As their mostly virtual convention opens tonight, I look forward to hearing how Joe Biden, Sen. Kamala Harris and other Democrats make the case for a change from the Trump presidency.

In his highly dignified and rational way, the current incumbent attempted to set the stage for what he expects to see, via tweet: 

“The world will be laughing and taking full advantage of the United States if Joe Biden ever became President. Our Country would COLLAPSE!”

Noted. Arguable perhaps, but noted. I will also note that there was a time, not so long ago, and arguably a better, more civilized time, when each party would show, or at least feign, respect for both the other party and for the intelligence of the American electorate. 

Those days are gone, at least for now and, although Democrats (and liberal columnists like me) have begun to speak in uncivil tones that would previously have been considered out-of-bounds, it’s pretty clear which side led the way on this race to the bottom, and under whose leadership it occurred.

The Trump-Pence Make America Great Again 2020 campaign committee also attempted to set the stage with an email calmly and rationally asserting that “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris would DESTROY America, and their Socialist Convention this week is only a preview of what’s to come.”

It’s pretty much a binary choice. And one appreciates the efforts of the Party of Lincoln to clarify the choice.

I’ll be watching. It will be interesting to see how Biden, Harris and the other speakers deal with the enormous decline in cross-party civility that Donald Trump has engendered. But however low they decide to go, I’m confident that DJT Sr. will find a way to go lower.

See you at the bottom.