Ditch the obit, the GOP remains alive and well

Boy was I mad — and sad. It was hard to believe that my New York Yankees did not win the seventh game of the American League championship against the Houston Astros in 2017. Had it not been for a heroic home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off baseball’s premier relief pitcher, the Yankees would have won. Yet the home run that decided the game was hit, the Yankees lost, and they did not have a chance to go the World Series. But I got over it. I moved on.

Later we all learned that the Astros had cheated. The batter who hit the home run knew what pitch was coming and prepared for it. Punishments were handed out to those involved, but the Astros would go on to become the 2017 World Series Champions after also cheating the Los Angeles Dodgers. Trying to fix the wrong would have been a true mess possibly causing irreparable damage to baseball.

However, you do not stop supporting baseball, the Yankees, or the Astros if you are an Astro fan. You simply move on. Learn from the past, improve for the future or at least make sure the bad you witnessed never happens again. It is called being an adult.

The media believes that what happened in the 2020 election and its aftermath should cause the Republican Party to be split. How ridiculous. They obviously are not sports fans. We get it. You win or you lose. Sometimes things go “sideways” but you pass it off as God’s will. And, as the Baptist ministers would say — “Let it go. Let God.”

Let us move forward, turn the page and for those elected — Do the job, you have won! That is what every American would want. Hate, attacks, revenge, finding warped forms of justice is not what our politicians were elected to do. We want to see peace, harmony, fairness, and yes, some love to be the mantra and actions of our elected officials at all levels.

For better or worse we are all in this together. Politicians have been elected to lead, but if they cannot or refuse — the people will lead them, unless apathy weighs in.

For example, the civil rights movement was not led by congressmen, senators or presidents. It was led by those brave and talented young men and women who pushed, gave convincing arguments for fairness and justice with solutions. They worked hard to gain the support of the American people. Then, President Lyndon Johnson and Congress, led by Republicans, followed. Black History Month is a good reminder of this fact.

Trying to convince the losing team to switch their allegiance because their ace and previously invincible relief pitcher failed to get the job done resulting in the loss felt by the entire Yankees Nation has not and will not ever happen. Nor will the Republican Party that has given us a message that resulted in state legislators and governors being elected, and Republican victories resulting in Speaker Nancy Pelosi losing Democrat House members while the GOP lost no House incumbent. The political parties will rise or fall based on their ideas and ability to deliver positive results.

Concern over the prospects of a defeated one-term president leading a party is ill placed as it has not happened in more than 100 years — Herbert Hoover, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush all come to mind.

What the mainstream media should be pushing is for some form of term limits and an advocacy of relevant government experience prior to seeking higher office (Congress) so we do not get the extremes from the left or right who often have a steep learning curve. Let them use other forums to test their beliefs and require them to establish real relevant achievements. That is what I had to do 30 years ago, as a Yale graduate, Fortune 500 executive and three-term alderman including a term as president pro tempore of the Board of Aldermen.

And, as far as the Yankees playing the Houston Astros again on the big stage, I know my Yankees look forward to that day. By the way, the Los Angeles Dodgers — who were also cheated by the Astros that same year — got their revenge this past season.

Gary A. Franks served three terms as U.S. representative for Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years and New England’s first Black member of the House. He is host of the podcast We Speak Frankly. Follow him on Twitter @GaryFranks.