citationsneededpodcast

Episode 203: Ideological Shaping of the Possible (Part II) - How Corporate Think Tanks Function as Influence Laundromats

Added 2024-06-05 19:33:08 +0000 UTC

"Susan Rice examines U.S. foreign policy strategy with The Post's David Ignatius," read the title of a 2016 Washington Post Live conversation. "Key player in war on climate change? The Pentagon," CNN insisted in 2020. "Democrats Need To Learn How To Get Excited About the Center-Left," The Messenger proclaimed in 2023.

These posts were all facilitated, sponsored, or authored by a member of a Democratic-aligned, corporate U.S. think tank. Whether the Center for American Progress, Center for a New American Security, Center for Strategic and International Studies, or any other Washington, DC-based "Center" with a capital C, center-right to center-left think tanks are ubiquitous in major American media and in Democratic policymaking.

This might seem unremarkable, even beneficial. Think tanks, after all, purport to be empirical institutions, designed to craft research-based policy proposals. But, given the prevalence of corporate funding in the DC think-tank world, these claims of neutrality contradict the anti-labor and anti-regulation records of major US think tanks, as well as their function as de facto corporate lobbying groups.

On this episode, Part II of our two-part series on the relationship between political party officials, media, and the corporate laundering machine, we examine the revolving door between Democratic administrations and corporate and despot-funded think tanks, looking at how those institutions effectively serve as a stomping grounds of business industry influence on everything from climate to labor, healthcare to infrastructure.

Our guest is The Intercept's Akela Lacy.

Guest

Akela Lacy (@akela_lacy) is a Politics Reporter at The Intercept.

Show Notes

Corporate America’s Attempt to Rebrand Centrist Politics for Zoomers

Adam Johnson | August 31, 2023 | The Column

Biden Is Letting Think Tanks and Dodgy Foreign Funders Get Cozy Again

Casey Michel | May 12, 2023 | The New Republic

Corruption at the Fifth Estate

Luke Goldstein | February 24, 2023 | The American Prospect

New poll shows people distrust think tanks even more than media

Ben Freeman | September 29, 2022 | Responsible Statecraft

The Think Tanks Advising Congress on Military Spending Take Money From the Arms Industry

Stephen Semler | September 24, 2022 | Jacobin

Congress Takes Aim at Think Tanks and Their Corrupt Money

Casey Michel | June 27, 2022 | The New Republic

Centrist Think Tanks Are Raking In Exxon Cash

Kate Aronoff | July 13, 2021 | The New Republic

The Military-Industrial-Think Tank Complex: Conflicts of Interest at the Center for a New American Security [PDF]

Brett Heinz and Erica Jung | February 2021 | Revolving Door Project

Foreign Funding of Think Tanks in America [PDF]

Ben Freeman | January 2020 | Center for International Policy

The Emirati Lobby: How the UAE Wins in Washington [PDF]

Ben Freeman | October 2019 | Center for International Policy

PhRMA Is Funding a Think Tank to Derail Medicare for All

Akela Lacy | April 26, 2019 | The Intercept

A History of Think-Tanks: 12 Things You Should Know

Sir Robin Niblett | November, 22, 2018 | Chatham House

New America, a Google-Funded Think Tank, Faces Backlash for Firing a Google Critic

Kenneth P. Vogel | September 1, 2017

Lockheed Martin–Funded Experts Agree: South Korea Needs More Lockheed Martin Missiles

Adam Johnson | May 8, 2017 | FAIR

Think Tanks Are Nonpartisan? Think Again

Emily Badger | May 3, 2017 | Pacific Standard

How Think Tanks Amplify Corporate America’s Influence

Eric Lipton and Brooke Williams | August 7, 2016 | The New York Times

Foreign Powers Buy Influence at Think Tanks

Eric Lipton, Brooke Williams and Nicholas Confessore | September 6, 2014 | The New York Times

Major Research Groups Are Given Low Marks on Disclosing Donors

Eric Lipton | May 6, 2014 | The New York Times

Recruiting Bill Clinton

Al From | December 3, 2013 | The Atlantic

GOP Donors and K Street Fuel Third Way’s Advice for the Democratic Party

Lee Fang | December 3, 2013 | The Nation

They Pretend to Think, We Pretend to Listen

Ken Silverstein | August 2013 | The Baffler

The Secret Donors Behind the Center for American Progress and Other Think Tanks

Ken Silverstein | May 22, 2013 | The Nation

Meet the Think Tank Scholars who are also Beltway Lobbyists

Brooke Williams and Ken Silverstein | May 10, 2013 | The New Republic

Pundits who contest climate change should tell us who is paying them

George Monbiot | September 25, 2006 | The Guardian

Tankers on the Take

Paul Krugman | December 19, 2005 | The New York Times

Think Tanks and U.S. Foreign Policy: An Historical Perspective

Donald E. Abelson | November 2002 | U.S. Foreign Policy Agenda

How the DLC Does It

Robert Dreyfuss | December 19, 2001 | The American Prospect

A Propaganda Model [Excerpt]

Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky | 1988 | Manufacturing Consent

***

Transcript

For a full transcript of this episode, go here. You can find transcripts of past episodes, interviews and News Briefs here.

****

Citations Merch

Remember that the Citations Needed merch store is open! Please consider further supporting the show by picking up a t-shirt, tank top, sweatshirt, tote or coffee mug for yourself or your favorite Citations fan (or everyone you know!).

*****