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32. Domhoff (1979: 57) asserts that the sum total of special interest is class rule, i.e. ‘what is not
done and not debated defines ruling-class domination even if the class as a whole does not
act consciously to realize its will and to subordinate other classes’.
33. See Chomsky (1988: 189) for a qualification.
34. For Chomsky there is a clear demarcation between the state and the government. Chomsky
asserts that the state comprises, institutions that set the conditions for public policy and is
relatively stable. The state constitutes, the actual nexus of decision-making power ... including
investment and political decisions, setting the framework within which the public policy can
be discussed and is determined (Chomsky, 1985: 230). In contrast, Chomsky views government
as more visible, consisting of ‘whatever groups happen to control the political system, one
component of the state system, at a particular moment’ (Chomsky, 1985: 230).
35. As noted above, Chomsky clearly distinguishes the state from the government. The PM
would explain hegemonic crises or shifts in political alignment, i.e. the massive defeat of
the post-Mulroney Tories, in this context. Government is a visible and inherently transitory
organ of the state. In contrast, the state, which Chomsky identifies as the actual nexus of
decision-making power in the society, is remarkably stable in comparison.
36. See Herman (1996a, 2000) for a detailed discussion of the enhanced relevancy of the PM.

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