Thank God lightning will not strike twice the same spot – in reference to the character issue. Maine’s Graham Platner was a seriously flawed Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate despite first being the choice of many Democratic leaders in the state and in Washington. It took repeated charges of sexual abuse to get Platner to step down as the party’s candidate.

Yet there was a part of me that “did” want him to be the Democratic nominee. It would show once again that the obvious was, well… obvious (like former President Joe Biden’s declining cognitive abilities while in office).

My reasons for wanting Platner to be the Democrats top choice was due to my rather parochial affinity for the Republican incumbent, U.S. Senator Susan Collins. She is the lone voice for Republicans in the entire New England region. And she has weathered many storms and walked many tightropes successfully for 30 years. A much needed voice, she often tempers the crazies in the Senate.

And yes, I felt that it would be easier for Collins to beat Platner than some of the other Democrats in the state.

Then I got a flashback to 2016. It was many folks in America and most Democrats who wanted then Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to have the so-called easiest person to beat for president. Full disclosure: I supported former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

Every Democrat had their tongue in their cheek anxiously awaiting to have Donald Trump as the GOP candidate. Well, as history would tell us, be careful what you wish for. Still Clinton, deep down, did not think that voters would give the majority of their votes to Trump and the reasons were numerous and quite apparent – at least to the Democrats.

Platner, like Trump, had no prior political experience and somehow that still plays well with frustrated Americans. Caution: We do not fire all the medical doctors in the hospital because people are dying in the hospital. Not smart. We need good, honest, capable, and experienced politicians.

Once again like with Biden, the Democrats had to be “hit over the head” before they realized that a man like Platner should not be one of America’s 100 senators. Though with Platner out it may mean a tougher election for my friend Collins, it is worth it. It is too important for America to not have any possibility of lightning striking twice the same spot. We are paying the price for the first lighting strike that put Trump in office.

It is clear that a zebra cannot change its stripes. In Trump we have a bombastic, self-centered, veracity challenged, never-taking-any-blame, always right, problem-with-relationships, bully style of management, president. He loves to build things and still harbors a bias against people who do not look like him: women and anyone of color.

The two greatest public failures that anyone can have are the following:

1. A failed marriage ending in divorce.

2. A failed business operation ending in bankruptcy.

And Trump did not have just one of each; he had three bankruptcies and is on his third marriage.

No president has had more marriages (three) and more bankruptcies (three). The public, the establishment, and the media simply did not allow anyone to ascend to the top of the political ladder if either of these factors were present.

It is a well known secret that compromise is the necessary ingredient in a successful marriage. After all, some may say, “If you can’t work with someone you love, how can you be expected to work with others, especially those you do not like?”

Trump shows no desire for compromise in politics, which is a requirement for the job. Creating win-win situations is vital in a marriage as well as in business deals – which are not built on bully tactics.

I can remember the uproar over New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller when his marital problems seemed to dismiss him in the eyes of many as a serious presidential candidate. And then we had California Governor Ronald Reagan, who was divorced. Nancy Reagan was his second wife and who did more than enough to show America that though Ronnie had made one mistake, he had gotten it right with her. Till this day their relationship is remembered as one of the most loving of them all. So, you can survive with a divorce in your background.

Then there is Rockefeller, who, though for many reasons was not going to get to the White House, became an unelected vice president of the U.S. under President Gerald Ford.

The bankruptcies speak for themselves. It can happen to the best of business people once. But three times? It truly says something very negative about your judgment. It says you are willing to risk it all on your “gut” instead of on your mind. It says you are not willing to take advice you do not like. I could go on.

And today we can all see that we were sold a bag of snake oil. The promises made and not done – in fact many decisions he made have been the exact opposite of what he said he would do – could classify Trump as a “changed” politician. He started promoting “America First” and changed to promote “Trump First.”

Maybe that is why Trump is determined to make as much money as possible during his term in office; he has made billions in less than two years. However, for nearly a million of other investors, as reported in the New York Times, they lost billions of dollars on the same related investments, Trump’s meme coins.

Before Platner saw the mounting evidence of wrongdoing, he wanted us to believe that the people who were saying negative things about him were not telling the truth. He claimed that those who had alleged he physically harmed them were not recalling the incidents correctly.

Sadly, throughout the primary many Democratic leaders in Washington continued to endorse Platner, despite his covering up a antisemitic symbol he had once tattooed on his chest. During this time he insisted that his version of events was the accurate one in his relations with his accusers. And when something was undeniable, he claimed he needed redemption. However, for most people, doing wrong does not warrant a reward.

All eyes were on Maine. Thank God Platner has just decided to step down since we can never assume that lightning cannot strike twice the same issue – character.

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. Host: Podcast “We Speak Frankly” www.garyfranksphilanthropy.org