Trump even delved into the great paid leave debate, offering an approach favored by some on the Right, to expand the Unemployment Insurance system to provide women who lack paid leave benefits a safety net. There are other competing conservative solutions to this issue—and, of course, the important more fundamental concept that government really shouldn’t be micromanaging employment agreements for adults. But at a minimum this is a far better, more conservative approach than what’s been offered by Hillary Clinton and other leading Democrats, which range from costly, job-killing mandates on employers to massive new federal entitlement programs.
Just engaging on an issue like this sends an important message to the public that the Right recognizes the challenges that working families face and wants to create a better system. Too often, Republicans have avoided these topics, which has allowed the Left to dominate the conservation. Research shows that just offering a competing argument – highlighting the downsides of the Left’s big government approach and offering an alternative solution — can have a big impact on people’s perceptions and their support for different policy options.
For conservatives – as well as for women and the rest of Americans – there’s a lot to like in this proposal and campaign move.
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