Why are Democrats crying the “sky is falling”? Why are Democrats acting like a challenge to the election process never happened before in American history? Well, they are partially correct. When it was done previously, it actually worked.

Have you ever heard of “President” Samuel J. Tilden? It appeared he had the most votes for U.S. president on election night in 1876, yet months later politicians creatively arranged a compromise to bring about Tilden’s demise. Democrat politicians did this to one of their own, for Tilden was a fellow Democrat. Poor Gov. Tilden (he was governor of New York). In the electoral count, he was just one delegate away from winning. Instead, he lost by one.

Now, to our current election controversy, which the Democrat-controlled Congress is constantly talking about. Not only did election disputes happen before (as with Tilden), there is also a game plan to do it again and again. But what has been proven is that our electoral system works, it is strong. Mr. Biden is president of the United States.

The Democrats in Congress cannot stop thinking about the past. This past week they attempted to bring the Jan. 6 episode at the Capitol to the forefront again. They never learned an important lessons that former President Bill Clinton taught them, which, by the way, won him two elections: 1. It’s the economy stupid. 2. From a popular song that Clinton used as his theme — “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow.”

Today’s Democrats “Can’t Stop Thinking About Yesterday” — and that is not a hit song.

The laundry list of what the Democrat-controlled Congress should do to help America is lengthy. It shouldn’t include spending more money on every conceivable liberal/socialist issue while increasing our $30-trillion debt.

History has a way of repeating itself, especially when you do not know your history. On election night Rutherford Hayes — Tilden’s Republican opponent — was patient. He wanted all the votes counted. Who could disagree with him?

Months later Hayes was declared president after allegations emerged of election tampering in certain states. The delegate counts from those states were contested. And when the dust settled, the Democrats threw their support behind the Republican candidate for president in what became known as the Compromise of 1877. Tilden still won the popular vote, but was just one electoral delegate short of the presidency.

At the time, Black people were used as political pawns. Ultimately, they suffered the most. Northern troops were removed from the South in exchange for the Democrats’ willingness to push Tilden off the political cliff.

That led to the end of Reconstruction and the start of Jim Crow. This was when the Ku Klux Klan flourished, causing Blacks from the South to migrate to the North and West. It led to domestic terrorism, the likes of which has never been seen on American soil. More than 4,000 Black people were lynched over the following decades. (Congress and President Joe Biden can be commended for finally making lynching a hate crime).

What former President Donald Trump was attempting to do actually worked in the late 1870s. His advocates were simply working off the Tilden-Hayes playbook.

Today, the polls are actually much, much worse for Democrats than we are led to be believe. Why? Because of the overwhelming support Black people give to Democrats and Biden. To a degree the role of Black people today is as instrumental as it was in 1877.

All polls relating to Biden’s performance should be done in two ways. Method one can look at the universe. The other method could include polls that are broken down into suburban and rural versus urban.

Such a poll would mirror the racial lines between Black and white people. A better barometer is to look at the question of whether the country is going in the “right” or “wrong” direction. Presently, those who say we are going in the “right” direction are in the low 20s. Those who say we are headed in the “wrong” direction are in the 70s.

These are numbers possibly never seen before. They spell a crisis.

Thanks to our political system we will have mid-term elections soon.

In the meantime, Biden can push Congress to pass spending bills and the budget via Regular Order, something that Congress has failed to do for years.

What happened on Jan. 6 is only a news item because Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi did not protect the Capitol. The riots were extremely horrific. Something for our Justice Department to address.

Contesting an election, trying to have alternative delegates, and crying foul has all happened before. There’s nothing new here. And, 150 years later we have survived as a nation.

Gary 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. Host: podcast “We Speak Frankly.” Author: “With God, For God, and For Country.” @GaryFranks

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