&gt; &quot;People of color&quot; influence DC politics only to the extent that the old white men in the Capitol tolerate it.<p>Exactly. D.C is the only city whose <i>local</i> politics are directly subject to the whims of Congress.<p>&gt; Case in point, recent efforts to legalize marijuana locally have run into a lot of trouble<p>Yes, and not just recent efforts - D.C. legalized medical marijuana in 1998 by popular vote, but the Barr amendment overruled it.<p>(Yes, Bob Barr, who later ran for president on the Libertarian Party ticket, blocked D.C. from being able to legalize medical marijuana)