Make Family Policy Great Again

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/29/opinion/sunday/make-family-policy-great-again.html

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SOME of us imagined that the 2016 campaign might feature a substantive debate about domestic policy. Some of us thought the Republican nominee might offer a detailed right-of-center agenda to counter Hillary Clinton’s liberal laundry list.

Some of us were delusional.

But why should we be trapped by the fetters of unfortunate reality? Donald Trump is many things — man’s man, ladies’ man, strength-worshiping Poujadist. Why not imagine that he has a wonkish side as well?

Let’s try — since the comforts of the imagination are all that policy-oriented conservatives have left.

I give you a scene from the fall debates, with Hillary Clinton in mid-answer:

Clinton: “… been fighting for working families for my entire career. That’s why I have a detailed plan to offer tax credits that make day care affordable. I’ll double funding for Head Start. I’ll partner with states to expand universal pre-K. And I’ll guarantee 12 weeks of paid family leave.”

Moderator: “Mr. Trump?”

Trump: “We are not winning. America is not winning. And here comes — this is typical, folks — here comes Crooked Hillary, and of course she wants America to become more like France. That’s what these policies would do. When was the last time France was winning? When was the last time they won a war? I don’t build in France, it’s so hopeless. Not to mention the terrorism problem …”

Clinton: “There he goes, changing the subject. Donald doesn’t have an answer for working families. Because he’s fundamentally sexist. Because he thinks changing diapers means, and I’m quoting him, you’re ‘acting like the wife.’ ”

Trump: “I love women. I love women. Ask anyone who worked for me — I love successful women. But Hillary’s plan won’t help women succeed. The policies she’s talking about, they’re losing policies. They’re bad for women who want to do big things. Businesses don’t promote them, they put them on the mommy track. I talk to so many business people, I know. French women don’t get promoted the way they do here — that’s a fact. They don’t get promoted the way they do in my company, which you know is one the most successful companies in the world.

You look at Europe — which by the way, Hillary doesn’t want you to do — you look at Europe, and you see fewer women in management than in America, fewer women in professional jobs. You see fewer women C.E.O.s. On a ranking — a really prestigious ranking, really great — America came out better for women’s economic opportunity than the countries, Sweden and Denmark and the other ones, all the countries that Hillary wants to become.”

Clinton: “You say you love women when they’re successful. But the working families of America …”

Trump: “The working families — I love the workers, the workers love me — need policies that work. Head Start doesn’t work. The studies, the best studies, by the smartest people, they all agree. It. Doesn’t. Work. Universal child care, this economist, by the way an economist who worked for President Obama, he did a study of universal child care in Quebec, where by the way they speak French. Didn’t work. Kids in the program did worse, committed more crimes, made less money. Same with universal pre-K: Big study, in Kentucky, I mean Tennessee, showed it didn’t do anything. Bad outcomes. Bad.

Clinton: “So Donald’s message to working families is, you’re on your own.”

Trump: “I know there are some conservatives who are very heartless. Very heartless. That’s not who I am. But we need ideas that work. So we should let parents just have their money. Don’t do things that don’t work, just let people have the money. Marco Rubio — I beat him so badly, I called him Liddle Marco, now he supports me — Marco Rubio had a plan to give, what do you call them, tax credits to families with kids. $10,000 a kid.

Moderator (interrupting): It was $2,500, Mr. Trump.

Trump: “$2,500, $10,000, the point is, we need to think big. Start out big, negotiate, that’s how I do it. Some women want to work. Some mothers — my wife, Melania, so beautiful, she was a model, such a wonderful mother — want to stay home. Some parents want to work part time. Lots of polling shows this. Give them the money to do it.”

Clinton: “Except Senator Rubio’s plan would have excluded millions of parents who don’t make enough money to benefit from the credit. This is just another Republican … ”

Trump: “Did I say it was my plan? Maybe we just give all the parents the money. A child allowance. I’m not sure. Some conservatives don’t like that idea, worry about making single parenthood too attractive. Illegal immigration. Anchor babies. I don’t know. Let’s negotiate. I say, build the wall, let American families have more money. That’s what the evidence shows. We need strong families. We need to be strong. We need to be so tough. Thank you very much.”

Clinton: “This is the most ridiculous column I’ve ever read.”

Me: “You say that now, but we’ve got five months to go.”