Back in 1933 I wrote, “With the politicians horning in, our comedian business is getting overcrowded.” Well, it took until 2019, and a fellow in Ukraine, but we finally have a comedian who horned in on the politicians. His name is Zelenskiy and he is the new President of Ukraine.

In case you’re wondering, he did not collude with Russia. He is anti-Putin and wants Ukraine to be independent of Russian influence. He may not get ‘em to give back Crimea, but he will fight to keep Russia off the mainland. You may not know this, but Ukraine has almost 20 percent of the absolute best agricultural soil in the world. He is determined to hang on to that land for his farmers.

The victory by the humorist Zelenskiy, who is also an actor, gives hope to a few of us Americans with high ambitions. For 2020, there’s already 20 Democrat candidates and a couple of Republican challengers to Trump. With a wide open field I know a few comedians who are tempted to jump in. Among all those candidates, not a one is funny, at least not intentionally.

Is it time to dust off the “Will Rogers for President” campaign buttons? My first run at it was in 1928, and then again in 2016. What chance does Will have in 2020? Well, in those previous elections I got as many Electoral College votes as Joe Biden.

Bernie Sanders and Biden have already shown that age is no limiting factor to running. So being 140 on Election Day is no handicap. Here’s a plus, especially for a Democrat… I’m quarter-blood Cherokee, and I’ve got the papers to prove it. I’ve been married to the same wife, Betty Blake, faithfully, although that may not make any difference for a politician today. Concerning income tax reports, if it’s ok with Betty, you can look at all of ‘em for a hundred years. The only embarrassment might be in the amount of second mortgages on Oklahoma farmland that were slow getting paid. As a Democrat, my views on federal taxes may not get me many votes (see below). But like most politicians, I probably have said something almost opposite on other occasions.

Historic quotes by Will Rogers:

“The crime of taxation is not in the taking it, it’s in the way that it’s spent.” DT #1764, March 20, 1932

“It costs ten times more to govern us than it used to, and we are not governed one-tenth as good.” DT #1770, March 27, 1932

“If you ever injected truth into politics, you would have no politics.” WA #31, July 15, 1923