it’s true a “deep state” means the ship of state turns slowly, acts as a kind of low-pass filter on the effect of political decision making and remaking, and therefore in a certain sense “restrains democracy”. 1/

but it also helps immunize the polity from the consequences of political noise, short-lived passions, momentary errors, accidentally electing a mad king. 2/

genuine democracies don’t naively presume that popular passions are always perfect. they build institutions that give effect to values and interests durably expressed by the public, but frustrate controversial sharp turns unless they persist and recruit broad consensus. 3/

with apologies to Mencken, democracy is not when the people get what they want good and hard, but when government is responsive to the people but able to distinguish signal from noise, without any king or higher authority arrogating the role of deciding what’s signal. 4/

it’s the institution. /fin