For several weeks, the Democratic Party has been at war with itself. An intraparty feud has broken out among the Democratic officials who govern America’s cities and their constituents who resent being aggressively overpoliced. Racial tensions in dark-blue urban enclaves have spilled into the streets. The public sector unions beholden to Democratic politicians in these municipalities are struggling to preserve their advantages against the forces of reform. The party is divided, almost down the middle, over the efficacy of radical measures that are anathema to the general public.

All these conditions should theoretically benefit the incumbent president. So, what does Donald Trump do at this potentially advantageous moment? Randomly exhume the corpses of Confederate dead and put them on a pedestal. Of course.