On Friday’s “PBS NewsHour,” New York Times columnist David Brooks stated that Democrats “missed the chance when they were in office to reform government.” And “Donald Trump has some right instincts about immigration, about reforming government, but he does not know anything about the reality of governance. And so, my posture right now is let’s let him try.”
Brooks said, “As for Elon Musk, this bromance is going to end in tears. We’re all — I give it 30 days, maybe 60 days, something like that. We’re all going to be crying as they part ways and they start taking shots at each other. I don’t expect Elon Musk to be around for very long, but presidents get to have advisers. And if Elon Musk can do some good, then maybe he can do some good.”
He continued, “One of the things that even Democrats are saying is that they missed the chance when they were in office to reform government. If you’re trying to improve Medicare, if you’re trying to improve the delivery of veteran services, there are government rules and regulations that impinge and block you from actually improving the way government works. And sensible Democrats know that, and they should have done something about it. If Elon Musk, some billionaire, walks in and can reform some of the rules that are impinging the way the government works, all to it. I don’t expect that to happen.”
Brooks concluded, “But what I expect is that Donald Trump has some right instincts about immigration, about reforming government, but he does not know anything about the reality of governance. And so, my posture right now is let’s let him try. He’s got some instincts that are terrible and some instincts that are not terrible. And let’s let him try. But change in government is just phenomenally hard. And you have to really know what you’re doing. And neither Donald Trump nor Elon Musk really knows how the game is played.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
