We'll Be Back in 60 Seconds

When most presidents leave office they have a challenge what they're going to do and how they will manage their time, whether or not they're going to set up foundations or what? Trump has no such decisions to make. I'm sure he's already been contacted and signed contracts.

"Hi, you know me. I'm Donald Trump, your favorite president. Elected three times. But although I'm not in office anymore, my days are still busy. Believe me, eighteen holes of golf takes a lot of time. And many people say, 'Sir, you're one of the best golfers we've ever seen.' That's why I won 34 club championships. So, I've played on a lot of courses. And I've built a lot of courses, all around the world. So, I know grass. I'm very good at grass.

"That's why I know Scott's Miracle-Gro is the best fertilizer you can buy. It'll make your lawn almost as beautiful as my courses. No one's grass can be as beautiful as mine -- many people say mine is the best -- but yours will be the envy of your neighborhood. And it doesn't get better than that. All because Scott makes great products, and they're a great company, they gave my campaign a million dollars, so I know them very well. And they love Trump. And I love them. And I really love their Miracle-Gro. It just works. And believe me, I know fertilizer. I know fertilizer better than anyone in the world. Many people say, 'Sir, when I think of fertilizer, I think of Trump.'

"And when you see how green your lawn becomes when you use Scott's Miracle-Gro -- which I think they should call 'Trump's Scott's Miracle-Gro, to be honest -- you're going to want to show it off to your neighbors all the time and have parties in your front yard, so everyone can see you enjoying it. And enjoying your meal -- like when you serve delicious Goya refried beans. Goya, the most honored name in Mexican food. If it's Goya, you know it's good, boya. George Washington served Goya refried beans to his troops at Gettysburg. Goya products are the one thing from Mexico I'm always happy to have in my home. They gave my campaign a million dollars, so I know them well.

"Just be sure to take care of your beautiful lawn when you throw your party, because you don't want a parade of people trampling over your beautiful grass, so beautiful thanks to Scott's Miracle-Gro. which is why you might want to product it by building a path and patio with magnificent granite, and the best is from MSI Surfaces. It will last you hundreds of years. You'll love it then, as much as you love it now. And I know granite. Many people say, 'Sir, you know granite better than anyone.'

So, it will be a great party, thanks to your Scott's Miracle-Gro fertilizer, your Goya food products and your MSI Surfaces granite. I endorse them all. You can take it from me, Donald Trump, your favorite person in the history of the world. My word is unimpeachable. And to make your party the best party ever, you'll want a swimming pool for everyone to take a dip in! I recommend Green Water Solutions. There's no one better. Believe me. And I own resorts all over the world. I know pools. Believe me. Believe me.

"Just watch out for vandals."

Princess Crews

I admit to being a sucker for event-type programming and stunt casting. So, I enjoyed watching the very recent event done at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. They gathered the 10 women who either sang the original voices of characters in animated films or played their "live"

counterparts on the Broadway stage or in TV productions, singing a medley on songs that they (and their characters...) made famous. The gala is called "Disney Princess: the Ultimate Concert Celebration." Never mind that many of the characters involved aren't actually "princesses," that is the Disney brand, so who are we to argue?

The songs are wonderful and performances excellent. If you can get past the uber-schmaltz and cultlike-adoration (some of it beneficial to the moment, but a little goes a long way), and also the four-person backup singers who take emoting to a new level, it's an entertaining 20 minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o6AT1t-i0o

Nixon's the One*

I was watching the primary election returns on Tuesday, and one stood out to me as what, perhaps, should be the most concerning to MAGOPs in the Mid-Terms. But while the race did get a lot of attention, as well as a notable feature of it, the result wasn't reported as being "concerning" to the MAGOP for the reason that struck me.

The race was Angie Nixon (* -- ahh, okay, that one) defeating the expected favorite Alexander Vindman to be Florida's Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate. This was considered a big upset since Vindman had an overwhelmingly higher national profile, especially since she had none, and outraised her by over 16 times. (He raised more than $16 million to her $975,000.) And yet she won in almost a landslide, by 12 points. While she had next to no national profile, she was very well-known in Florida, as a longtime community organizer and currently a member of the Florida House of Representatives. And from all accounts ran a magnificent campaign.

But what kept staring at me was that dollar figure, being outspent 16-to-1.

Keep in mind that only a couple weeks ago, one of the major Mid-Term stories in the news was when fundraising figures were released, and the MAGOP had something like $500 million in their party's coffers, while the Democratic National Committee was on fumes. And Trump had another $500 million or so to spend (not that he will, necessarily, being Trump and a hoarder, but there's a money to even just slip through the couch cushions). Not to mention all the MAGOP-based PACs. And all this was combined with the news from the Supreme Court that ruled party organizations could now control much of this money.

To be clear, Democrats do have money to spend from PACS and different groups, including individual campaigns, as well as Senate and House fundraising committee. And they're doing well. But nothing close to what the MAGOP has overflowing with ungodly amounts.

So, no doubt, MAGOPs have been salivating, understandably, to spend it. Knowing that, sure, Trump's approval has already plummeted to a scary-low 32%, gas prices remain soaring, consumer prices are still high, and Trump's Iran War by choice has no end in sight -- but they have many, many, many more hundreds of millions of dollars to spend than Democrats to make their case.

So, on Tuesday, I imagined their reaction when MAGOP officials saw in Florida an unknown candidate to them, outspent $16 million to $975,000 against a well-known heroic opponent -- and not only beat him, but in a landslide, by 12 points. If their blood didn't curdle, and their heart muscles didn't constrict, then they weren't paying attention.

If you've been relying on this Midas-sized treasure chest of fundraising to help make your case -- and you see that Democratic Senate primary result in Florida, and you know that the case you want to make is defending a party leader with a 32% approval...and dementia...with high gas and consumer prices, hated immigration policies, and a war his team has no idea how to end, you might feel like Police Chief Brody in Jaws standing in the back of his trawler when he sees the monstrous shark rear its body, and he turns to say terrified, "I think we're going to need a bigger boat."

To be clear, having massively more money to spend than your opponent is a great thing, and incredibly important. And it remains so here. And it's generally considered easier to overcome a fundraising deficit in a primary rather than general election. But "generally" is the operative term, because far more important -- especially in this world of social media and alternative online news and angst -- is having good candidates, a great message, an enthusiastic voter base that is exploding-anxious to vote, and a tepid opposition trying to defend the hated and indefensible.

Yes, having monumentally more money is absolutely critical. Absolutely. No question at all. But if it was the most important thing, JEB! Bush would have been elected president. In a landslide.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d220c5_26c18c00573843179df7b08e90fc9d43/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Bob and Ray: Sore loser concession speech