Donald J. Trump is a sexual predator … and more. He forces women into having unwanted physical contact with him. Whether those contacts result in sex matters not at all. His words—here’s the recording—make his purposes clear.

I have followed the Friday, October 7 reports with interest. In particular, I find the use of the word “shocking” shocking. Shocking? As in, surprised? Really? Only willful ignorance about Donald Trump can explain even the least bit of surprise.

For decades Donald Trump has been a caricature. Successful businessman? Really. We know now that Mr. Trump lost just shy of one billion dollars in 1995. Or that he’s a tax cheat. Either way, he’s hardly an exemplar of success.

As a businessman—I know a bit about people who engage in business endeavors—Mr. Trump exemplifies the guy who can spend money. OPM, aka Other People’s Money. When banks give you money, spending it does not reflect success. And the fact that lenders loaned Mr. Trump lots of money proves nothing. We all know now what some of us who deal with lenders regularly have always known: they make mistakes!

Beyond Mr. Trump as “successful businessman” there’s not much more to say. Mr. Trump presented himself as the outsider businessman we need to clean up the mess. The notion that business skills represent a sufficient qualification for high(est) office aside, Mr. Trump lacks those skills.

So! I don’t think President Trump happens. Ever. But, the campaign tells me a significant part of the American populace—20, 30, or maybe even 40%, although that last percentage feels high—have simply quit on a pluralistic, civil society. Certainly, many good, decent people support Donald Trump. They tell me it’s about Hillary Clinton, and some of them don’t even call her Killary. Alas, Mr. Trump—by and through the values we’ve seen too much of—offers the antithesis of a pluralistic, civil society.

And, as the infomercials tell us: “Wait. There’s more.” Mr. Trump knows nothing about economics. Foreign policy. Domestic policy. Many compare Mr. Trump to drunks at bars. Having spent time in a fair number of bars, that’s an unfair comparison: plenty of people I’ve met on bar stools know more about what matters than Mr. Trump.

I often think about the many decisions our president makes, every day, which we don’t hear about. Sending an aircraft carrier to reassure an ally. Taking out a bad guy in a drone strike. (Unpleasant, for sure, and worthy of a serious discussion. Still, an “under the radar” mass of decisions.) Persuading someone in Congress. Evaluating proposed regulations and Executive Orders. Pardons.

Governance ain’t simple! It’s like an iceberg, in the sense that we see the bits at the top, while everything else involves diligence, discipline, and tough choices. Mr. Trump, through his words and actions, exhibits no appreciation for these facts, and there is no evidence that if he got “It’s hard” he has the temperament to do the job.

When we get past this charade, and we will, we ought to reflect on our state. We won’t, but we ought to. We all own this mess, and ignoring it won’t make it go away!