Moreover, it raises the most troubling aspect of the Trump campaign’s recent changes, hiring Breitbart News chief Stephen K. Bannon as the campaign CEO. Trump knows or should know that Breitbart is the refuge of modern-day white nationalists. Hiring Bannon certainly is seen as a wink-wink to that segment of Trump’s base. In her speech Thursday, Clinton is expected to explore Trump’s “mainstreaming” of these white supremacists.

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Many Republicans should thank her. While some may agonize over giving the racists what they want —publicity — the more important task is to shine a light on them, wipe away the window dressing (including the name “alt-right”) and explain what these people are all about. The other GOP presidential contenders failed to do this in the campaign, to their discredit. After the election, the GOP will have to purge this crowd if it is to have any hope of recovering from the Trump debacle.

Is the ad “over the top”? I would argue the opposite. The white supremacists gain ground when their message is soft-pedaled or they are welcomed in polite company. Whether in suits pontificating about white supremacy to an interviewer or dressed in Klan regalia, the white supremacists carry the same core message.

If Trump doesn’t like the association, he should fire Bannon, denounce these people and stop stirring the pot of racial resentment and anger. He won’t, however. On “CBS This Morning,” campaign chief Kellyanne Conway feigned ignorance of the self-styled “alt-right.” That would have us assume that she reads no conservative blogs (which have discussed the phenomenon) and pays no attention to mainstream media (which has covered the Breitbart and alt-right synergy). It’s inconceivable that a dedicated Republican activist, let alone a presidential campaign manager, could be that out to lunch.