ON THE OTHER HAND – AT 11:16 A.M. ET:   We've said before that any respectable Republican candidate other than Trump could have put this race away by now.  A new Fox poll confirms that thinking.  This should be a change election.  From Fox: 

Half of likely voters think the country is in such deep trouble that a completely different kind of leader is needed to come in and shake things up.

That sounds like good news for Donald Trump. Yet the latest Fox News Poll also finds a majority of voters don’t think Trump is qualified to be president -- and doesn’t have the right temperament to serve.

“While the race is tight, some underlying attitudes about the candidates heavily favor Hillary Clinton, such as temperament and experience,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, who conducts the Fox News Poll along with Republican pollster Daron Shaw. “These will likely become larger factors as Election Day gets closer and voters start visualizing the candidates in office.”

The poll, released Sunday, finds six-in-ten likely voters think Clinton is qualified to be president (61 percent) and has the right temperament to serve (59 percent). It’s the reverse for Trump, as majorities say he lacks the qualifications (54 percent) and temperament (59 percent).

On other traits, ratings of the candidates are closely aligned. For instance, only 34 percent think Clinton is honest and trustworthy (64 percent disagree). Trump does a bit better, but he’s still in negative territory: 39 percent say he’s honest vs. 58 percent dishonest.

COMMENT:  Trump was doing very well in changing his image until about three days ago, when he started making off-the-cuff, reckless remarks.  Now we're seeing a number of articles wondering whether the "old" Trump is back.  If he is, we're looking at President Hillary. 

Clearly, the significance of the first debate looms large.  Americans will get a good chance to gauge Trump, standing on the same stage with Hillary.  Will he be presidential?  Or amateur?

One factor to look at is the impact of an increasingly biased, almost hysterical press.  I'm getting a sense that millions of Americans are ignoring the media, that they're on to the game.  I hope so.

September 18, 2016