Neo-Brandeisians Confuse Authoritarian Rule with Liberty

The neo-Brandeisian (NB) movement has always been about using the government to control others. Its primary strategy is to use antitrust to limit what consumers and businesses can do, but the movement is also interested in using economic regulation, control of property rights, and public ownership of businesses to impose its will on the economy. Now, this authoritarian bent is prompting some to grab power by bypassing governmental checks and balances. If they are successful, it won’t be good for democracy.

To illustrate the movement’s authoritarian bent, consider the writings of three of its more prominent leaders: Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairperson Lina Khan, Open Markets Institute Director Barry Lynn, and Columbia Law School Professor and former Biden White House Antitrust Advisor Tim Wu.

Read Dr. Jamison’s complete blog post at AEI.