Gail Collins: So, Bret — more than 350,000 new jobs in January without an inflation surge! Great news, huh? I guess that means the Biden plan is really working out, hehehehe.

Bret Stephens: Just two problems. First, prices for groceries are still too damn high — up 25 percent in the last four years, according to The Washington Post. That practically amounts to a campaign ad for Donald Trump every time people are at checkout. Second, as our colleague Peter Coy observed, most of the new jobs are part-time gigs — not exactly a recipe for voters to feel confident about the future.

So while I’m hoping that a strong economy powers Joe to re-election, he can’t bank on it. He needs something else. Any ideas?

Gail: Well, it’s a pretty good sign for Biden that an economic conservative like you so desperately wants him to win.

Bret: Only because I’ve considered the alternative.

Gail: And a definite minus for Trump that he could be on trial or convicted in several different courts while he’s running for the top job in the nation. We’ve sometimes got a cynical view of voters these days, but people have told pollsters they really care about this.

Bret: We’ll get to the Fani Willis debacle in a minute ….

Gail: And right now I’d give the Democrats in Congress some plusses — their big proposals for tax reform and better immigration rules would seem sensible to most moderates, as well as the liberals who’ll rally around.