The End of the Campaign TrailInside MagicMagic News Updated Daily for the Professional Magician

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We are glad to back on the web and within the friendly environs of Mystic Hollow,

Michigan. The last few months were unique, interesting,and relatively disease-free.

There are those who thought our run for the presidency was ill-advised, under-funded, and evidence of our inability to process basic information.

We won’t say they were right, but then again we can’t say they were wrong. Perhaps it was a pipe-dream to think

America was ready for a magician president. Maybe the pundits correctly assessed our chances with their blithe dismissals of our ambition to start a successful third party, challenge the status quo, and lead

America in a new direction.

"Blame the media," our advisor(s) urged. "Tell everyone how the media kept you from participating in the televised debates, blocked your radio and television commercial campaign, thwarted fund-raising by ignoring your campaign, and refused to even commit a single dedicated reporter to the Magic in the White House tour."

We are not the type to gloat ? when we win ? nor pout after a loss. The media wasn’t ready for our type of retail politics and probably did not want to get involved in thenew wave of popularity we fomented across this great country.

Some suggested our strategy was doomed from the outset. "No one campaigns for a

U.S. Presidential
nomination by knocking on doors, kissing babies, shaking hands, and
handing out flyers anymore," they said. "And certainly, no one hopes
to gain votes by doing those anachronistic rituals in foreign
countries."

Looking back, they may have been right.

We should have spent more time politicking with in the

U.S. But to be fair, we assumed the word would get back to the
U.S. when visitors or immigrants from the countries traveled to or were smuggled into

America.

Sure, there is something to be said for not
putting one’s eggs in one basket, but if one only has a single basket
and a bunch of eggs, what is one to do? When life hands you lemons,
put them in your basket and make lemon-aide fortified with egg-yolk.

Thank you to those who watched us on the only
televised debate allowed our campaign. It was early in the campaign
season and there were no other real candidates to debate, plus
it was on cable rather than network television. To be honest, we
thought ourappearance would spark much more support but that was likely
na?ve. Still, you can check out the YouTube video of the debate
against Rachel Ray on the Food Channel and judge for yourself.

What kind of political party would have a magician
running for president, we were often asked. A magic party, we would
answer. Magicians have an uncanny way of seeing things that are not
real, making others believe in the impossible, and entertaining at the
same time. True, our foreign experience pales in comparison to the
candidates from the other parties, but how many of them can do a
one-handed riffle-shuffle, fold and load spring flowers while strolling
in a restaurant, escape from authentic police handcuffs underwater, or
make children scream "turn it around!"

We may not know about foreign cultures but we
havebeen to EPCOT at Walt Disney World often enough to know that
foreigners are just like us, but with different name-tags, weird
hair-dos, and pretty costumes.

A reporter from C-SPAN asked last night during our "rally/good-bye convocation" in

Manchester,
New Hampshire, what we would have done differently in retrospect.

It was a good question.

Perhaps, we mused, the place for magic is not in
politics, but somewhere else. Perhaps people do not expect magic from
their politicians or the political process. They are accustomed to
politicians promising great effects and enriching programs all the
while they are secure in the knowledge that nothing will happen, their
will be no miracles, nothing unexpected.

A magician promises and delivers.

Note: under the Federal Election Committee
regulations, we are not permitted to refund any campaign contribution
made to the Tim Quinlan, Magician for President Committee.
Fortunately, none were received and so we avoided much red-tape.