Mel Brooks via Gene Wilder

When Blazing Saddles first came out I saw it open in a theater in North Carolina.  Then I went and found a friend and went back the next night.  It was ground breaking and fresh and hilarious.  And had a black lead who was just perfect for the role.  And it dealt head on with racism.  It had its faults and has not necessarily weathered the years as well as I would have wished.  But one of the great lines resonates with me when I think of the american sovereigns who think that Trump will ascend to the presidency today.

"You've got to remember that these are just simple farmers.  These are the people of the land.  The common clay of the new West.  You know.  Morons."

I cop to being an east coast elitist and all the other white male labels around.  But that quote delivered by Gene Wilder to Clevon Little [if you watch you can see that Little can't help but telegraph the laugh... obviously they had to shoot it more than once] explaining why the town is so prejudiced rings like a bell to me whenever I hear about people who think the government is illegitimate since the presidency of Grant.  

Lord knows I try not to obsess.  But it's not easy.