The US presidentials are no longer about issues, they are about pathology. That this free-fall could happen is also due to the temperament of a president, who, in most things and about most issues, prefers to reign in "rapid response". His allergy to demagoguery is often mistaken for disdain. This does not give him a free pass on all issues. His tenure will be seen as uneven, even when rationalization might explain a lot.
Today the "logos" has taken a break, and we are lost in the primary jungle of raw
irresponsibility. Trump is obviously the main villain in this sordid play. Insults, lies, immature behavior create a toxic brew, which finds few takers where it should count but a large following in a crowd which feels, too often rightly so, snubbed and taken for granted.
Secretary Clinton is obliged to respond in ways that are imposed by the Republican nominee and which are mostly unfamiliar to a personality who prefers experience over loose talk. Hence she often comes over as "scripted" or hurried, as lately (and which backfired).
The "establishment" Democrats and many Republicans alike can hardly believe their eyes and ears. Many rank and file Republicans are supporting Clinton, not with their heart but with their reason. The former party of the elites becomes nativist, and the Democratic party of yesterday becomes the refuge of the lost republicans and a large "establishment in exile".
Trump might not win but he has set in motion a movement of disenfranchised individuals and frustrated third-tier opinion makers which might survive for awhile after November 8. The Republican nominee surely will not, and by his own choice. He will abandon and betray his flock as he has done during his professional life as a real estate dealer with a total disregard for manners and leader acumen.
The mutual distrust between Trump and Mrs. Clinton is structural by now. I wonder if they could even come to a handshake at the debates. They shouldn't. No bridge can span the abyss created by his vicious attacks and by her contempt. The real issues will be buried in the mud. In the end, whoever wins, the American psyche will need some recovery therapy.
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