Chellie Pingree just made a point that echos what Jaime Harrison said the other night about "The Establishment"

[indusurb]

10. Sorry, but there is the establishment, and then there is The Establishment.

Name it what you will, the good ol' boys club, the establishment, what have you. It is that relatively small circle of people who, due to their power, money and influence, can get things done, even though those things fly in the face of popular sentiment. These are the people who can and do impose their will upon others. Those whose habitat is the smoky back room, whose modus operandi is wink, wink, nudge, nudge, bob's your uncle.

Both parties have these groups, as do various levels of government, from local to state. Perfect example, it was just widely revealed that a company is in the "initial" stages of building an AI data center in my county, with upcoming public information sessions, and no firm plans on file. Turns out the property is already bought and paid for, the county commission is on board(think bribes here) and preliminary construction, leveling the land, etc. has begun. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, that's The Establishment in action.