American Enterprise Institute

[[File:American Enterprise Institute logo.svg|thumb|right|165px|AEI's logo]]
{{politics}}
The '''American Enterprise Institute (AEI)''' is a [[think tank]] in [[Washington DC]], founded in 1938 as a joint project by a number of [[business]] executives. It functions as schmooze central for [[Beltway]] insiders and something of the more "mature," less "nutty," older brother to other [[conservative]] think tanks like [[Competitive Enterprise Institute|CEI]] or [[Cato Institute|Cato]].

==You might be executives, but you're not very smart==
The [[neoconservative]] godfather Irving Kristol became affiliated with AEI in the late 1960s, after bailing from another organization upon learning that it was [[CIA]]-funded. Subsequently, AEI took a harder neocon bent, though it also employed the occasional [[libertarian]] like [[Milton Friedman]]. They became a hotbed of [[Reaganomics|trickle-down economics]] during the [[Reagan]] years.

In 1995, they elected Kenneth Lay, then CEO of [[Enron]], to the board.<Ref>''The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron'' by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind (2004) Penguin Books ISBN 1591840538</ref>{{rp|87}} During his time a trustee, he once gave a talk about [[renewable energy]] and [[natural gas]] in a 1997 conference.<Ref>[https://www.aei.org/articles/annual-conference-features-global-environmental-policy/ Annual Conference Features Global Environmental Policy] (January 1, 1998) AEI</ref> Speaking of, the Enron scandal did not shake their faith in the [[free market]]. Whilst the event was still ongoing, they were rather skeptical with regards to new regulations<ref>[https://www.aei.org/articles/pension-reform-in-the-wake-of-enrons-collapse/ Shadow Statement No. 177: Pension Reform in the Wake of Enron’s Collapse] (February 25, 2002) AEI</ref><ref>[https://www.aei.org/articles/enron-and-accounting-issues/ Shadow Statement No. 176: Enron and Accounting Issues] (February 25, 2002) AEI </ref> and praised how other private businesses shunned the company during its collapse.<ref>[https://www.aei.org/articles/more-rules-wont-help/ More Rules Won’t Help] by James K. Glassman (April 2, 2003) Wall Street Journal, via AEI</ref> One of their resident scholars proclaimed that it was "[[Free market#Free market fundamentalism|exactly in such ways that markets use Darwinian forces to weed out those who don’t belong]]" and that he had a "renewed respect for the free market system."<Ref>[https://www.aei.org/articles/frontier-corporate-justice-works/ Frontier Corporate Justice Works] by Kevin A. Hassett (July 3, 2002) Australian Financial Review, via AEI</ref> Another predicted that the American securities market would rebound, stating that it has a "self-correcting element that is powerful, pervasive and generally underestimated."<ref>[https://www.aei.org/research-products/speech/the-significance-of-enron/ The Significance of Enron] by Peter J. Wallison(May 15, 2002) AEI</ref>

[[George Bush|Dubya]] appointed their staff to his cabinet during his administration and AEI churned out a bunch of pro-war [[propaganda]]. AEI also caused some Beltway butthurt when they booted [[David Frum]].

They were alleged to have put up a cash offer for scientists to [[Global warming denialism|criticize the IPCC report]], which never went through.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/feb/02/frontpagenews.climatechange Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study], ''The Guardian''</ref> They claim this never happened and the ''[[Guardian]]'' misrepresented the proposed grant as a bribe.<ref>[http://www.aei.org/article/25586 "Climate controversy and AEI: Facts and fictions"], AEI</ref> Unlike many conservative think tanks, not ''all'' of its members take a hard-line denialist position on global warming — some of its fellows accept the [[science]] while others deny it. James Glassman is probably one of their more notorious deniers, having churned out a good deal of material for Tech Central Station, an online magazine known as a denialist platform.<ref>[http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0312.confessore.html Meet the Press], Washington Monthly</ref>

==Elephant, meet room==
On the [[Stopped clock|positive side]], they, unlike [[Heritage Foundation|some other]] [[Mitt Romney|conservatives]], haven't tried to deny that [[Obamacare]] is pretty much the exact plan that they and other conservatives had been pushing for since the '90s.<ref>J.D. Kleinke. [http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/opinion/sunday/why-obamacare-is-a-conservatives-dream.html "The Conservative Case for Obamacare."] ''The New York Times'', September 29, 2012.</ref>

==Members==
{{collist|2|
*[[John Bolton]]
*[[Dick Cheney]]
*[[Dinesh D'Souza]]
*{{wpl|Robert P. George||,}} founder of the {{wpl|Witherspoon Institute}}
*[[Jonah Goldberg]]
*{{wpl|Kevin Hassett||,}} of the [[willful ignorance]] school of economics,<ref>[https://www.thebulwark.com/p/meet-kevin-hassett-conservatisms Meet Kevin Hassett: Conservatism’s Invincible Ignoramus: Trump's director of the National Economic Council is a silly man.] by Jonathan V. Last (Feb 18, 2025) ''The Bulwark''.</ref> left AEI to join the [[MAGA|Trump cabal]]
*[[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]]
*[[Donald Rumsfeld]]
*[[Christina Hoff Sommers]]
*[[Paul Wolfowitz]]
}}

==External Links==
*[http://www.aei.org/ AEI homepage]
*[http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Enterprise_Institute Sourcewatch on AEI]
*[http://www.desmogblog.com/taxonomy/term/1736 AEI category at DeSmog Blog]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
[[Category:Global warming denialists]]
[[Category:Kochsphere]]
[[Category:Neoconservatism]]
[[Category:Think tanks]]

Categories: Conservative deceit, Global warming denialists, Kochsphere, Neoconservatism, Think tanks