The party of Lincoln, Eisenhower and Reagan, thrown into turmoil by childish insults and riotous campaign rallies. “What’s happened?” asks a voice with the gruffness of a man old enough to remember at least two of those lionized leaders.

Such is the scene set by a new ad from New Day for America, the “super PAC” supporting Gov. John Kasich, as it seeks to portray him as the only candidate who measures up as “presidential.”

Message

As the ad hopefully asserts, “character still matters.”

“There was a time presidents were honorable — trustworthy,” the voice-over recalls, as yellowed portraits of Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Reagan flicker by. Donald J. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz are seen gesticulating at one another in a debate. A white Trump supporter is shown sucker-punching a black protester at a rally. The United States compound in Benghazi smolders in ruins.

Contrasted with the final image — of a pensive Mr. Kasich, peering out an office window – the point is clear: Mr. Kasich isn’t just the only one who can “stop Hillary Clinton,” he is the only one fit to occupy the Oval Office.