If Democrats do better than expected in next week's elections, let's hope they send a thank-you card to Donald Trump.
Just because it'd drive him crazy. But his meddling is also a real factor: If you look at some of the most competitive races, the awfulness of the Republican nominee is thanks in good part to Trumpian support.
"My record is unparalleled, my endorsements, it's totally unparalleled," he bragged this year. It certainly was extensive -- he reportedly made about 200 primary endorsements. But there weren't a ton of heavy lifts. His choices were mainly incumbents and others who were virtually unopposed.
Still, when there was a serious race, Trump had a major-league talent for picking the least attractive possibility.
Take Georgia. Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock should probably be in deep, deep trouble given the general political climate. But the polls show a near-even race. Warnock sure is lucky that Trump made such a heroic effort to promote Herschel Walker, who was terrible even before he plunged into his serial abortion scandals.
And then there's J.D. Vance, whom Trump is backing in the Ohio Senate race. The former president showed up for a Vance rally last month in Youngstown, standing right next to the contender, who, he told the crowd, "is kissing my a--, he wants my support so much."
To be fair -- if you really feel like being fair -- Trump's favorites generally did win. ( "Nobody's ever had a record like this. I'm almost unblemished.")
Of course, it's natural that voters in Republican primaries would care about the opinion of the last Republican president. Trump's endorsement certainly made a difference in Arizona -- where the deeply unappealing Blake Masters won the Senate nomination with his help.
And his backing was also very important in Pennsylvania, where Republicans are now stuck in the governor's race with Doug Mastriano, a state senator who's argued that women who have abortions relatively early in a pregnancy should be charged with murder.
The general elections are a different kind of competition, where the Trump name can be a little less, um, attractive. Wisconsin observers couldn't help noticing that once Tim Michels had won the Republican nomination for governor, his campaign website scrubbed all references to "Endorsed by President Trump," only to put them back up an hour later. Such is the life of the Trump acolyte.
Even when he's not promoting anybody, Trump is ... keeping in touch. It's hard to avoid his emails, the vast, vast majority of which are asking for money. My absolute favorite, which arrived last month, announced he "just couldn't wait any longer to tell you this EXCITING NEWS."
Which was -- wait for it:
"I HAVE BEEN NAMED THE #1 PRESIDENTIAL GOLFER IN HISTORY!"
The namer was a conservative website called the DC Enquirer. We will not mention the very different opinion of experts like sports writer Rick Reilly, who wrote about Trump's game in his book "Commander in Cheat."
I guarantee the emails will keep on coming. What else can Trump do? He's still banned from Twitter and his attempt at a substitute, Truth Social, probably has fewer followers than some minor celebrities.
Well, hey, DJT does need some diversion. His business organization is wrestling with multitudinous court cases in New York right now -- tax fraud is a central topic.
He's been on the road a lot, making speeches, raising money and being protected by Secret Service agents who the Trump Organization has charged up to $1,185 per night for hotel rooms. Yeah, he's so grateful for security over the past few years he's billed us more than $1.4 million.
Let's see what happens next. If his pitiful candidates don't survive, maybe some Republicans will ask for their money back.
The New York Times