Don't tell me if you don't want to, but I bet it's true...red, blue or RFK Jr. (that's a new color on the spectrum), aren't you feeling a little cheerier now that the political gloom and doom has lifted slightly? No one was smiling a few months ago. I mean, we, all of us, have been suffering from national smile deficiency for a long time. It's not good for our health. In some extreme cases it can cause a jaundiced appearance to the skin and hair. It can also result in what is referred to as bobble head syndrome whereby everything the jaundiced one says those around him agree to without question.
But now, not only are we smiling, we're actually laughing! The old adage, don't take your (political) life personally, seems to have sunk in. If I had to choose, I like the laughter platform far better than the never-break-a-smile one. "We're gonna go get some food — corndog?" VP pick Tim Walz asks his daughter. "I'm vegetarian," she replies. "Turkey then," Walz jokes in response.
All policies being equal, which they aren't, I just don't get the appeal of an unsmiling poor sport, who resorts to calling people names if they don't kiss his, um, shoes and don't shower him with gold bathroom faucets. Give me the intelligible articulation of values and priorities served with a side of giggles any day. No more spitting nails, splitting hairs, bridge-too-far-ing or dooms-daying.
Maybe it was my internet service, but every time I searched, "Jokes told by Donald Trump" what came up on my screen was, "This site can't be reached." Maybe his staff can help. Maybe they could come up with one about crowd size matters instead of mocking democracy.
"I've been indicted more times than Alphonse Capone," the felon said proudly. His jokes and laugh track have gone off the rails. Laughter has been co-opted as a sign of loyalty. And given the studies that prove humor hinges on high intelligence, Trump is decidedly unhinged.
If I were an adviser to the never-break-a-smile party, I'd suggest they go into a huddle and learn some clever wisecracks, the kind that make people laugh with one another, not at one another. As "Politico" correspondent Jeff Nussbaum wrote in April, the formula at the annual White House Correspondent's Dinner is to "deliver some self-deprecating jokes, which buys the speaker the credibility to aim a few barbs at various rivals, and then conclude with a call to patriotism, bipartisanship and bonhomie."
He cites a few examples: "... JFK famously sharing a "telegram" from his wealthy and powerful father reading, 'Dear Jack: Don't buy a single vote more than is necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide.' In 1982, Nancy Reagan, bedeviled by the scandals kicked up by her spending habits, peeked out from behind a rack of clothes and sang, to the tune of 'Second Hand Rose,' her version: Secondhand clothes. In 2019, John Kerry looked at his tablemate Mike Bloomberg and said 'Usually, when I'm next to someone this rich, I propose.'"
Trump never attended the Correspondent's Dinner during his presidency. Why? "It is impossible for you to be angry and laugh at the same time. Anger and laughter are mutually exclusive," according to Wayne Dyer. The frown gang is intent on stoking anger, fear and division, so no wonder laughter isn't part of the game plan. "You cannot be mad at somebody who makes you laugh – it's as simple as that." Thank you, Jay Leno.
One last suggestion that might be of interest to the no-grins team. If their fearless leader is worried about health and longevity, all the more reason to yuk it up.
"Mirthful men seem to be protected against infection, and live longer," according to Tori Rodriguez in her article, "Laugh Lots, Live Longer," that appeared in a 2016 issue of "Cognition." There are all kinds of real health benefits from laughing. So, what's the hold up? It's free. For some that might make laughing risky — one more of those free, government hand-out programs.
As "Saturday Night Live" decides who will best impersonate Kamala Harris, Tim Walz, JD Vance, RFK, Trump and Trumper, as laughter and joy are reintroduced as an element of a solid presidential platform, as homespun, plainspoken and truthful make a comeback ...whatever your persuasion, you have to admit, laughter is the best medicine for us all.
