To hear it from the current collection of presidential candidates, America is taking an express elevator straight down into a fiery inferno.
Whether it's foreign policy, social or economic issues, the message is consistent: We're living in the worst of times.
But for political satirists, like Capitol Steps co-founder Elaina Newport, it can't get much better.
From Donald Trump's unfiltered fits of rage to the peculiarities of progressive Bernie Sanders, there's a wealth of material to mock, spoof and skewer.
"I'll have to tell you, a lot of times in our history, people have come up and said, 'You must be having a field day,' " she said. "But this is the greatest."
And Newport has some historical perspective.
She was one of three Republican congressional staffers who formed the group in 1981 to perform at a Christmas party for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. They put together a handful of song parodies and sketches, lampooning controversies and current events from inside the Beltway.
The performance was a hit, and suddenly the group was being asked to perform elsewhere on Capitol Hill.
"When we first started, we were trying to hold on to our day jobs," Newport said. "We thought we'd do this show once and that would be it. Then somebody said 'We have a party the next week and the next week.' "
The group took the name the Capitol Steps after a scandal involving an alleged sexual tryst between a congressman and his wife on the Capitol grounds during a brief break of a congressional session.
Founded by Newport and fellow GOP Senate staffers Bill Strauss and Jim Aidala, they started to incorporate Democrats and people who worked for House members into the troupe. They were, and have continued to be, equal-opportunity roasters -- hitting politicians from both sides of the aisle.
"The idea was, let's spread the risk around," Newport said.
The troupe started doing monthly performances in Washington and by 1987 had quit their jobs to pursue the Capitol Steps full time.
"We didn't think this would go even one year, much less 34," she said.
Writing all original songs and parodies, Capitol Steps took advantage of a rolling string of mishaps in the 1980s, from the Iran-Contra affair ("Thank God I'm a Contra Boy") to Dan Quayle's misspelling of the word potato ("Stand By Your Dan").
But it was the Bill Clinton era, especially his sex scandal with Monica Lewinsky, that offered ideal material for parody -- sometimes it was almost too perfect.
"The Clinton scandal was the Golden Age of satire," Newport said. "On one hand, every aspect of that story is hilarious. On the other hand, comedy is based on exaggeration. You could almost have got onstage and just read the news. We almost weren't needed. We were almost redundant at that point."
The oratory flubs and fumbles of George W. Bush provided ground that was nearly as fertile, but after the attacks of 9/11, the country took on a more serious tone.
It didn't stop the troupe, which by that time was touring, performing regularly in Washington and producing annual comedy albums.
"The country was rallying around the president and half the jokes (in our show) were about the president," Newport said. "So we did a song about the color-coded stages of alert, the Taliban. There were some things we did just to distract people … Even on the most serious issue, there is some politician messing it up."
Their success has led to a diversification of the group -- it's now made up both of former Capitol Hill staffers and professional entertainers. That's helped expand from being Washington insiders to be able to cover a variety of topics to that appeal to most Americans.
"You have to stick with the headlines and what people are talking about," Newport said. "I think it's a good balance. You want to know Washington, but there was a temptation to get too inside, songs about a (John) McCain amendment on regulatory reform."
Newport said the current election cycle has marked a new peak for hilarity. The troupe produced songs for 12 of the original 15 Republican candidates and all of the Democrats.
Newport's ideal matchup for the 2016 election -- from a comedy perspective -- would be a showdown between Trump and Sanders.
"They couldn't be more different," she said. "There aren't enough bad wigs for that one."
Capitol Steps have made previous stops in Alaska, and Newport said they are still thankful to the state for the gift that keeps on giving -- former governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
And while politicians continue to rail against the opposition, Newport said the show provides an opportunity to laugh instead of argue.
"We do feel we serve a purpose," Newport said. "Politics are very contentious. If you can come out and laugh a little, maybe you won't throw your shoe at the TV set."
Capitol Steps
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 22
Where: Lathrop High School in Fairbanks
Tickets: $28-$49 at fairbanksconcert.org/tickets
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 23
Where: Atwood Concert Hall
Tickets: $32.50, $43.75, $54.75 and $71.75 at alaskapac.centertix.net
When: 7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 24
Where: Centennial Hall in Juneau
Tickets: $5-$28 at jahc.org