Is the Seat of Power in the U.S. on Wall Street and K Street, Not in the White House?

A BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG
by Mark Karlin

Is our heartfelt support of Green Revolution in part an outlet for our own frustration in the U.S. to rein in corporate control of our governnment?

That's a good question as BuzzFlash participates in the electric support for Iran's version of a courageous pro-democracy movement. The intensity and passion are particularly felt in the real-time exchanges and activity on Twitter.

But as I posted a comment about Iran on Twitter the other day, the thought came to me that my personal and BuzzFlash admiration and support of the protestors was not only that they have the courage of their convictions as they face a regime as repressive as the Shah's.  It also had to do with my frustration that the power of U.S. corporations and entrenched wealth may have grown so strong that even the President of the United States has less power than a collapsed Wall Street.

With all the promise of change that President Obama offered as a candidate, what we have seen is capitulation, compromise, and support of the status quo economic system that got us into this mess.  Yes, there have been some regulatory and to-be-applauded legislative victories.  But they have been few and relatively minor in the scheme of things.

Yes, President Obama (who we still will adamantly defend as an honorable, decent and brilliant candidate and man) is a breath of fresh air.

But the trend thus far has sure been to make one come to terms with the reality that the White House is not the seat of power in the United States, but rather it is the control of Congress by corporations and the privileged wealthy.

Occasionally, Obama inadvertently reveals this when he comments that there is only so much that he can do.  It is not that his plate is too full; it is that those who pull the strings in Congress with lavish campaign contributions are his real opposition.  And as Bill Maher "joked" the other night, Obama didn't realize the strength of his opposition party in D.C.: the Democrats.

So, personally, maybe the Green Revolution gives progressives something one can feel in one's heart, in one's soul to support.  It gives us a sense of urgency and quickens our pulse on behalf of those who seek the freedom of the human spirit.

That is how many of us felt during the Obama campaign, before we discovered that even though Obama had gloriously pulled off a stunning victory over the reacitonary right wing, the seat of power remained on Wall Street and K Street, not at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

And so we vicariously support the brave seekers of freedom of the Green Revolution.  Because it is a struggle so fundamentally moving -- and because we are so frustrated that our dreams of taming climate change, cleaning up the environment, restoring justice and transparency, and universal healthcare (even just a government insurance option) are being so ruinously compromised away.

That is because President Obama may have discovered that the corporate and wealthy forces have more power than he does -- and his ability to change the entrenched culture of D.C. is limited, even if he is President of the United States.

That makes the drama of the Green Revolution all the more compelling, because it is so clear, so defined, because it is a matter of life and death.

BuzzFlash supports President Obama (although we have and will air our differences) and will continue to battle the right wing and the entrenched powers, but it has become clearer that short of a populist uprising, President Obama may have far less power to create fundamental change than he or we had realized.

A BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

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