure this is not just a commentary on their policies or which side of an issue they happen to fall on, it is much more serious then that. Its quite obvious it would be very difficult to find any issue or policy position we could agreement on. From women's right to choose to climate change to common sense gun safety legislation, to a host of others their positions have been staked out for quite some time, as has the opposing side.. And in this hyper partisan political atmosphere we live in the chances of both sides coming together are negligible. Nevertheless it is the basic principles of respecting our democracy, protecting our nation from foreign attack and following the rule of law is where failure is maybe the understatement of the year when it comes to describing trump and the republicans actions or lack thereof.

The shallow states  failures begins with trump calling putin to congratulate him on winning a fixed election in an autocratic ruled country. It continues with republican lawmakers refusing to draw the ultimate red line and pass legislation that firing of Mueller by this president would be illegal. And it ends each day with the discoveries of more links between the trump campaign and a company who mined data of 50 million people on face book to disseminate large amounts of propaganda better known from the behavior of the Russian politburo then from an American candidate running for president. The 2016 election was not only not conducted on a level playing field, it was material more from a fictional spy thriller waiting to be made into a feature movie. Sadly the story is all too true and the consequences so very real.

in 2018 we will find out if we are in the last chapter of what looks to be the most illegitimate election in our history and whether the patriotic steps will be taken to follow the rule of law and remove this president from office if the evidence warrants. Or are we in the first chapter of a very different America that allows its democracy to wither and die by being so partisan and relinquish our patriotism to a president who sees himself as the sun that all around must orbit and a Republican party who are one of those satellites that are orbiting.

It is the wretchedness of the " Shallow State" that currently pulls the levers of power that should have all of us looking for shelter from the oncoming storm.