Trump Economic Recovery Panel: Libertarian Clown Posse

President Trump announced the members of his Coronavirus economic recovery panel yesterday. He calls it the Great American Economic Revival and, true to its name, it’s got an amen corner of true believers. Unfortunately for a panel on government economic interventions, they’re fundamentalist Libertarians, believers in a savage free market “red in tooth and claw,” and opposed to any government intervention in American life. The market Malthusian “though leaders” on this committee are from the Cato Institute, Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, and Conservative Partnership Institute. Even the name “Great American Economic Revival” was provided by a Right-Wing media group.

There are about 50 other members of this Great American Economic Revival thingy, each with competing interests. The industrial powerhouses represented include: Chick-fil-A, Waffle House, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Norwegian Cruise Lines, UFC, PGA, WWE, NASCAR, and the Dallas Cowboys. Since the role of the group is undefined, this all seems a pointless pro-forma or ceremonial exercise. Maybe it’s just more pandering to Trump political donors and fanboys, and won’t do much damage. There’s now a White House economic task force that’s even larger and more unwieldy.

More:

“Trump Launched a Coronavirus Economic Council Without Telling Members They Were On It,” Asawin Suebsaeng, Hunter Woodall, Erin Banco, and Jackie Kucinich, Daily Beast

“Who Tells Trump When to Restart the Economy,” New York Times Dealbook

Related:

“The White House’s committee to reopen America,” Dan Primack, Axios

“Trump Announces His ‘Opening the Country’ Council,” Annie Karni and Maggie Haberman, New York Times

“Trump Put 200 People On Recovery Panel—Just 20 Are Women And Seven Are Black,” Hunter Woodall, Lachlan Markay, and Sam Stein, Daily Beast

___________________

Short Link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-uOK

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Tags: "Tea Party", clown car, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Donald Trump, economic recovery, economics, economy, Great American Economic Revival, libertarians, reopening the economy, Trump, Trump Administration