Every few years, a revelatory leak or a Senate hearing briefly illuminates the scope of domestic surveillance programs. Civil libertarians from left and right unite in outrage. Bipartisan reform legislation is drafted. And then — nothing. The programs continue, the coalitions dissolve, and the next news cycle arrives.
The pattern isn't accidental. It reflects a structural asymmetry: the surveillance state has institutional permanence, career incentives, and classified budgets. Reform advocates have public attention that, by definition, expires. Until reformers find a way to build durable coalitions across the partisan line — and fast — the status quo renews itself automatically.
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