In nearly all cases, I can draw the conversations back to one basic question: Who controls America?
I have heard many theories in my time abroad. In most cases, people believe it is the President. But I have also heard opinions that it is business executives, lobbyists, bankers, 'the rich', Hollywood, media moguls, the oil industry, and even 'the Jews'.
It is interesting to me what I don't hear. I have never heard Congress, the Supreme Court, the States, local government, the military, ethnic groups, unions, farmers or retirees, all of whom might be considered power structures because they represent large portions of the population and have influence. There seems to be the assumption that America is controlled by a small group of individuals, but all disagree on which group it is.
So what is my answer to who controls America? No one. The United States is controlled by the people.
In Marxist theory, there is the term permanent revolution. It has been used in various forms by socialist theorists and political leaders to describe the ongoing struggle needed to achieve the perfect society. They argued that such a struggle was impossible in a capitalist society. But I would argue that the United States is perhaps the best example of a country which lives in permanent revolution. It has always sought to achieve the perfect society and it clearly experiences an ongoing struggle.
Although many issues may appear from afar one-sided or the machinations of a select group, in reality debates are much more complex. There is no power in the US without checks and balances. Every institution has a monitor. Every movement has a counter-movement. Every point has a counter-point. And this equilibrium does not only exist at the national level. It is present everyday in neighborhoods, towns, cities and states. Nor do these debates cut cleanly between the two national political parties. In such a diverse nation, opinions are wide-ranging and nuanced.
Naturally, times occur when one side of the issue achieves the upper hand and guides decisions in their direction. There are also power structures like the presidency, business groups, lobbyists, ethnic groups, labor, etc. which are able to set the agenda, meaning they determine which questions are the highest priority. But there is no group which can exercise complete control; power is simply too diluted.
I prefer to highlight the exceptions to show why 'control of the few' is flawed.
If banks control the US, why do we have Dodd-Frank and Sarbannes-Oxley?
If business controls the US, why haven't we reformed the H1B visa? Why do we still have the EPA and the Clean Air Act?
If media moguls control the country, who are they? Which side are they on? There is a media outlet for every possible opinion.
If lobbyists control the government, which lobbyists? Is the NRA, is it AAPR? Is it the telecom industry? Why was net neutrality preserved?
[In case you are wondering, here are the largest spenders on lobbying.]
If religious moral conservatives control the nation, why do we have legalized gay marriage and decriminalized marijuana?
Again, it is natural that one side of the debate achieves the upper hand temporarily. Perhaps this is the biggest misconception I see. People seem to believe that the current situation will remain forever. But in a nation like the United States, this is simply not the case. Opinions change, groups change, the debate shifts. We are witnessing one of these shifts currently in the presidential election.
Sure, we can probably point to the NRA's lobby clout as a reason why stricter gun controls have not been enacted. But we cannot assume it will always be so. A century ago it appeared that business magnates controlled the nation only to see it shift during the Progressive Era. Our ancestors experienced the darker side of majority rule in the form of legalized discrimination only to see it change. Deregulation of business has been overturned by 're-regulation'. Isolationism gave way to international engagement. Social programs ebb and flow with the tides of the people.
So, my advice to my international friends and Americans alike is the same. The issues, policies and motives are not static because no one is really in control. The nation is controlled by 321 million individuals with unique perspectives, organized into shifting groups, locked in a constant struggle to create an unobtainable future - the perfect society. As observers, we should expect change, it is the one constant.
