How to Talk About Income Inequality

John Oliver had a segment on income inequality, in which he showed President Obama referring to it as "the defining challenge of our time," only to back off when Fox and other right wingers accused him of "waging class warfare."

Yes, there is class warfare - but it is not President Obama and others concerned about the disturbing rise in income (and wealth) inequality who are waging it.  As Warren Buffett has remarked:,“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”  I take it he means the buying of politicians who will act to further the policies that have already resulted in a huge increase in the national income going to a tiny elite of the truly wealthy, and the concomitant increase in their wealth.

John Oliver quotes President Obama as asking a group of historians "to help me find a way to discuss the issue of inequality in our society without being accused of class warfare."  First observation:  why historians? The right people to ask would be those familiar with the arts of persuasion - PR professionals would be an obvious  choice, though if President Obama had asked me, I would have told him to consult the likes of George Lakoff, who has consistently advised Democrats to frame issues in a way that resonates with voters, and not allow the Republicans to set the terms of debate, so that Democrats are left on the defensive and silenced, as in the example of President Obama's unwillingness to pursue "the defining challenge of our time." 

Apparently, President Obama has not heard the old saying: the best defense is a good offense.  Rather than let his opponents accuse him of class warfare, he should forcefully point out that class warfare is being waged against ordinary Americans by the wealthy 1%, and make it clear: reporting on class warfare is not the same as waging class warfare.  The wealthy are waging it, and and bringing attention to it is reporting on it, not waging it.  By failing to go on the offensive, President Obama is allowing right wing hacks to unfairly accuse him of being the one waging class warfare.

A century ago, at a time of similar inequality as we're seeing today  Teddy Roosevelt energized the nation by damning the wealthy who preyed on ordinary Americans with the memorable expression "malefactors of great wealth".  See how the context of that expression resonates today:

..it may well be that the determination of the Government (in which, gentlemen, it will not waver), to punish certain malefactors of great wealth, has been responsible for something of the trouble ; at least to the extent of having caused these men to combine to bring about as much financial stress as possible, in order to discredit the policy of the Government and thereby secure a reversal of that policy, so that they may enjoy unmolested the fruits of their own evil-doing.

 We need another resonant expression today to make clear the pernicious influence on our politics of today's malefactors of great wealth, as they pour huge amounts of money to support the political candidates (mostly Republican) who are only too willing to assist them in their waging of class warfare.  The term I propose: class war mercenaries, and use it regularly to describe the Republican party in general, as well as individual members as they vote against the interest of poor and middle class Americans for the benefit of their wealthy financiers.  And Fox News and its ilk can be called class war propagandists, as they can (accurately) be seen to be defending and cheering on those waging class war.