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> Washington, DC? Okay, though I guess it depends on your definition of 'major city'. D.C. proper doesn't even have 1/10th the population of NYC; it's smaller

> Washington, DC? Okay, though I guess it depends on your definition of 'major city'. D.C. proper doesn't even have 1/10th the population of NYC; it's smaller than even El Paso, TX and Charlotte, NC. It doesn't even break the top 20 largest cities in the country. Though more importantly, D.C. is unique politically because it's not awarded the rights of a state, and therefore not protected from the federal government the way literally every other city in the US is. (Even San Juan, Puerto Rico, has more autonomy from the federal government in some ways than D.C. does)

mikeash 11y ago
That last part is key for this particular tidbit. "People of color" influence DC politics only to the extent that the old white men in the Capitol tolerate it. Case in point, recent efforts to legalize marijuana locally have run into a lot of trouble because certain Congressmen make it their mission to oppose such things.
- chimeracoder 11y ago
  > "People of color" influence DC politics only to the extent that the old white men in the Capitol tolerate it. Exactly. D.C is the only city whose local politics are directly subject to the whims of Congress. > Case in point, recent efforts to legalize marijuana locally have run into a lot of trouble Yes, and not just recent efforts - D.C. legalized medical marijuana in 1998 by popular vote, but the Barr amendment overruled it. (Yes, Bob Barr, who later ran for president on the Libertarian Party ticket, blocked D.C. from being able to legalize medical marijuana)