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Don’t Worry, Income Inequality Doomsayers: a New Think Tank Has Arrived to Solve the Problem

At this point in 2011, people were still mocking the drum circles, the poorly defined goals, the leadership-by-group-consensus model, and how they were all probably spoiled liberal arts college grads trying to get high. But within months of Occupy Wall Street protesters taking over Zuccotti Park, these pepper-eyed rebels across the country were largely credited with bringing income inequality in modern America into the mainstream political discussion. The president ran a reelection campaign based—rhetorically, at least—on reducing the ever-widening gap between have and have nots. The Democrats haven’t done much about it in reality since the election, but they sure like to talk about this inequality thing. It gets everyone all fired up!

The next phase in Democrats Fixing Income Disparity: inequality is no longer just something you chant about while crossing the Brooklyn Bridge banging a garbage pail. Chitchatting about inequality is big business in the Beltway now.

The New York Times reported this week that a fancy new think tank planning to “investigate the causes and effects of growing economic inequality” is being set up in fairest Washington city. Its proprietor is one of the truly ultimate Democratic operatives in our world today: John Podesta, President Clinton’s former chief of staff, head of President Obama’s 2008-2009 transition team, and founder of the Center for American Progress, the liberal think tank most closely tied to the Obama administration and establishment Democratic Party. The new inequality venture, in fact, will be housed within the friendly confines of CAP:

The center will be called the Washington Center for Equitable Growth and be housed at the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning advocacy and research group that Mr. Podesta founded 10 years ago. Heather Boushey, an economist at the Center for American Progress, will become executive director of the new center.

This seems like it should be positive news. Enough activists made their concerns about rising inequality heard that it’s become the rhetorical focus of some of the most powerful Democrats in Washington, D.C., and even has a new house, or room in an existing house, in which to put up its feet!

So what’s with the sick feeling I get in my stomach when I read this news?

It feels like, with the creation of this new think tank, the inequality discussion has been effectively captured inside a cage, where it may be tamed, managed, and namechecked for selfish, feel-good, pat-yourself-on-the-back cred by professional liberal operators who have no actual intention of disrupting the flow of wealth in modern America.

First are the problems with CAP: its ties to both the Democratic Party and corporate America. In the latest issue of the Baffler, Ken Silverstein expertly describes these . . . conflicts . . . at length:

A review of CAP’s research track record shows that the group’s work is dictated by two simple mainsprings: its obvious and overwhelming fealty to the Democratic Party, and the pursuit of corporate cash. For evidence of the former, one need look no further than the frenetically revolving door that connects the think tank and the Obama administration. At least forty CAP staffers have taken administration jobs since Obama’s inauguration in 2009, and at least eight administration officials moved to CAP after leaving their government posts. White House visitor logs show hundreds of meetings between CAP staffers and administration officials; CAP leaders Podesta and Tanden, not surprisingly, are among the most frequent White House visitors.

[ . . . ]

It’s therefore no surprise that the other plank of the CAP research agenda—the eager acquisition of greater corporate backing—commands an increasing share of the group’s efforts. There’s little functional difference between the Democratic Party and the corporate world when it comes to running campaigns and elections; why should the promotion of policy debate be any different? In 2007, CAP launched the Business Alliance, which is a Membership Rewards–style program for big donors. Though CAP refuses to release any of these donors’ names, I obtained various lists (as I first disclosed in The Nation), and they have included Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, Wal-Mart, Comcast, Goldman Sachs, the Carlyle Group, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, GE, General Motors, Amgen, Pfizer, and Verizon.

And so trust issues are at hand. What could a think tank associated with some of the country’s top corporations possibly have to say about inequality that might change, say, current trends in inequality? More likely, we have a convenient middleman being set up here: corporations can give some money to inequality studies as a PR technique to show that they care about America’s problems while retaining friendly ties with the Democratic Party.

And then there’s the idea of a think tank to further “research” inequality. As new executive director Heather Boushey says, “While there’s a lot we know about inequality, there’s a lot we don’t.” This is the kind of statement that acknowledges an issue that resonates with many people—but then institutionalizes it and permanently stalls on it. Liberals, armed with that other hot new fad—data!—have become very good at describing inequality with an infinite number of flourishes that mostly say the same thing in different ways: there sure is a lot of inequality out there! How sad. “Five Shocking Charts That Reveal The Depth of Inequality” is the title of ten or so “liberal wonk” blog posts per day.

All well and good. But isn’t the research and data compilation, well, more or less complete, and now it’s time to act? One specific action seems pretty obvious: give people without much money more money. Straight-up checks from the government. There’s no need to fiddle with bullshit like “more money for education” and other things that please timid liberal elites. Just take more money from the wealthy and give it to the not-wealthy. What else? Socialize the health care system. Break up the biggest banks, push through massive mortgage and debt forgiveness. Big, broad measures, we’re thinking here.

None of these things are politically possible, though, the new CAP-branded inequality researchers might say. But shouldn’t the point of this new think tank’s existence be to change that? Don’t hold your breath.