Margie wants to understand it

Today when I proposed another journey into the past, Margie said no. 

“Let’s not talk about the past today. Something is going on, something to do with Trump, and I need to understand it. I read the Times, but it seems like it can’t be right. Is it really bad?”

Yes, I said, it’s bad.

“Why don’t people just stand up and overthrow Trump? Why isn’t there an uprising? How did this happen?” Margie looked very troubled.

I got out a pen and drew a circle on a napkin. I divided the circle into approximate thirds. I said that a little more than a third of the people voted for him. A little less than a third voted for Harris. 

“Who?” 

The Democrat. (Assuming the voting wasn’t rigged; I didn’t even mention that.) I went on, pointing to the napkin. A third didn’t vote at all. She got that immediately, took the napkin and slapped it.

“So maybe two-thirds will rise up. What about the Army? Who’s in charge of the guns and the bombs?”

He is. 

“Oh, that’s very bad. And the nuclear stuff?”

Him. 

I said maybe his own greed and incompetence will defeat him. She laughed, “I guess we can hope for that.” Serious again, she shook her head. “What do you call it when there’s a war between the people in one country?”

Civil War? 

“Yeah. I never thought I’d hope for Civil War, but….”

We walked back to her place in the rain. I couldn’t find anything upbeat to say.