Gary Franks

The congressional robots have become “woke.”

We are not sure about the true faith or fate of the GOP members of Congress. Part of the 23rd Psalm in the Bible many can recall: “Thou shall fear no evil.”

The easily frightened GOP members of the House of Representatives who have been told by party leaders not to hold town hall meetings to meet with the folks who elected them are now running out of town, out of Washington, early because they do have great fears — they fear evil.

They are “in the protection of President Donald Trump’s administration” mode over the information they vowed to reveal when campaigning for election — the files and complete records of the infamous Jeffrey Epstein materials. These materials, though sanitized, brought down a prince: Prince Andrew of England.

Could they threaten the reputation of some well-known Americans? We need transparency.

These GOP politicians need time to “fix” their problem so they abandoned their jobs early to calculate their next move over the summer. How sad.

Meanwhile, we are off to the world of conspiracies.

The robots for Trump are now between a rock and hard place. So much so that the White House is using their favorite diverting tactics – “Black people.”

When in trouble, they often bring up Black people. Today it is about a dead Black historical figure — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., via releasing his sealed files and the other, the first Black president of the United States, former President Barack Obama, who was just minding his own business.

Black people have been appalled by the FBI’s surveillance of King. And his children as well as many other Americans refuse to believe the conclusion of its investigation — that James Earl Ray was the lone assassin, and the only person involved. It’s a controversial issue to say the least.

And then there is Trump’s “punching bag” for decades, Obama. Back in the day, Trump used the Obama “birther” issue to ride into political prominence. Now Trump proclaims Obama has committed treason. Oh, well. Here we go again.

Trump and those Republicans supporting this tactic should be ashamed of themselves. They truly believe that most people think like they do about race, and that race baiting always unites their base. Well, no, the vast majority of people are not racists. They believe in the Golden Rule — treat people like you would want to be treated — and they are not stupid.

Heck, I was repeatedly elected in a congressional district that was 4% Black; I was a class president in a 98% white high school; led numerous organizations at Yale; was a Fortune 500 high-level manager before the age of 35, all while developing a multimillion dollar real estate firm; and I have taught at the University of Virginia and Georgetown University.

None of those accomplishments would have happened if the vast majority of white people were racists.

As a little boy, however, when the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross on our front lawn and nightly threatened to kill me and my family via phone, I also recognize that in every barrel of apples there are always a few rotten ones.

Most people, however, are not like those folks. Most people do not try to hurt people, threaten people, attempt to rewrite history, change the interpretation of established law like the Civil Rights Act, or threaten institutions that are older than America, like Harvard University.

Personally, I do not like talking or dwelling on the past. What can discussing past elections, former President Joe Biden’s family, or his use of the autopen do to help make America great again? Nothing.

Conspiracies are great theater and have made billions for the entertainment industry, but they do absolutely nothing to advance America.

And the robots in Congress should explain how the true effects of their Medicaid changes will not cripple hospitals and nursing homes while forcing insurance premiums for all Americans to increase significantly down the road — as well as how removing nearly a trillion dollars in costs is not a cut in Medicaid.

They must explain and discuss with their constituents the details and ramifications of Trump’s so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” instead of just focusing on the freebies in it that we will need to borrow money from other countries to pay for. They should also explain how deficit spending is “good” for America. If it is not good for America, why did they vote to do just that?

We have a national debt that was made far worse by the robot legislators. Soon our service on that debt will eclipse any single budget item, beyond some entitlements and defense. But we do nothing.

I digress. Maybe we do need a third political party. Ross Perot tried it in the 1990s. He caused the defeat of President George H.W. Bush. And in Connecticut in 1990, the Republican and Democrat candidates for governor lost to a third-party candidate — former senator Lowell Weicker. All food for thought.

The GOP robots in Congress have proven thus far that they are not up for the challenge of saving America from going off the financial cliff. For them, it is just business as usual.

The silent problem in America is mental illness. We have 5,000 people who will take their lives this week. Four of the five people who commit suicide are white men. These folks apparently see the world in an upside-down manner. And what are we doing to help them? Very little.

The GOP robots would rather talk about Black historical figures like King and Obama. Seems warped, inane and disingenuous.

But Epstein is different. In our lifetime as Americans, Epstein would be one of the worst individuals who has walked the earth with us.

Thou shall not sexually abuse children. That should be the 11th Commandment given to Moses. Like with the Catholic priests who sexually abused children, there should be a special place in hell for these folks.

So back to the Epstein files: If Trump and the GOP lawmakers are going through all these gyrations over them, there is nothing left to do but unveil them immediately. I really want to see them now.

Gary Franks served three terms as a congressman from Connecticut’s 5th District. He was the first Black conservative elected to Congress and first Black Republican elected to the House in nearly 60 years. He is the host of the podcast “We Speak Frankly.” You can visit the Gary Franks Philanthropy website at www.garyfranksphilanthropy.org.