02/05/25
Andrew Bernstein came onto an MOTM some years ago in defense of Trump. Here is a recent article by him, published at Capitalism Magazine, in a form of open letter:
https://capitalismmagazine.com/2025/01/an-open-letter-to-president-trump/
The letter begins and ends like this:
Congratulations to you. In no particular order, here are some public policy recommendations.
…
Thank you, Mr. President, and welcome back. You've been missed.
I wonder what Andrew Bernstein thinks of Trump's responsibility for Jan. 6? Has he read Liz Cheney's book or watched the Jan 6 hearings?
Here are some excerpts from the letter:
Deport (or execute) the violent criminals among illegal immigrants. Build the wall, patrol it, and enormously cut illegal immigration. For the honest, hardworking illegal immigrants, who are neither criminals nor welfare recipients, is it possible to at least consider offering them the chance to become US citizens? Surely, there is always room for honest, productive people in the land of opportunity.
The language is striking: "is it possible" to "consider" — it sounds like begging a bully. Also, illegal immigrants who are already in should be legitimatized, but new ones must be blocked with a wall?
He continues,
Back Israel to the hilt. Help them destroy Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Sanction and cripple Iran. Do not let those monsters develop nuclear weapons. Continue your outstanding work with the Abrahamic Accords. Broker peace treaties between Arab nations and Israel and continue to isolate and punish Iran.
The "back Israel to the hilt" links to Elan Journo article. But, besides the link, there's nothing in here that criticizes Trump for his policy of appeasement.
As for Abrahamic Accords, I consider this also an example of appeasement. Here's a country that just recently refused anyone who ever visited Israel to enter. It remains theocratic, with death penalty or lashes for apostasy and adultery. The West should not be friendly to any country that doesn't respect rights.
He further writes,
You and Elon Musk must speak out powerfully for freedom of speech and practice it, even for your vile leftist enemies. Answer their vicious propaganda with evidence, reasoning, and truth. You fight falsehoods and lies with truth, not with suppression and censorship.
The link is to an article by Jeffrey Tucker, which states that "[in] times of censorship, [Elon Musk] bought and now protects a free-speech platform." First, Twitter doesn't censor, when it filters posts, but exercises free speech. But even more glaring is the fact that Elon Musk filed an antitrust case against companies who colluded to refuse to advertise on Twitter. How can an Objectivist support Elon Musk on the issue of free speech?
If we cannot convince Objectivists to see things right, how can we hope to convince the laymen? There are 340 million residents in USA; how many would need to be convinced to reject altruism and collectivism and how long is it going to take? How many will reject tribalism or partisanship?
How many of you still think that "reform" in USA is feasible? I say: exit, not reform. It's valid to say that ideas drive history, but by what vector? By what catalyst? The Zionists realized that they can't kill antisemitism, and the only way out is to create a Jewish state. A drive to create a new laissez-faire state is going to give voice to our ideas, and rather than losing Objectivists, we will be gaining Objectivists.