https://nyti.

ms/2hYJiE7

SundayReview | OP-ED COLUMNIST

My Brother Kevins Not Tired of

Winning
Maureen Dowd NOV. 23, 2017

WASHINGTON Wherever I go, people ask me the same

question: How can he? How can Kevin support President
Trump? Why isnt he bothered by all the things others find
appalling and frightening? Thanksgiving weekend is here, so
its time for my Republican brother to share his bounteous
harvest of thoughts:

Every time I hear Neil Gorsuchs name, I smile.

It has been a year since Donald Trump was elected, and his
thrill-a-minute White House is still causing acid reflux for half
the country and all of the mainstream media. There is always a
lot of background noise buzzing around the president, and its
catnip for his detractors.

Full disclosure: I am not a Trump disciple. His manners

offend me and the tweeting is overdone, but I do admire his
resiliency against an unrelenting and unfair press. His tweeting
is annoying, but it can be an effective defense. He has 43.2
million Twitter followers. The New York Times has 3.1 million
subscribers.

Trump got into office because of Congresss inability or

unwillingness to do its job. The voters were so fed up, they
turned to a reality TV star instead of the 20 politicians on the
menu. (Or 20.5 if you want to count Martin OMalley.)

Trump delivered on his promises to shake things up with a

slew of executive orders undoing much of Barack Obamas
burdensome regulations and, more important, started to
reshape the lower courts decimated by Obamas appointments.
The nomination of Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court may be
his most lasting legacy.

Trumps presidency is unorthodox, but his blustering

against Kim Jong-un is the only way to deal with a bully. And
since Kim will want to get back at Trump, and Kims rockets may
be able to reach only the West Coast, were probably all right
until he can hit a red state.

Democrats say Obamacare needs only a tweak. My youngest son

just received his bill for health care. It came with an annual
premium of $8,100. At that price, I think he will continue to vote
Republican.

The dam has broken on sexual harassment and worse. It has

already claimed Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Charlie
Rose and threatens to make a ghost town of Hollywood and the
Capitol. It has also brought back Bill Clinton for an unwanted
encore of his colorful past.
 At the center of it is the Republican Senate candidate in
Alabama, Roy Moore. Moore is despicable. But the seat is very
important. He still may win, but it will be a Pyrrhic victory when
his own colleagues refuse to seat him and ask the governor to
send over a new name. It was not surprising that the president
said he would rather have a Republican in the seat. It will not be
Roy Moore. Moore will never be seated.

But the Republicans do have a problem. They are in total

control and have not passed any major legislation. They cannot
let large egos theirs and Trumps get in the way of this
opportunity. They are also facing a rear-guard attack by Steve
Bannon, who brings his own army of candidates with him. Im
not a Bannon fan. But hes holding Republicans feet to the fire,
which should be done.

If Republicans cannot pass tax reform, they are not

Republicans and deserve to be fired. They were elected to get
results. Early in my sales career, we learned that a new manager
was on the way. We quickly called the office where he worked to
get a profile on what to expect. The report came back, Well, he
is a real difficult guy to like but a real easy guy to hate.

Over the next two years, our office had its highest
production in history. The manager was promoted to another
sales office. Everyone still hated him. The promotion was for
results. Results matter.

The Democrats have their own issues. Their leaders are all
on Medicare and cling to power like a drunk hugging his bottle
of schnapps at last call. Liz and Bernie want the party to be more
liberal, as if that were possible. If they move any further left,
they will be driving in Britain.

Their more pressing problem is Hillary, now in exile on her

endless book tour. She continues to hover above the party like
some giant pterodactyl of Christmas Past.

Here is my holiday list of Things That Do Not Bother Me:

Trumps daily activity: I do not follow every move he

makes. I counsel my Democratic friends to do the same, but they
cannot help themselves.

Trumps minor battles: The N.F.L. players were

disrespecting the American flag and were not called out by their
gutless commissioner in a timely fashion. LaVar Ball is a
publicity whore who cannot grasp that his son (and meal ticket)
would have gone to jail without the presidents intervention.

Trumps interaction with dictators: If President

Obama had done it, he would have been given the Nobel Peace
Prize. (That already happened?)

Robert Muellers investigation: So far, no direct

connection with Trump himself on the Russia collusion. But it
did find collusion with Hillary and the D.N.C. on the dossier.
Luckily, she has several donors on Muellers staff ready to offer
legal advice.

Trump pressuring the Department of Justice: If Jeff

Sessions cannot find prosecutable evidence against James
 Comey, Loretta Lynch and Hillary, he should go back to the
Senate.

Nepotism: Ivanka and Jared? Surely you jest. In the grand

scheme of things, I dont think they have any effect on anything.
If this were a movie, they wouldnt even be in the credits.

I hope you had a happy Thanksgiving.

Nicholas Kristof is off today.

I invite you to follow me on Twitter (@MaureenDowd) and join me

on Facebook.

Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and

Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today
newsletter.

A version of this op-ed appears in print on November 26, 2017, on Page SR9 of
the New York edition with the headline: Kevins Not Tired Of Winning.

2017 The New York Times Company