The Yankees retired Derek Jeter’s number a week ago. The New York baseball great was an accomplished player and a man beloved by both the hometown faithful and his rivals. Even the hated Red Sox Nation saluted him. Which raises the question: Why? Simply put, he instinctively knew how to react and what to say.
Baseball came naturally to Jeter. So did his rapport with the fans, his teammates, and the media. Whatever he may have thought privately, in public he came across as candid and honest. Republican politicians should learn a lesson.
They are stuck between the rock of supporting their party and the hard place of getting reelected. Doing the right thing for the sole reason of doing the right thing is beyond their consideration. I have a suggestion as to how they may come across as more like Jeter and less like Alex Rodriguez.
They should take what they are doing – their tut-tutting or unenthusiastic support for Trump. And add to that their reaction if Hillary were doing it. Then average them.
I do not know if Trump’s offenses merit impeachment. I have no idea how much Russia compromised his campaign and his administration. And while it is obvious that the 2016 election was interfered with, we don’t know by whom and how badly. All of this warrants investigation.
Trump’s behavior also mandates it. His administration can’t agree on what story to tell. And whenever they propose an explanation for some action, a few hours later Trump tweets a different rationale.
Conservative media, from flagship Fox to the Twitterati, have done yeoman’s work in pointing the finger at Democrats – claiming that there is no story, except for the left’s hysterical overreaction. Which is splendidly shameless coming from the party of Benghazi and emails. And if that isn’t enough of a distraction they also offering the “Obama/Clinton did it too” line of defense.
Republican leadership offers no guide for the party. Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell think they are presidential cheerleaders – not stewards of a co-equal branch of government. One that is supposed to provide a check and balance – especially when so many questions surround the President.
I’ll leave the pusillanimous with one observation. The two most charismatic politicians of the 2016 election were Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Because they weren’t calculating. Even if one of them was a lying cynic.
So Republicans, be like Derek Jeter. Do the right thing. I’ll guarantee that you’ll feel cleaner. And you may even get respect. And that is a rare coin in today’s politics.