Let’s Spread Washington’s Wealth

[Geee]

The Federalist:

In an op-ed in Monday’s Washington Examiner, Jeb Bush pledged to end “the crony capitalism that is pervasive throughout the federal government.” Bush’s new policy push follows soon after he made headlines last week critiquing the concentration of government spending in Washington. Bush’s call for “a little bit of a recession in Washington, D.C., so that we can have economic prosperity outside of Washington” was provocative, but the theme should not be unfamiliar to political reporters.

 

As the Republican presidential primaries roll on, we are treated, as we are every four years, to rhetorical announcements of a war on the Washington establishment. In the days before he dropped out of the presidential race, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s promise to “wreak havoc” on Washington caused a brief frisson on the banks of the Potomac. The panic was short-lived, quickly followed by a condescending sneer and, at last, a chuckle of relief as Walker suspended his campaign. But, as with Sen. Rand Paul’s promise to “defeat the Washington machine,” the anti-elite, anti-Washington refrain strikes a nerve.

 

Elected Officials Aren’t the Only Problem

Bush is far from the only candidate to campaign against the wealth concentration in Washington. Governors turned presidential candidates from across the nation issue that rallying cry. So do, incongruously, U.S. senators running for president, people whom we normally would believe are part of the problem.

 

There is a point in this seeming illogic, because the Washington establishment is more than the president and the 535 members of Congress. They are a part of that machine, to be sure, but it also includes their staffs, employees of executive agencies, the lobbyists who canvass them, and the government contractors that reap the rewards.