I cannot remember a primary season ending in such gloom.

When a political party's big wigs spend the last weekend of the primary season as Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan and former Speaker Newt Gingrich did -- that is criticizing, correcting and trying to separate themselves from the guy who has wrapped up their party's nomination -- you know the party has a problem.

When the Wall Street Journal, a powerful voice of conservatism finds it necessary to separate "the odious from the just obnoxious" in the Republican candidate's message, you know it is a big problem.

Just when leaders were trying to begin a healing process, Trump's attack on that federal judge of Mexican heritage and New Mexico's Hispanic governor caught all of them by surprise.

They all remember Candidate Barry Goldwater's opposition to the 1964 Civil Rights Act turned blacks against the Republican Party not only in 1964 but for decades. Now they wonder if Trump's hostility to Hispanics could have the same long term impact.

Republicans have their candidate, but they can't figure out what to do with him.

And what about Democrats?

They're probably in a better humor than Republicans but with polls showing voters dislike Mrs. Clinton as much as they dislike Mr. Trump, no one is doing hand springs.