What’s the Point of an Anti-American Left?

More Misinformation from the Media:

This is the point where you have to ask yourself what Beinart actually thinks the Democratic Party is for. Personally, I think any center-left party worth its salt has to be deeply committed to egalitarianism, not just for people born in the U.S. but for everyone.

That means fighting for LGBT rights against bathroom bills . . . more domestic redistribution to address poverty. . . .  But it also means treating people born outside the U.S. as equals. . . . And it means a strong presumption in favor of open immigration. Not only does migration help native workers overall, it enables a massive increase in the welfare of people abroad, typically people much poorer than poor Americans, who come here.

For rich countries, accepting large numbers of immigrants is a basic obligation of justice, as is helping the poor at home, and left of center people need to be thinking about how to build an electoral and interest group coalition. . . .  – What’s the Point of an Anti-Immigrant Left?, Vox, Dylan Matthews, 7/2/17. [Link]

Fact Check: Matthews’ article, with the excerpts above, was in response to an article by Peter Beinart which appeared in The Atlantic. Beinart made the case that Democrats should moderate their almost unqualified support of mass immigration. Among other points, he maintained that it is weakening national unity and harming poor Americans.

Matthews accepts none of this, and basically argues for immigration without limit or end. His view is significant because it appears to be widespread among the self-styled “progressives” who lead the Democratic Party. It is also significant because Matthews tacitly admits things that other progressives believe but are more careful—for the sake of expediency—to conceal.

Matthews doesn’t care about what immigration does to America and Americans because this country as a country means nothing to him. What else can one conclude from his claim that Americans and foreigners are “equal” and thus indistinguishable? This may sound “enlightened,” but it shows a profound lack of natural affection, indeed a lack of patriotism. It’s like a parent saying that he has no preference or special affection for his own children over other children.

The writer makes no effective case that immigration benefits native workers overall, and even concedes that it does harm U.S. workers without a high school diploma. But if nationality doesn’t matter, as it clearly doesn’t to Matthews, then why prioritize poor Americans over poor foreigners?

Indeed it is true that some foreigners can greatly improve their lot by coming to America, but massive and unending flow of immigration numbers of them tend to keep all of them unassimilated and poor. The notion that we can alleviate world poverty in any significant way through immigration is belied by simple mathematics. Specifically, world population increases by about 80 million a year, most of it in poor countries. Admitting any large portion of that overflow would swamp us in just a few years.

No, mass immigration to America will not save the world, but it can certainly be useful to people aim to build “an election and interest group coalition.” More unassimilated and poor immigrants made a wonderful constituency for Democratic progressives who want to remake America. With that easily manipulated voting bloc they can overturn traditional America to create their socialist utopia of income redistribution and unisex bathrooms. No longer would constitutional government constrain social engineers like Mr. Mathews who, most interestingly, has called for the abolition of the Constitution.

He and his fellow progressives see the need for superior people, such as themselves, to usher in the golden age of equality. America and American heritage are not their concern because they are Americans only in name.

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