[gspetr]

> Who even is the deep state any more?

The same thing it's always been: The military-industrial complex.

> MAGA was sure it was backroom democrats.

It's not that hard to distinguish "them", just look at how fast the mainstream media threw Biden under the bus over Afghanistan withdrawal.

1)POTUS orders the withdrawal.

2)Generals botch the withdrawal on purpose.

3)Mainstream media (left and right) eviscerates the POTUS. This sends a strong message to this POTUS, as well as any subsequent Presidents: "Don't mess with the profits of the complex or else."

This was the tipping point for me when I realized that the deep state is not a just a bogeyman conjured up by the right wingers. Should you cross the complex, it will just as easily come for you even if you're a Democrat that's been in politics for 50 years.

Finally, the Atlantic is as establishment as it gets. No matter which party is in power, their editorial board serves the ruling class, of which almost nobody on HN is a part of.

Whether their interests align with yours or not you can ascertain just by looking at approval ratings of the US Congress.

[thisisit]

It was Trump who made that deal to withdraw from Afghanistan by May 2021. Biden as POTUS followed through with some delays.

So, what was this about not being a bogeyman being conjured by right again?