If you dislike that phrase, the bureaucratic state works. If you didn't already know, the Deep State was originally a concept developed by Noam Chomsky - a leftist. While Chomsky has a bit of a blindside regarding the actions of some of the non-West, he accurately describes the levers of power in the American system and in much of the West overall. The US, like any other major nation, has a large bureaucratic state with private power brokers. Those are the real people that run things. They don't need to hold office, because they mostly decide who runs in the first place. The Dems and GOP have a lot more in common on certain policies than many people like to admit, and this is why.