Well it’s really not that funny after all. In spite of SNL skits and news parodies, there is a sadness that is palpable and at times overwhelming. When we were younger as a nation, we were immune to the despair that that which makes our way of life great would be torn asunder. When we were younger as a nation we were strong and resilient and able to bounce back after adversity. But we are older now. And maybe we just don’t have the strength to fight back anymore.

During the spectacle of Watergate, I was serving in the military overseas and was quite removed from the drama. And of course at that time, news was on a strict and limited schedule without all the snippy rhetoric. By the time I came home, Nixon was gone. We had to wait a generation for the next great drama. Where Nixon was the devious, self centered master of ceremonies, Clinton was the good old boy in the mood to knock one off in the Oval Office. And while it was lurid and nasty, there was never a feeling that we were approaching the end of times.

It feels like that now. If you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop you will turn right into a swift kick to the face. While we were sleeping, forces have been at work to undermine not just the constitution, but our inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Trump devotees miss the signals when Trump spouts his vitriol. They believe themselves to be in on the joke, but in reality the joke will be on them. Trump is like the one coworker, and there’s one in every workplace, who likes to dish and complain about everybody but you, until you realize he’s saying the same thing about you to everyone else.

Trump likes a good smack down. To that end, it seems fitting that he should succumb to a rear naked choke and ultimately tap out. But let it drag on the full five rounds so that he feels the effects long after the fight is over. Now that’s funny.