Of all the presidential campaigns in American history, this year's is the most surreal. Not because of the candidates' back-and-forth sniping; that is standard political fare. Instead, to the Republican Party's dismay and most voters' mystification, GOP nominee Donald Trump has upended what voters have come to expect from would-be presidents.
It requires no heavy lifting to challenge presidential candidates on their history, the content of their campaigns or their reasons for running. But Trump's erratic behavior, his stream-of-consciousness speeches and his inexhaustible appreciation of himself have made him a political phenomenon - and not in a good way.
And so it has come to this: NBC reported that party officials are considering an "intervention" with Trump in an attempt to get his campaign on track. That would mean confronting Trump with a paraphrased message from Bill Clinton's successful 1992 campaign: "It's Hillary, stupid."
A successful intervention is unlikely but that's not the point. GOP officials seem close to concluding that the party is nearing a tipping point that would seal Trump's defeat. That's the view of Joe Scarborough, the conservative co-host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and former GOP congressman from northwest Florida. He said last week Republicans should instead focus on saving congressional down-ballot seats.
Is Scarborough right? Hard to say; many issues in presidential campaigns lack the staying power to influence Election Day results. But the accretion of those issues has the potential to dilute a campaign's strength and its integrity. Call it the political version of death by a thousand cuts - inflicted by a razor Trump is wielding against himself.
Some of that suggests Trump is paradoxically insecure. When federal courts recently struck down voter ID laws in several states, Trump renewed his fear of a "rigged" presidential election - presumably rigged in the same way as the autumn debates. If he loses in November, he could reassure his followers by attributing the loss to those who allegedly rigged the system against him. God forbid that voters had concluded he was ill-suited for the presidency.
Trump's tissue paper-thin skin and his unwillingness to tolerate criticism, an obvious understatement, has created a dilemma for Republican leaders. He refused to endorse the re-election of both House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain, thereby infuriating party leaders, including party chairman Reince Prebius. And his seemingly endless series of disproven lies, even about trivialities, suggest not only his contempt for the truth but for voters as well.
That may be one reason for his recurring commission of unforced errors. There was his week-long squabble with a Muslim father - whose son, an Army captain, was killed in Iraq - who criticized him at the Democratic convention. Veterans, a key Republican constituency, were outraged. But they still remember his insulting dismissal of McCain, captured and imprisoned in North Vietnam after his fighter was shot down during the Vietnam war: "I prefer heroes who are not captured."
Finally, it is hard to explain Trump's tone-deaf response when a veteran gave him his Purple Heart medal, typically awarded to anyone wounded in battle. He could have graciously declined to accept it while adding his appreciation for all Purple Heart recipients killed. Instead: "I always wanted to get the Purple Heart. This was much easier."
Trump's wobbly campaign has potentially serious consequences for his party, including down-ballot losses that could flip control of the Senate. Sens. Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann owe us an explanation for their continued support of Trump's candidacy.
Michael Loftin is a former editor of The Times editorial page.