Ugly Campaign Presages Crisis of Government

One word describes this U.S. presidential election: dismal. That has ominous implications for the important tasks of governing over the next several years.

Elections in which big issues are joined have value because they provide a governance agenda to be debated and decided.

Both sides bear responsibility for the sorry state of politics this year, but the overwhelming blame belongs to Donald Trump. He has largely waged a campaign of venom and cruel insults that was substantively shallow. If you waded through his deepest policy thoughts your ankles wouldn’t get wet.

Let’s suppose he wins on Nov...