The Biden task force may be simply an exercise in public relations, an effort to appear to do something for people who want help, as both the middle and working class do now. Its vague name reflects this rather vague mandate. For obvious reasons, the “White House Task Force on the Proletariat” is an unworkable title. But it’s odd that a committee charged with addressing the financial problems facing many American families is hampered by a title that would seem to obscure the actual economic interests of the different groups it purports to serve. And it’s unfortunate that the press hasn’t shown much interest in pointing that out.

Daniel Luzer is web editor of the Washington Monthly.