Derek Wittner lives in Kennebunkport.

“No Drama Obama” and “Sleepy Joe.”

Meant to be derisive depictions of our past two presidents, instead these intended mockeries recall a time when our lives weren’t filled with anxiety, confusion and fear. One could arise in the morning preparing to cope with the day ahead, which could present challenges of its own.

But, the angst that accompanies each day, not knowing what threat or insult has been broadcast on Truth Social, has a become our routine morning alarm.

The challenges of caring for children or elderly family members, managing household budgets in the midst of an affordability crisis, health scares when health insurance has become a luxury item, a stock market that fluctuates wildly, government shutdowns that abruptly interrupt paychecks and cause havoc for travel, these and many other features of our daily lives can bring people to a breaking point.

To that, we must now add a war of choice and political tariffs that accelerate inflation as presidential actions directly responsible for making our lives more difficult. It’s enough to make you pull the covers over your head and stay in bed.

Donald Trump lives for chaos. Many of his supporters, left behind in our greed-driven society, view his unhinged agenda as preferable to the status quo. If you’re falling behind, the appeal of turmoil is palpable. Chasing headlines every day is also Trump’s strategy for deflecting attention from investigations into his escapades with Jeffrey Epstein, and polling reflecting his dwindling support.

If all else fails, cleansing voter rolls of likely opponents and intimidating others with the specter of ICE agents will serve to ensure the outcome of the midterms. After all, Trump is the strongman who can fix everything. Why else would we mint coins with his image or erect statues to commemorate his leadership? For many of his supporters, the answer to confronting the vagaries of everyday life is to embrace the fiction that demagoguery can make it all better.

If my nostalgia for past presidential terms is reinforced by the anxiety we are encountering today, it isn’t seen with rose-colored glasses. The past was not unfailingly ideal. We have left millions of Americans behind, producing the anti-establishment backlash that vaults authoritarian leaders who promote simple, often racially laced scapegoats as reasons for their plight.

If, despite the desperate attempts to dictate election results, there is a change in congressional control, it is incumbent upon the new leadership to reset our democracy and offer everyone the chance for better life. That includes allowing us to go about our daily lives without the exhaustion produced by mayhem.