Is that the Fat Lady I hear warming up in the wings?

The repercussions just keep rolling in: Hillary Clinton’s recent decision to call Donald Trump’s fans a “basketful of deplorables” has turned into “nothing short of a crisis” for the Democratic presidential nominee, says veteran pollster John Zogby. Ah, but it gets worse. “The entire fainting and pneumonia issue is nothing short of a disaster,” he continues, noting that the distress and drama of Mrs. Clinton’s health challenges have prompted voters to ask visceral questions about her truthfulness and judgment. “This has all been badly done. New polls have come out that show Clinton down 5 points in Ohio, down in Florida, New Hampshire, Nevada and Iowa — and none of these polls reflect more than just one day’s sample. A new CBS Tracking Poll now shows her leading Trump 42 percent to 40 percent. I probably shouldn’t speculate, but I suspect she will lose a few more points,” Mr. Zogby continues. “But the real crisis here is how she gets back on track. She will most likely have a good debate performance on Sept. 26. But then she still has to deal with the ‘deplorables’ thing because of what it reveals about her and her supporters. And then the release of her emails in October. She is in a tough spot.”

I don’t see any reason to think this sick, tired old woman will have a good debate. She’s a terrible debater, for one thing, and whether she lasts an hour without pitching face forward onto the floor remains to be seen. Further, she’s never encountered anyone like Trump — an opponent who’s not afraid of her, has contempt for her, and is willing to turn her own playbook against her.

It ain’t over til it’s over. Lots can happen between now and November, and Trump has shown himself more than capable of shooting off his own foot from time to time. But with the GOP under new management recently, those events are fewer and farther between. The Democrats are right to be worried.