How the maligned 'administrative state' preserves democracy

+ for historical parallels, look to Andrew Jackson, not Nixon US Edition - Today's top story: Undoing the 'deep state' means Trump would undo over a century of progress in building a federal government for the people and not just for rich white men [View in browser]( US Edition | 7 November 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( The election of Donald Trump and the defeat of Kamala Harris echoed around the country in different ways. Supporters of the GOP candidate everywhere rejoiced. But areas with large immigrant populations braced for turbulence in light of Trump’s promises to deport massive numbers of those immigrants. Queer populations in towns and cities across the nation were fearful of how the anti-trans rhetoric in Republican campaigns would translate into policies and actions on the ground. And the massive population of government workers in and around Washington, D.C., surely is terrified by Trump’s vow to demolish the so-called “deep state,” a less-than-enthusiastic term for the massive federal bureaucracy. “For years, conservatives have claimed that taking power from government agencies gives it back to the people. Yet while it might seem counterintuitive, [Americans actually exercise their sovereignty through the administrative state](,” writes Joseph Patrick Kelly, a historian of American democracy at the College of Charleston. Kelly examines the origin of the administrative state, the federal government’s creation under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of “a meritocracy of career civil servants dedicated to carrying out the law.” That’s the group of civilians who may well be very afraid now for their jobs. Have you ever wondered why a green light means “go” in every state, asks Kelly. “In 1935, the Bureau of Public Roads – now the Federal Highway Administration – wrote and enforced its first Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways.” “That’s the administrative state in action,” writes Kelly. Also in this week’s politics news: - [The glass ceiling in American politics remains]( - [As Denver ballot measure shows, farm-to-table is not so simple]( - [How the Electoral College came to be]( Naomi Schalit Senior Editor, Politics + Democracy Three civil rights groups filed a lawsuit in October 2020 challenging Donald Trump’s executive order that banned federal agencies from offering certain diversity training. AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File [Undoing the ‘deep state’ means Trump would undo over a century of progress in building a federal government for the people and not just for rich white men]( Joseph Patrick Kelly, College of Charleston Conservatives defend efforts to dismantle the federal bureaucracy as tactics against tyranny, but Americans exercise their sovereignty through these civil services. Donald Trump speaks to supporters early on the morning of Nov. 6, 2024. AP Photo/Evan Vucci [Trump’s comeback victory, after reshaping his party and national politics, looks a lot like Andrew Jackson’s in 1828]( Spencer Goidel, Auburn University His return follows the trail of another American president who rebounded from defeat to victory and then four years of unchecked power. Florida’s marijuana measure needed 60% of the vote to pass and got only 56%. Tina Russell for The Washington Post via Getty Images [Ballot measures to legalize recreational use of cannabis fail in Florida, North Dakota and South Dakota]( William Garriott, Drake University Two medical measures in Nebraska passed decisively but face legal challenges. [America’s glass ceiling remains − here are some of the reasons why a woman may have once again lost the presidency]( Farida Jalalzai, Virginia Tech While other countries have had female leaders in office, these women tend to have family connections or hold roles that are less powerful than that of the US president. [With Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk and Donald Trump, Republicans’ ‘strict father’ has become the creepy uncle]( Karrin Vasby Anderson, Colorado State University The 2024 campaign closes with candidate Donald Trump and allies conjuring a world of insult and degradation of an infantilized, feminized and vulnerable Democratic opponent. [How Native Americans guarded their societies against tyranny]( Kathleen DuVal, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Native American communities were elaborate consensus democracies, many of which had survived for generations because of careful attention to checking and balancing power. [Will the lights go out on Cuba’s communist leaders? With fewer options to prop up economy, their future looks dimmer]( Joseph J. Gonzalez, Appalachian State University Blackouts on the Caribbean island are shining a light on a crumbling economy that the nation’s communist leaders may struggle to emerge from. [Trump’s Detroit insults are based on old narratives local media are rewriting every day]( Danielle K. Brown, Michigan State University A professor of urban journalism explains what the national press has overlooked about Detroit’s grit and revival. [2024’s quick win for Trump will go down in the history books alongside 1964 and 1980 Election Day landslides]( Shannon Bow O'Brien, The University of Texas at Austin In US history, there have been many memorable elections – including those involving quick, decisive wins and others subjected to drawn-out legal battles. - [Why so many people voted for Trump − 5 things to understand about MAGA supporters’ thinking]( Alex Hinton, Rutgers University - Newark An anthropologist who studies polarization asked people why they supported Trump. Here’s what they said about immigration, the economy and his ‘bull in a china shop’ style. - [Iran’s currency was already tumbling − and then news of Trump’s victory broke]( Nader Habibi, Brandeis University Iran’s rial fell against the dollar just as Trump was claiming victory. The 2 events are linked, argues an expert on the Iranian economy. - [The racist ‘one-drop rule’ lives on in how Trump talks about Black politicians and whiteness in America]( Marya T. Mtshali, Harvard University Donald Trump’s attacks on Kamala Harris expose a worldview that defends whiteness as imbued with dominance over other racial groups. - [Who formally declares the winner of the US presidential election?]( Amy Dacey, American University No, it’s not the TV news networks. The American election certification process is a lot more complicated than that. - [Beefing up Border Patrol is a bipartisan goal, but the agency has a troubled history of violence and impunity]( Ragini Shah, Suffolk University Created in 1924 to enforce draconian new immigration quotas, Border Patrol recruited its first agents from the Texas Rangers militia, giving it a kind of rogue, cowboy culture that persists today. - [For one survivor, the 1920 Election Day massacre in Florida was ‘the night the devil got loose’]( - [What is ‘ballot curing’? Election expert explains the method for fixing errors made when voters cast their ballots]( - [Denver voters reject slaughterhouse ban, allowing Superior Farms to continue selling lamb in Colorado and nationwide]( - [What poll watchers can − and can’t − do on Election Day]( - [Now the Electoral College votes for president – 4 essential reads]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our other weekly emails: • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Giving Today]( • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Follow us on social media: • [Threads]( • [Bluesky]( • [Mastodon]( • [LinkedIn]( • [Instagram]( • [Facebook]( • Or [get one daily text from us]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you [facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world](. We can give away all our articles without any ads or paywalls thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. [Donate now to support research-based journalism]( [The Conversation]( You’re receiving this newsletter from [The Conversation]( 303 Wyman Street, Suite 300 Waltham, MA 02451 [Forward to a friend]( • [Unsubscribe](