Brett Stephens: Happy New Year, Gail. Donald Trump will be president again in a few weeks. Is there any upcoming news that makes you feel optimistic?
Gail Collins: Well, Brett, the holidays are always a great time to catch up with friends and family. It’s nice to look back on this. But as for the near future, I have a feeling you’re looking at something a little more… political.
Brett: Or Squidward Season 3.
Gail: Furthermore, you’re the one who wants to discuss the possibility that Trump II won’t be the gut-wrenching disaster we have every reason to expect. So take it away.
Brett: I made a New Year’s resolution to stay positive about Trump II—at least until reality slaps me in the face, probably until January 21st. Extend the 2017 tax cuts; defund federally funded DEI programs that are counterproductive and divisive; finally end Iran’s nuclear ambitions; release all Israeli hostages in Gaza and end Hamas in Gaza and Allah in Lebanon A state of terror for the party; more domestic energy production; a truly secure southern border; selling Greenland to the United States (not a crazy idea as long as it’s voluntary) and making Canada our 51st state.
Okay, I was kidding about Canada; I only asked for the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. But mostly I hope the Democrats can look at all the shortcomings of last year and figure out how to be a competent opposition party. What do you think the main lesson should be?
Gail: We all know that the main lesson is that many, many, many Americans are dissatisfied with the cost of living. The quick way to improve things is to cut taxes on the middle and working class while raising taxes on the rich. We can’t give everyone, including billionaires, spending cuts without the deficit skyrocketing.
The money we save by not giving Elon Musk and company further tax cuts could be used, in part, to fund programs that help struggling workers—better schools for their children, and providing quality early education for children, thereby saving parents from the dilemma.
Brett: It’s great to see honest Democrats like James Carville publicly admit that all their cheery rhetoric last year about the success of Biden economics was not working with voters who are being squeezed by higher prices, higher rents, and higher financing costs . Voters are outraged by this, just as people are outraged by the way Democrats misled the public about Joe Biden’s suitability for a second term — and possibly a first term.
Gail: I won’t move us into another speech I gave about the many accomplishments of Biden’s presidency, from access to affordable health care to environmental protection. I have to admit, tax reform is not one of the top ten reforms.
Brett: Many voters, including me, also believe that Democrats gave us the drug crisis in Oregon, the chronic shoplifting in San Francisco, the crazy crowds on the New York subway, and the millions of illegal immigrants that flooded cities from Chicago to Yuma. Public Service, Arizona teachers unions are more concerned with protecting their members than educating students, and the world is more threatening today than it was when Biden took office. The winning Democrats, like Bill Clinton in 1992, figured out how to maintain public order and orderly change, rather than disorder and decay.
Gail: Looking forward to debating almost any issue with you. But first, I want to ask about some of the political drama this week. What are your thoughts on Mike Johnson continuing as Speaker of the House? While I’m sure I’ll spend the next two years complaining endlessly about Johnson, I have to admit that I hate that he’s being destroyed for keeping the government running.
Brett: Totally agree. After the antics of 2023, it’s good to have something approaching semi-regular order in the House. The only Republican to vote against Johnson was actually the second Republican to vote against Johnson. When American politics is so deeply divided and polarized, fringe figures like him gain too much power.
Gail: When there’s a swing vote, the likelihood that it’s a crazy person is very high.
Speaking of crazy – well, I’m back to Trump. There’s been a lot of mumbo jumbo about immigration lately. As a terrorist from Texas charged through a crowded street, our future president suggested—completely wrongly—that he was an alien. We’re heading into a long, cold winter, and I expect he’ll blame immigrants for rising temperatures.
The new administration will of course keep them out unless they have some special skills that Elon Musk can use for his businesses.
Brett: We need to spend this entire conversation on Elon. I’m just pointing out that I was against Musk until it became cool.
Gail: I think you and I both agree that without immigrants to do the jobs that they do, whether it’s high-paying jobs or low-wage jobs, the economy would take a serious hit. Just spoke to a teacher recently who said the roof of his school was caving in and the leadership couldn’t find anyone to fix it – except for a team of immigrants who had all the necessary skills and enthusiasm.
What will the next government do? Any predictions on how it will work?
Brett: Immigration is both a testament to and an important factor in America’s greatness: we owe it to the millions of people who wanted to be here; we owe it to them to bring so much energy, ambition, and imagination to the economy. Their credit.
But another important factor that makes America great is the rule of law. It is wrong that so many people come here in contempt of the rule of law. I do not support mass deportations of illegal immigrants. But we need to secure our borders, know who is in this country, require them to pay fines as punishment for breaking the law, immediately deport anyone with a criminal record, and create better incentives for vetted immigrants to arrive here legally. Don’t you agree?
Gail: We can have anyone come over for the weekend and stay.
just kidding. If our incoming president wants to truly improve the immigration system, you and I will certainly be prepared to discuss reasonable ways to tighten the laws. But please forgive my lack of optimism.
Brett, one of the big news next week is Jimmy Carter’s funeral. I’m a fan. What are your thoughts on our former president?
Brett: The man is not allowed to speak ill of the deceased. What makes you a fan?
Gail: Well, he’s certainly not perfect. But I would say that as governor of Georgia, his advocacy for desegregation and his leadership on environmental issues like climate change put him in a higher position than many other major politicians. His efforts for world peace later in life earned him a Nobel Prize, and he also set an example by personally providing housing for the poor.
Brett: It’s all true. He was more honest and upright than some of his successors, living by the values he believed in. And, as a reward for people like me, he deregulated airlines.
Which brings me to something more mundane: What do you think about the congestion pricing rules that go into effect in lower Manhattan on Sunday?
Gail: It’s clear that this is a good idea in principle – make it more expensive for people to drive into Manhattan and use the revenue to improve public transit service. Gov. Kathy Hochul was originally a fan of the plan, but she vetoed a more costly plan, perhaps to satisfy suburban Democrats. Now that the election is over, good sense can prevail.
But I haven’t had a car in years – you’re a driver who lives out of town. Tell me what you think.
Brett: To me, this seems like just another progressive brainstorm that sounds good in theory – encourage people to use mass transit; reduce smog and road congestion; use the money to fund public infrastructure – but it’s just another A tax that is most burdensome to working-class people who, for one reason or another, need to own a car in Manhattan. Fareed Zakaria wrote an excellent op-ed in the Washington Post last week noting that New York State’s budget is more than twice the size of Florida’s and taxes are much higher, but it’s hard to say New Yorkers Got more out of taxes. Maybe the state should reduce taxes and govern better instead of constantly raising taxes to drive people out of the state.
Gail: We need more time to have a real New York vs. Florida debate. This debate is coming at us like leaves falling from a palm tree. expect.
Brett: Regardless, I’ll keep driving into town. I will also continue to urge our readers not to miss one of the week’s best news stories, which leads me to CJ Chivers’ long, important and engaging report on Ukraine’s drone war against Russia’s invading forces. In addition to being a terrifying window into the war to come, it contains some of the best prose I’ve read anywhere in quite some time. An example:
Prorock flew a second quadcopter that carried fragments of anti-personnel submunitions recovered from Soviet-era cluster bombs. He drove it close to the tree line and searched like a mechanical vulture looking for the weak, then maneuvered it slowly beneath the canopy of a green forest in bloom in Ukraine’s spring. During the second pass, the less injured Russian appeared on the screen. Hearing the buzzing sound, he abandoned his companions and ran away. Prorock chased him for about 20 meters, out of range, then turned and buried the drone’s nose in the dirt. “I hit him about two meters away with that heavy ammunition,” he said. “That would definitely kill people.”
Ernie Pyle and Martha Gellhorn have a 21st-century counterpart. So glad he writes for us.
