Think Tanks: The New Power Players in Washington
In the last few months, we have seen shifts in the balance of power in Washington. Thinks tanks, such as the Center for American Progress, have become even more powerful than in the past with the advent of Barack Obama as president.
But we are about to see this dynamic turbocharged in the days ahead. Think tanks will be showered with money — partly as a way to avoid restrictions on “lobbying” and the sometimes embarrassing revelations that stem from lobbying scandals in the past. Think tanks will become the go-to place for those wishing to influence policy under the guise of providing “research” to decision-makers. There has been this political phenomenon before, but we are just beginning to see a wave that will transform think tanks.
There is an aphorism that Jews are the canaries in the coal mine, that what happens to them often presages what eventually happens to the wider community. We may be seeing a real-world example of this play out before our eyes.
However one may feel about the America-Israel relationship, what is happening on that front in Washington has lessons for us all. Prominent and powerful people are focusing on how to weaken America-Israel ties as a step towards pressuring Israel. One step in the plan is to create a lobby, J Street, to challenge the long-established American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). J Street threatens to siphon and weaken support for AIPAC, always a key player in Washington. J Street has wealthy backers and strong ties to George Soros, the billionaire activist who is determined to weaken AIPAC and weaken America-Israel ties. There have been some early fumbles for J Street, but the group has staying power and will learn from their mistakes.
Another step in the plan to weaken ties between America and Israel seems to be emerging action on the think tank front. For years, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy has been the leading think tank focused on the Middle East. It also seems to be on the verge of facing new and newly enriched challengers to its image as the preeminent Middle East think tank.
This process may have been presaged by the sudden decision by Congressman Robert Wexler to resign from the House and assume the leadership of one such think tank: the Center for Middle East Peace & Economic Cooperation. This is a group backed by S. Daniel Abraham, the billionaire founder of Slim-Fast. The center has been moribund for years, but that seems ready to change rapidly.
Wexler, as a former congressman who has close ties to the Obama administration, will presumably have greater ability to influence policy than, let’s say, an academic. Wexler admits that he, and the think tank he heads, will continue to promote the president’s approach towards the Middle East. (I guess this “think” tank will then not have to do much “thinking” or independent research.)
This was Wexler’s role during last year’s campaign when he worked in the Jewish community to defuse concerns regarding Barack Obama’s views towards Israel. (Should his new and undoubtedly high-paying position be considered a reward for this work?)
This pledge by the think tank echoes that of the lobbying group J Street, which also pledged it would serve as Barack Obama’s “blocking back” to push his views and policies. This makes more visible the fact that there are plans afoot to use think tanks, in concert with the Obama administration, to advance the president’s goals.
There are other signs that such a strategy seems to be emerging. Again, this will focus on changes relating to the balance of influence regarding players involved in debating Middle East policy. The changes may begin with policies regarding Israel, but they will not end there if they prove successful in moving the levers of power and policy in Washington. Nathan Guttman of the Jewish Daily Forward writes in an article (“Wexler’s Move May Lead to More Active Role for Think Tanks”):
Reports yet to be confirmed suggest that the Israel Policy Forum could merge with the Center for American Progress, a prominent liberal think tank with close ties to the Obama administration. IPF, beset by financial difficulties and the recent loss of its Washington representative, has been searching for a new home. If the merger takes place, CAP also is expected to take a step away from researching policy issues relating to the Middle East and toward actively promoting negotiations.
That certainly is Wexler’s vision for his new role. One of the main assets he brings is his close relationship with the White House. He was the first Jewish lawmaker to back Obama as a candidate, and later took on a lot of the campaign’s heavy lifting with the Jewish community.
“Wexler will be treated by leaders in the region as the person who has Obama’s ear,” said Daniel Levy, co-director of the New America Foundation’s Middle East task force. “He is close to Obama, is well accepted in the Jewish community and knows everyone in Congress.”
Being close to the views of the administration could help the rejuvenated think tank play a role as an active back channel with key players in the region, one that would convey ideas from the administration informally before those ideas become official policy. Having such an outlet could also be beneficial for the administration
The Center for American Progress (CAP) is lock, stock, and barrel a tool bought by George Soros to influence policy in Washington (see the Bloomberg story: “Soros-funded Democratic Idea Factory Becomes Obama Policy Font.”) The CAP has served as a White House employment agency and has provided the administration with many of its key players, including the recently departed Van Jones, who, after he resigned from the administration because his radicalism came to light, returned to his comfortable sinecure at the CAP.
The Israel Policy Forum (IPF), a left-wing, appeasement-focused group, has diminished in power over the years. It actually never had much real power because the administrations and Congresses (whether Democrat or Republican) never gave it much credibility. But change has come to Washington, and groups such as the Israel Policy Forum and J Street now have a place at the table in the White House — literally.
If the IPF becomes part of the Center for American Progress and part of the empire of think tanks and activist groups that George Soros funds and rules, it will have far more influence than it does now. It will also work to influence decision-makers to work with the administration to fulfill its goals. Politicians may be one target, but with newspapers and the media firing journalists, think tanks have become a fertile source for material to fill the ever-shrinking pages of newspapers. Again, the public will assume that think tanks are a trustworthy source for research when, in actuality, they have been transformed into policy pushing fronts.
They will not be the only think tanks to assume a more activist and powerful role in the days ahead. What other ostensible think tanks should be seen more honestly as lobbying groups?
How about the Soros-supported International Crisis Group, subject of a PJ Media column of mine last year that warned of its influence with Barack Obama? There are a plethora of such think tanks in Washington — many of which fly underneath the radar screen.
They have gained influence partly because they have an image of being academic centers staffed by scholars. A patina of being professional gives them credibility and access to power. Newly enriched by people such as George Soros (and his fellow travelers in the Democracy Alliance), will they also play a role in shifting American policy? These years may just be the best opportunity to do so.
This administration, headed by a man seemingly addicted to fanciful ideas who runs the presidency as a college seminar (hat tip to both David Ignatius and Victor Davis Hanson ), will be particularly susceptible to being swayed by arguments propounded by left-wing lobbyists cloaked in think tank clothing. Will such think tanks also be useful as a way to circumvent Barack Obama’s widely publicized, if not always followed ban on “lobbyists” working for his administration?
Think tanks will be the new power players in Washington and are worth keeping a wary eye on.
The sad thing Mr. Lasky is that one of your fellow American Thinker contributors is on the Soros bandwagon, at least when it comes to Russia and the CIS.
And you have never asked yourself why “conservatives” who write for National Review and the Weekly Standard are so wary of Soros spending megabucks to fund these think tanks and defeat Bush but not the causes he supports abroad…i.e. the so-called Colored Revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia. Have you ever asked yourself why the suspicious silence? Perhaps because Soros is a front, and his very successful currency bets were compensation for services rendered, ala Government Sachs?
Soros basically wants a weak America and a weak Russia. He is a trasnationalist who only supports small nationalisms but believes any country big enough to unilaterally exercise military power is inherently dangerous and must be tied down, like Gulliver, by a thousand NGO cuts. Have you ever wondered why supposedly free NGOs all seem to swarm in the same direction?
Mr. X, what would you bet that George Soros has been short dollars for an extended period? I’d certainly stake your life on it. He’ll never have to do to the dollar what he did to the Bank of England because the Fed is practically a partner.
ALL OPINE
Soros, in fact, is = OBNA. Shadow govt, East Wing, all OSI Intititivaes are in place and being worked. A simple R and D of the OSI agenda, vs the realities of the OBNA draws the obvious conclusion.
Soros and company, wants a weak USA, they are getting it.
Soros and company, wants a controllable SEC, FCC, FDA, FTC, EPA and if possible the Congress, he is getting all of the above.
Soros funded OBNA Camapaign and is now reaping the rewards.
Obvious to the most casual observer.
end
Where the hell was Ed Lasky when the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) was running US foreign policy under Dubya? Look at the number of Bush officials who were refrigerated at AEI during the Clinton years, the true authors of the failed “Surge” strategy, or the oil companies and weapon manufacturers who funded conservative think tanks for decades. Looks like Ed Lasky was born on January of this year!
With all due respect Mr. Lasky, this is all you can come up with when talking about the influence of 527s/think tanks, and with a Jewish angle.
Geez, how many times does this have to be repeated: American Jews could care less about Israel. They are so steeped in progressive ideology that they would rather let Israel die than vote or side with those of us who DO support Israel.
It comes as not surprise that Soros is funding 527s/think tanks that want a weakened Israel. The real story is how Soros is funding these same 527s to weaken America. Because without American, Isreal falls so instead of centering your focus on Israel focus on America.
“They have gained influence partly because they have an image of being academic centers staffed by scholars. A patina of being professional gives them credibility and access to power.”
Why can’t they all be like the Cato Institute or the Heritage Foundation? Life would be so much better – so much more . . . predictable . . . Old times there are not forgotten, look away, look away, look away, Dixieland. If only the Lewin Group were in charge of public opinion, we wouldn’t have census workers stripped and bound and gaged and strung up in the Kentucky woods with the word “FED” scrawled on his chest.
Hail Rush! Go Sarah! Long live Brent Bozell.
Yeah, the “new” power players. Humans with frontal lobes and functioning cortices are laughing their asses off at this. Have fun with your absolutely non-existent credibility.
Hey Sparky and Chuckles. Up early I see. Sparky you are slime and vile and I will continue to post this until you apologize for what you said about Beck’s child. Chuckles, do you have a functioning frontal lobe?
It’s charming how you rail against the left for using think tanks, without recognizing that they learned this strategy and process by observing the success of various right wing think tanks. Utter hypocrisy is rarely expressed so blatantly.
Peace.
DS
It’s long past time for Israelis to cut themselves loose from the rotting carcasse of what used to be a great country. It’s long past time for us to dead-head on our own. America is nothing more than a liability allied with and in hoc to the Wahhabi and the Chicoms. We in Israel can no longer afford to be associated with such trash.
BTW, the value of the dollar fell against the shekel. The only thing that keeps the dollar from plunging against the shekel to the 2.75/$1 range or lower, is the constant buying of dollars by that rag-sheeny from America, Stan Fisher. And he does that more and more at the pressure of exporters here. When your dollars turn totally bad, your money will be unloaded like smelly, wet, year-old matzah.
The leftists effectively conned many conservatives into believing their institutions were well funded. They supposedly had all the money while the left-wing groups were basically mom and pop operations barely able to keep the doors open. The exact opposite was true—and has been for at least the last fifty years. The last time I checked the IRS reports the left has a huge 85% to a mere 15% financial advantage in non-profit funding. The leftist tilting Ford Foundation probably spends more money per year than all the major conservative groups combined! Individual conservatives simply must increase the size of their financial contributions if this country has any chance whatsoever of surviving.
This is an improvement. Democratic operatives, when we have Republican Presidents, got Congressionally-motivated appointments to politically connected government entities where they were not only on the taxpayer’s dime, but overtly wrecking the country. Jaime Gorlick at Fannie Mae is the perfect example.
This way they’ll do less damage and we don’t have to pay for their lifestyles.
Finally: A picture of the scumbag who runs BOTH political parties!
There is another big lie believed by most Americans: conservative groups are lavishly funded by the major corporations. Nothing could be further from the truth! These business elites run in terror from any non-profit, for instance, that is against affirmative action programs. They are deemed “too controversial.” Ideological thugs like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have probably received more money from the large corporate interests than all of the conservatives groups combined.
DS: Duh. Heritage, Cato, Hoover and AE are real think tanks. They discussed policy. Never once have they engaged in personal destruction like your side.
You are intentionally confunding your think(?) tanks like CAP, MM, Moveon, Huffpo and Kos which are designed for personal destruction of their opponents.
And please grow up. Ford, MacArthur, Tides, Heinz along with Soros have been funding your side for many more years than ours. And if you try to refute this you better have some legitimate references.
Now go to Kos and get some quotes and stats like a good little tool.
Soros needs to run head first into a small lead object. The man is truly evil. I’m not sure what his ultimate end game is or why he uses capitalism to wreak havoc on capitalism around the world but the man should be thrown in jail forever.
Who elected these George Soros NGOs to run the government??
Remember that Soros has been convicted of multiple felonies. In his youth he was a Nazi collaborator, leading his fellow Jews to railroad box cars. Those Jews were never seen again, but Soros is still around, pushing a big, overbearing world government on us.
Come to think of it, Soros fits in perfectly with 0bama’s anti-American cronies.
End tax exemptions for ALL non-profits now.
Yes, all.
(Non-Profit + Gov’t) > Private sector = game over
Ed Lasky
Thanks to the way the socialist minded culture of Barack Obama is infecting every inch of the White House, “liberals are turning a network of academic research organizations into powerful, well-connected lobbying groups.”
“The worst President in United States history deserves justice in the worst way.”
Rachel Peepers
The last time I checked the IRS reports the left has a huge 85% to a mere 15% financial advantage in non-profit funding.
What just amazes me is that enormous amount of money that the Joyce Foundation spends promoting gun control, providing well funded organizations to pay people to write gun control “studies” that are embarrassingly bad–while there is nothing equivalent on the pro-gun side. (And before you say, “NRA,” they fund just about nothing in defense of gun rights.)
One of the core problems is that conservatives just don’t have the money that the hard left has. I suppose if they did, they would feel guilty about it, and spend some money protecting the American way of life. Or would they feel guilty about it, and become leftists?