# Who REALLY runs the US? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [April 25, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951 "2012-04-25T20:40:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SomeBodyUK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@SomeBodyUK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SomeBodyUK)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/1 "2012-04-25T20:40:03Z")
I’ve often heard that the US President is often a “front man” or a “puppet” of other organisations - how true is this assertion? This will never happen for obvious reasons, but there are many articles stating that Herman Cain has very close ties to the Koch brothers. e.g. [Link from Forbes](http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2011/11/04/herman-cain-im-a-koch-brother-from-another-mother/) If there is some truth in the assertions, who are the organisations? Who does Obama answer to? Who did the former President Bush answer to? ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/2 "2012-04-25T21:02:07Z")
> [@SomeBodyUK](#): > > how true is this assertion? Not very. The president of the United States is one of the most powerful men in the world, and once he gets in that position there’s pretty much nobody in the string-pulling position. During his first term he’s worried about getting re-elected, and those who can help him accomplish that task are going to be listened to (and have some power as a result), but during his second term that’s not the case. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/3 "2012-04-25T21:04:01Z")
Jews. Duh! ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/4 "2012-04-25T21:04:57Z")
> [@SomeBodyUK](#): > > Herman Cain has very close ties to the Koch brothers. He didn’t name it **Godfather’s** Pizza for just any old reason. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/5 "2012-04-25T21:10:11Z")
You may have heard it said, but the people who said it are wrong. Yes, the President is not a dictator. He has to deal with congress, the states, the judiciary, his political party, the voters, the media, the civil service, his appointees, his personal staff, his political cronies, and so on. But he doesn’t take orders from his political cronies. Why would he? He’s the president. Suppose his Illuminati puppet-master calls him in the middle of the night, with his orders. How does the Illuminatus make him obey? What threats does he use? Even with a weak hands-off president who is content to leave the details to others and simply ratifies the decisions of his underlings, he still doesn’t obey orders, because he chooses his underlings. And if his underlings annoy him, he can fire them and get new underlings, there’s no shortage of ambitious people who would push their grandmother under a train for the chance to work for the president. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/6 "2012-04-25T21:28:48Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > But he doesn’t take orders from his political cronies. Why would he? He’s the president. Suppose his Illuminati puppet-master calls him in the middle of the night, with his orders. How does the Illuminatus make him obey? What threats does he use? That and a great deal else is all covered in that little inaugural-day briefing a new POTUS gets. Ever notice how his optimistic demeanor always seems to shift to controlled hyperanxiety overnight? It’s wearing, really being in the know; they can’t handle it – sooner or later a clone always has to take over. ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/7 "2012-04-25T21:33:30Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Ever notice how his optimistic demeanor always seems to shift to controlled hyperanxiety overnight? Whaddya mean I have to **deliver** on all of those phoney-baloney campaign promises I made? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/8 "2012-04-25T21:39:40Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > You may have heard it said, but the people who said it are wrong. Not just wrong. _Stupid._ ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/9 "2012-04-25T21:46:06Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Not just wrong. _Stupid._ You mean, [retarded?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_of_the_Urinal_Deuce) ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/10 "2012-04-25T21:48:50Z")
> [@](#): > > Who REALLY runs the US? Well, modesty forbids me from either confirming or denying… …oh, what am I saying? Modest? Me? Not happening. Ok…I run the US. Now you know. > [@](#): > > I’ve often heard that the US President is often a “front man” or a “puppet” of other organisations - how true is this assertion? There was a lot of talk about this when GW was president, but honestly I never saw it. It was pretty obvious that he was calling the shots, though of course there are a lot of powerful folks around the President that influence his decisions. Always have been always will be. Some presidents are more hands on, some are more hands off, but no one is playing puppet master with them, at least I’ve never seen anything remotely like credible proof that this is the case. They all simply take their orders from me…I’m on their speed dial, but they aren’t on mine, if you know what I mean. _wink wink, nudge nudge_ > [@](#): > > f there is some truth in the assertions, who are the organisations? Who does Obama answer to? Who did the former President Bush answer to? Me. Now you know. -XT ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/11 "2012-04-25T22:09:38Z")
Corporation, unions and other well funded organizations have tremendous influence over Congress, and to some extent, the president. But they’re an amorphous group of lobbying entities making it oversimplistic to think that any one of them “runs” things. The US tax code is a cornucopia of goodies for special interest groups, and since Congress determines the tax code, your lobbying money is better spent there than on the prez. It’s not inherent in the system, but it sure doesn’t surprise anyone that it has turned out that way. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/12 "2012-04-25T22:14:25Z")
> [@XT](#): > > There was a lot of talk about this when GW was president, but honestly I never saw it. It was pretty obvious that he was calling the shots, though of course there are a lot of powerful folks around the President that influence his decisions. I do recall reading that the FBI’s (or the CIA’s?) codenames for Bush and Cheney respectively were “Charlie” (McCarthy) and “Edgar” (Bergen). ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/13 "2012-04-25T22:18:01Z")
Their codenames could have been Punch and Judy and it still would be meaningless wrt the discussion. Unless you feel that the CIA/FBI codenames constitute some sort of proof of…something? 😛 -XT ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/14 "2012-04-25T22:22:34Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > I do recall reading that the FBI’s (or the CIA’s?) codenames for Bush and Cheney respectively were “Charlie” (McCarthy) and “Edgar” (Bergen). Bush’s secret service code names were Tumbler and Trailblazer, and Cheney’s was Angler. Who knows what other people might have called them, but I would think that making up derisive nicknames for the president and vice president would be strongly discouraged in executive branch agencies. It’s not as dumb as secret service people boinking prostitutes overseas and posting Facebook pictures where they ogle the people they are supposed to be protecting, but it would still be pretty dumb. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/15 "2012-04-25T22:34:08Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Jews. Duh! That’s absurd. Everyone knows the Reptilian Lizard People are the true rulers of Earth. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/16 "2012-04-26T04:51:31Z")
Why can’t the Jews and the Lizard People work together? Think of all they could accomplish. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/17 "2012-04-26T04:55:54Z")
I, for one, welcome… uh… \ I got nuttin’. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/18 "2012-04-26T04:56:10Z")
To answer the OP, a complex mix of the electorate, businesses, other special interest groups (such as feminists or the gun-rights lobby), and politicians helps produce a solution after a while. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/19 "2012-04-26T05:33:04Z")
> [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](#): > > Everyone knows the Reptilian Lizard People are the true rulers of Earth. That answers nothing, since [Obama](http://www.hiddencodes.com/obama/index.htm) _is_ a [Reptilian](http://www.obamaconspiracy.org/2008/12/obama-and-the-lizard-people/)Lizard [Person](http://www.ebaumsworld.com/video/watch/82325501/). Unless it’s lizards all the way down. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2012, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951/20 "2012-04-26T05:39:16Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Why can’t the Jews and the Lizard People work together? Think of all they could accomplish. Sigh. You people are so ignorant. David Icke has already proven that the Jews \*are \*lizard people. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-really-runs-the-us/619951.md?page=2)