It’s important for Real Progressives to “know thine enemy.” Peter G. Peterson has been an enemy of the social safety net since he first appeared in Washington, DC during the Nixon Administration. Over the years he has built a network spanning the corporate elite especially focused on the financial sector and Wall Street, politicians in both parties, non-profit foundations and think tanks, mainstream media organizations, and Washington lobby groups.

In this interview, I outline a portion of the Peterson Network now focused around the Peter G. Peterson Foundation and its efforts to sell the austerity point of view by using the meme of fiscal responsibility through deficit reduction. More details about the network are available in my e-book, Real Fiscal Responsibility, Vol. II: The Peterson Network, Inequality, and the Failure of Neoliberalism.