You know, the "Shadow Government" is real in a sense, but far less spooky than you might think.

Their names aren't hidden, and their meetings aren't secret. They act in the open, and most people just don't pay attention. They are simply the lower level officials and non-elected administrators that manage to stay in place between election cycles. Their resumes tend to read "performed such and such job through Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush again, and Obama administrations..."

Why does this happen? Because they are highly trained and experienced officials who are difficult to replace. The Marines don't get an entirely new slate of generals every 4 to 8 years, and neither do many other states and institutions. That's your "Shadow Government" right there.