Bret Stephens: Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving, Gail. Peggy Noonan had a terrific column last week in The Wall Street Journal, making the case for why Taylor Swift should be Time’s Person of the Year. Aside from the fact that her Eras tour transformed the economy of many of the cities in which she played, she also spoke to the hearts and souls of millions of Swifties — including my two daughters — and spread joy, romance and glamour across the fair land.
Anyone else you’d like to nominate?
Gail Collins: Had a great Thanksgiving, Bret. Can’t say that Swift came up in conversation, but happy to give her a shout-out. She’s politically savvy, even by nonsuperstar standards. And she’s currently giving a lift to everyone slogging through the football-watching season with their loved ones: Will Taylor be there to cheer Travis Kelce on at the Super Bowl? Even people who have never heard of the Kansas City Chiefs are wondering.
Bret: You’re assuming the Chiefs make the Super Bowl. I’ll bet you a bottle of good wine that it’ll be Philly against Miami. And the Eagles will win. Sorry, go on …
Gail: On a less gleeful note, just ran across a story that estimates that almost two-thirds of American parents who have kids from 22 to 40 years old are giving them some kind of financial support — with the average being $718 a month.
Think that’s one of the reasons so many voters are feeling grumpy about the economy?
Bret: Well, let’s just say those voters probably wouldn’t select Janet Yellen, the treasury secretary, as their Person of the Year. Mortgage rates have nearly doubled since January 2020. The rent, to borrow a phrase, is too damn high. Grocery prices are up by double digits since 2021, even if the rate of inflation is mercifully cooling off. Restaurant prices keep going up. A new survey shows that only 36 percent of voters now believe that the American dream — work hard and you’ll get ahead — remains a reality, down from 53 percent in 2012, at the halfway point of Barack Obama’s presidency.
Beyond that, illegal immigration remains largely out of control, despite the Biden administration’s repeated pledges to tackle the problem. The world feels palpably more dangerous today than it was before this administration took office. And not a single member of President Biden’s cabinet has been asked by the president to step down.
We are confirming your access to this article, this will take just a moment. However, if you are using Reader mode please log in, subscribe, or exit Reader mode since we are unable to verify access in that state.
Confirming article access.
If you are a subscriber, please log in.