Well, that was quick.

Just a month ago I was laying out the framework of a negotiation. I saw it as necessary for Candidate Trump to win over those conservatives who had once declared #NeverTrump. It’s foolish, I figured, to walk away from a negotiation early when the other party desperately needs your support. A favorable pick for VP was one of the few things that I thought the unreliable Trump might put on the table. Reneging on a VP pick is not an option.

Trump’s FEC report came out yesterday. It played out just as it did in the movie: Toto pulled back the curtain and the Wizard’s magic is another combover job. I can’t decide which is worse, the incompetence or the bald-faced grift. Either way, Trump is not the man for the job.

I can do little to add to the brilliant Storify post by my friend Thomas Crown. I had observed that for Trump the election is a negotiation; Crown says it’s like a real estate deal that is starting to smell. I think he’s nailed it.

When a TV show jumps the shark, it’s popularity falls like a turd in a well.

It’s really up to Donald Trump, to see if he’s willing to see his name alongside Dukakis, Mondale, Humphrey and Landon.

It’s up to his sycophants and toadies to see how far deep in the vortex they are sucked before jumping ship.

We’re either going to have a little drama, or four months of Trump twisting in the wind, all alone. I’d heard he valued his personal brand at $3 billion. Good luck with that.