A frenzy of misbehavior and misjudgment currently threatens the American polity. Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis represent the center of the storm. Trump's words, deeds and basic instincts are fundamentally at odds with America's long-held essential ideals. While DeSantis, a more rational actor than Trump, threatens to achieve as President the very goals Trump was too inept to accomplish. The Democrats, for their part, add fuel to the fire with their own unique brand of irrational politics and governance. This bipartisan race to the bottom is a stress test of the world's preeminent constitutional democracy. It will culminate on election night in 2024.