Gail Collins: Well, Bret, here we are. None of us are crazy about going into another four-year Trump term, but I’ll bet you can put a more optimistic spin on it than I can. Go to it.
Bret Stephens: However, here is one hope: Donald Trump’s return to power will serve as a wake-up call for many liberals, including liberal journalists, who have lost touch with the concerns and values of ordinary Americans – people who do not enjoy their similarities. they were insulted by being told there was no problem at the border, or that their concerns about inflation were overblown, or that President Biden’s memory was correct, or that race should be prominent. consideration in selecting a Supreme Court justice or vice president. Maybe it will motivate the Democrats to do better as the opposition party.
Any chance?
Gail: Hello, I see very good topics of discussion there. However, there is no doubt that the Democrats will try to develop a minority of options when it comes to presidential candidates. Especially when the nation is grappling with a CEO who will be in his 80s and has lost a step or two or ten.
Brett: You’re referring to Trump, right? I think you are mistaking being called old for proven durability.
Gail: Good point. And as for policies – I’ll bet you that any serious effort to deport all illegal immigrants will lead to labor shortages that will make food prices go up, not down. Bigger tax cuts for the rich will lead to higher deficits and worse inflation.
Brett: It’s not a political winner when Democrats tell working Americans, including Latinos and Black Americans, that they want to fill the workforce with desperate immigrants willing to work in construction or packaging or service jobs for long hours and little pay.
My advice to Democrats – not that they want to take it from me – is to run to the political center. Be strict in enforcing boundaries. Join hands with Trump in building a wall. The first Democratic mount challenges against progressive DAs like Alvin Bragg of New York or Larry Krasner of Philadelphia, both of whom have allowed petty crime to flourish. Reject Woke lefties who want to destroy Israel or allow trans women to play in women’s sports. Show some independence to teachers’ unions that put the interests of their members before those of their students. Remember that the reason Trump was reelected was not because ordinary Americans liked him; is that they loved Kamala Harris even a little.
In other words, who is the next Bill Clinton?
Gail: Ah, I remember a long time ago when the answer to that question was: Hillary Clinton. It just goes to show that old wisdom isn’t always the wisest wisdom.
Democrats have a lot of talent at the second level – governors and members of Congress who can reach the general public. The governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, is being talked about a lot, and I’d like to see a female presidential nominee win the presidency.
Brett: Seth Moulton. Andy Beshear. Elissa Slotkin. Wes Moore. John Fetterman. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Ritchie Torres. Dems, that’s your smart thorn. Listen to them.
Gail: But it’s four years away – oh gosh. In the meantime, my advice to Republicans is to try to distance themselves from Trump’s profound insanity. You don’t see how intelligent senators can accept his tariff plans.
But on the immigration front, many Democrats feel there is really no point in fighting a wall in Mexico. It is primarily symbolic. And party leaders have thrown in the towel on a bill that encourages the deportation of undocumented immigrants who face crimes such as burglary and shoplifting.
Brett: You raise a good point. The political challenge for Republicans is to steer a course between the traditional loyalty owed to their party leader and the arrogance that Trump often demands from his followers. Most Republicans will find a way to make peace with Trump’s love of spending, even though they know it hurts the economy. But they will have a hard time with other things. I don’t envy Marco Rubio trying to steer a course between his hawkish sentiments on Russia and Trump’s lovey-dovey feelings for Vladimir Putin.
Changing subjects, Gail, we promised last week that we would not oppose the politics of the Los Angeles fires while they were still burning. Now that it looks like they’re pretty much over – fingers crossed – what do you think the outcome will be?
Gail: There will be no end to political criticism, much attention has been paid to the decision of the Mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, to attend the inauguration of the new president in Ghana at a time when some kind of serious fire was clear.
Brett: Especially after you promised the voters that you would stop taking those kinds of junkets if you were elected mayor.
Gail: But you know, Bret, my main goal is global warming. Americans should accept the tragedy in Los Angeles as a sign of what is already happening – and it could harm the future of generations to come.
Brett: Of course. But no matter what the big, all-encompassing solution is, what firefighters need in an emergency is a working fire extinguisher, not the authority of an electric vehicle.
California has become a political metaphor for a kind of harebrained progressivism that damages the good name of liberalism. California’s Democratic leaders want to be compassionate to the homeless, even calling them “homeless people.” OK. But it is NOT OK when homeless shelters continue to burn and possibly start fires. They want to respect the constitutional rights of drug addicts living on the streets and empathize with their plight. But then they let the addicts turn entire cities into cesspools. They want to be sensitive to the environment. However, they move slowly because of concern for the small fish. They want to maintain the look and feel of the neighborhoods. However, they wonder why there is a lack of housing, and why people are leaving the state in large numbers.
If I were Trump, I would be in California on Wednesday, making all these points and more. Watch California turn into a red state sometime in the next 10 years.
Gail: Don’t think California will turn red. But I’m sorry to say that this tragedy almost killed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s nomination for president.
Brett: Hallelujah.
Gail: Back to Trump, Bret. Here we are on Inauguration Day – tell me your thoughts on the new cabinet nominees, now that the rubber is hitting the road. I think there is at least a chance that some Republican senators will feel comfortable voting against one of them, and if so the loser will be RFK Jr. Am I wrong?
Brett: It’s hard to say. It will be very difficult for any member of the GOP to be the deciding vote that brings down Trump’s nominee. A few Republicans, like Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is a doctor, might just vote their conscience and take down RFK Jr., and maybe Mitch McConnell will do the same for Tulsi Gabbard. We’ll see: Political courage these days is the fastest way to early retirement.
Another great topic. Gail, TikTok, is the social media app of choice for Chinese teenagers and spies. The Supreme Court voted unanimously last week that the government has the right to shut it down as a national security risk, but Trump appears to have given the company a chance. Any thoughts on this?
Gail: Hate to censor but I am horrified that China may be using TikTok to infiltrate the private lives of millions of Americans. Trump should pressure the Chinese to sell it. It can be a good compromise, depending on who the buyer will be.
But I’m not a techie – what do you think?
Brett: I wish we could block TikTok entirely, not only to keep the Chinese from deleting our personal data, but also to keep cat videos from picking up whatever is left of our collective IQ. .
Gail: That’s the highest praise for Donald I’m willing to put up with.
Brett: The big question here is what the next four years bring in terms of our relationship with China. This is one of the places where I’m much happier with Trump in the White House than I would be with Harris. He conveys a combination of tenacity and unpredictability that could do more than the Biden team did to thwart a strongman like Xi Jinping. Either that – or World War III.
Gail: It’s no fun putting in another four years with a guy who might blow up the planet. Good lord, four years. My mind keeps coming back to that. I think that’s a test of my side of the political world – can we march for 48 months, represent sanity and not go crazy?
I can’t say I look forward to going against it every week, but if I have to stumble through it, I’m glad to know I’ll be doing it with you.
Brett: Feeling connected. It’s going to be one helluva ride.
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