Media, public should channel Spike Lee film title

Donald Trump's presidential campaign is certainly the least presidential in the 17 I've followed since liking two classy candidates, Ike Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson in 1952. His is possibly the worst for a major party candidate in American history, having not come across one in my study of history who presented such a major threat to the stable functioning of American democracy should he have been elected. His behavior is so buffoonish, infantile, hate filled and dishonest, I'm still in disbelief he was nominated, much less he's inexplicably in contention. Sensible, decent Americans are shocked at his insane public call for Russia to hack into Hillary Clinton's emails. The withering criticism that provoked, including legitimate concern it was treasonous, prompted Trump to claim he was only being sarcastic. Anyone hearing his poisonous words yesterday knows that is bunk. This is simply the Trump shtick; pivot to some preposterous diversion when called out for campaign lunacy that would get just about any other candidate and his hat tossed tossed out of the presidential ring. When a disabled reporter called him out for his vicious, racist lie that his TV projected thousands of Muslims celebrating across the river in NJ as the Twin Towers collapsed, Trump's pivot was to mock the reporter with a grotesque parody of his disability. As dreadful as it was, the pivot worked, putting the focus on Trump's disgraceful insensitivity instead of his racist lie.

Cable news made the Trump candidacy plausible by feasting on the rating bonanza he presented instead of calling him out on his compulsive race baiting, lies, character assassination and utterly un-presidential behavior. He kicked off his campaign playing the birther card, using innuendo instead of outright assertions. He went totally berserk hinting at a connection between rival Ted Cruz's father and the JFK assassination. A hate filled, fearful and uneducated public has kept his candidacy alive.

Both have 102 days to come to their collective senses and 'do the right thing'.