Finding balance where none exists

WHEN Donald Trump began his run for the White House, many people treated it as a joke. Nothing that he has done or said since makes him look better. On the contrary, his policy ignorance has become even more striking, his positions more extreme, the flaws in his character more obvious, and he has repeatedly demonstrated a level of contempt for the truth that is unprecedented in American politics.

Yet while most polls suggest that he is running behind in the general election, the margin is not overwhelming, and there is still a real chance that he might win. How is that possible? Part of the answer, I would argue, is that …