Ideas | Meet the New Boss. Same as Old Boss.

Gail Collins: Bret, here we are. None of us are crazy about the hype of another four-year Trump term, but I’m sure you can do a more optimistic spin than I can. Go there.

Bret Stephens: Well, there is one hope: Donald Trump’s return to power will be a wake-up call for many liberals, including liberal journalists, who have lost touch with the concerns and values ​​of Common Americans – people who did not enjoy their common wealth. insulted for saying there was no border crisis, or their concerns about hyperinflation, or that President Biden’s memory is good, or that racism should be most important considerations in selection. chief justice or vice president. It may encourage Democrats to do better as the opposition party.

Is there any chance?

Gail: Hey, I see a good topic for discussion there. However, there is no doubt that the Democrats will try to develop younger options in terms of presidential candidates. Especially when the country is stuck with a chief executive who will soon be 80 and has already lost a step or two or 10.

Brett: You’re talking about Trump, right? I think you are wrongly referring to aging as confirmed scurrility.

Gail: Good idea. And as for politics — I bet you that any serious attempt to deport illegal immigrants here will lead to a labor shortage that will raise the cost of food, not lower it. Big tax cuts for the rich will lead to higher deficits and higher inflation.

Brett: It’s not a political winner if Democrats tell working-class Americans, including Latinos and Black Americans, that they want to flood the workforce with desperate immigrants who are willing to work in construction or packaging. meat or service for more hours and less money.

My advice to Democrats – not that they want to take it away from me – is to run to the political center. Be strong in enforcing boundaries. Join Trump in building a wall. The first challenge in the Democratic Mountain against progressive DAs like Alvin Bragg in New York or Larry Krasner in Philadelphia, both of whom allowed crime to flourish. Rejected by Woke leftists who want to destroy Israel or allow women who have changed it to play women’s sports. Show some independence from teachers’ unions that put the interests of their members before those of students. Remember, the reason Trump was re-elected was not because the average American liked him; that is, they don’t really like Kamala Harris.

In other words, who is the next Bill Clinton?

Gail: Ah, I remember the answer to that question a long time ago: Hillary Clinton. Just goes to show that old wisdom isn’t always wisdom.

Democrats have a lot of talent in the second tier – governors and members of Congress who can reach the masses. The governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer, has been mentioned a lot, and I’m eager to see a woman nominated for president.

Brett: Seth Moulton. Andy Beshear. Elissa Slotkin. Wes Moore. John Fetterman. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez. Ritchie Torres. Dems, this is your sanity caucus. Listen to them.

Gail: But — oh gosh — four years away. In the meantime, my advice to Republicans is to try to distance themselves from Trump’s profound stupidity. Don’t look at how healthy seniors can take the fee plan.

But when it comes to immigration, many Democrats feel there is no point in fighting for a Mexican wall. It is very symbolic. And party leaders have already thrown in the towel on bills that encourage the deportation of undocumented immigrants accused of crimes like burglary and shoplifting.

Brett: You raise a great point. The political challenge for Republicans is to steer the course between the traditional loyalty owed to their party leaders and the arrogance that Trump often demands of his servants. Most Republicans will find a way to reconcile with Trump’s love of tariffs, even if they know it’s economically damaging. But they will be more difficult in other things. I don’t begrudge Marco Rubio trying to steer a course between his hawkish views on Russia and Trump’s feelings for Vladimir Putin.

Changing the subject, Gail, we promised last week that we would not debate the politics of the Los Angeles wildfires while they were still burning. Now it looks like it’s mostly over – fingers crossed – what do you think might happen?

Gail: There will be no end to the political recriminations, and attention is now on Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’ decision to attend the inauguration of Ghana’s new president on a time of potential chaos. it was clear what kind of fire it was.

Brett: Especially after you promised the voters that you would stop hosting these types of junkets if you were elected mayor.

Gail: But you know, Bret, my main target is global warming. Americans should take the tragedy in Los Angeles as a sign of what’s going on – and what’s coming next for generations to come.

Brett: For sure. But regardless of all the great solutions, what firefighters need in an emergency is a working hydrant, not an electric vehicle mandate.

California has become a political metaphor for the kind of harebrained progressivism that undermines liberalism’s reputation. Democratic leaders in California want to sympathize with the homeless, calling them “homeless people.” Ok. But that’s not okay when the homeless camp keeps on fire and could start burning. They want to respect the rights of street drug addicts and be sensitive to their plight. But then they let them turn the whole town into a garbage dump. They want to be sensitive to the environment. But then they go slow on the necessary water projects out of concern for the small fish. They want to maintain the appearance of the historic area. But they wonder why there is a housing shortage, 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 in the next 10 years.

Gail: Don’t think California will turn red. But I’m sorry to say that this tragedy may have killed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s chances for the presidential nomination.

Brett: Hallelujah.

Gail: Back to Trump, Bret. Here we are on inauguration day — tell me how you feel about the new cabinet nominees, now that the rubber is hitting the road. I think some Republican senators might feel free to vote for one of them, and if so, RFK Jr. would lose. Am I wrong?

Brett: It’s hard to say. It will be very difficult for any GOP senator to be the deciding vote on who will nominate someone for Trump. A few Republicans, like Louisiana Bill Cassidy, who is a doctor, may just vote their conscience and take down RFK Jr., and maybe Mitch McConnell will do the same to Tulsi Gabbard. We’ll see: Political courage these days is a fast track to early retirement.

Another great topic. Gail, is TikTok, the social media app loved by Chinese teenagers and hackers. The Supreme Court voted unanimously last week that the government has the right to ban it as a national security threat, but Trump appears to have given the company a refund. Any thoughts on that?

Gail: Hateful censorship, but I am appalled that China could use TikTok to shut down the privacy of millions of Americans. Trump should force the Chinese to sell it. It can be a good compromise, depending on who the buyer is.

But I’m not a techie – what do you think?

Brett: I wish we could ban TikTok completely, not to stop the Chinese from cleaning up personal data, but to keep cat videos from polluting what’s left of our collective IQ. especially for small businesses that do a lot of legal business through the app.

Gail: That is the highest compliment to Donald that I am willing to tolerate.

Brett: The bigger question here is what the next four years will bring to our relationship with China. This is one of the areas where I’m happier with Trump in the White House than I was with Harris. He conveys a tough and unpredictable combination that could do more than Biden’s team did to stop a strongman like Xi Jinping. Either that — or World War III.

Gail: Not happy about starting four more years with a man who could blow up the planet. Good lord, four years. My mind keeps coming back to it. I think this is a test for the political side of the political world — can we march for 48 months, stand for common sense and not be stupid?

I can’t say I look forward to discussing all of this every week, but if I have to falter on it, I’m happy to know that I’ll be doing it with you.

Brett: Feelings are shared. It’s going to be a helluva trip.