Eric Levitz:

Women did come forward with accusations of sexual assault months ago. The New York Times ran a long story on Trump “crossing the line” with women — including, allegedly, kissing and groping them without their permission — back in May. A former Miss USA–pageant contestant claimed that Trump had groped her in a Facebook post published in June. And the full trail of sexual-assault allegations against Trump goes back decades, to depositions from the mogul’s first divorce, in which Ivana Trump accused her ex-husband of rape.

The GOP candidates could have exposed Trump:

If Marco Rubio wanted to make Trump’s mistreatment of women a central story line in the GOP primary, he could have introduced Alicia Machado’s story at a Republican debate. Or his campaign could have leaked Trump’s most retrograde Howard Stern comments to CNN. Or he could have highlighted the many accusations of sexual assault already reported and on the record. He chose not to do so.

John Scalzi:

I want to be clear that in voting against Trump, I’m not only voting against him as an individual, although given who he is as an individual — a racist, a misogynist, a liar and a cheat — that would be more than enough. I am also voting against the people who I see as the shock troops of the Trump campaign: the racists, the anti-semites, the religiously intolerant, the sexists and bullies, the toxic stew of hate, stupidity and sociopathy that has tried to pass into respectability with the jazzy new title of “alt-right,” but which is just the Klan and the neo-Nazis all over again.

In voting against Trump, I’m voting against the alt-right and larger pool of hate in which they fester, against the people who slur women, blacks, latinos, Jews, Muslims, LGBT folks and others on social media and elsewhere, against the ones who promise them a march to the ovens or a noose over a tree branch or a rape in an alley, against the ones who glory in the fact that Trump’s candidacy lends their bigotry mainstream cover, and the ones who, should Trump win, have plans for anyone and everyone who isn’t them. I’m voting against the people who believe, when Trump says “Make America great again,” it means “Make everyone else afraid again.”

John Cassidy:

It is in this context—a race that is basically done, but not quite over—that Trump’s latest rhetoric and the responses to it need to be viewed. In the past few days, the de-facto leader of Trump’s party, Paul Ryan, has all but deserted him. Hillary Clinton’s campaign, meanwhile, has grown so confident that it has made plans to shift some resources to congressional races. At the same time, the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Trump have mounted.

Amy Davidson:

In her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Obama had said that she trusted Clinton to protect her daughters; here, she went beyond that, saying, in effect, that she would be glad if Sasha and Malia were not only kept safe by Clinton but became someone like her.

Ryan Lizza:

Trump is either victorious or victimized, but never a loser. This week marked the end of Trump trying to actually win, and the beginning of him plotting to explain why the election was stolen.

Michelle Obama criticizes Trump’s behavior:

A six-year-old knows this is not how adults behave, it’s not how decent human beings behave and this is certainly not how someone who wants to be president of the United States behaves. Because let’s be very clear, strong men, men who are truly role models, don’t need to put down women to make themselves feel powerful.

What a moving speech. Who is better to speak on the women issue better than our fantastic first lady.

Jessica Walsh and Timothy Goodman use their design skills to take on Trump:

I’m with her because he’s crazy. And racist. And xenophobic. And misogynistic. And homophobic. Trump doesn’t love America, he loves himself. You may not love every thing about Hillary, but we’re all in trouble if we don’t vote for her. Please register to vote!

Editorial board:

Ms. Clinton, in other words, is dogged, resilient, purposeful and smart. Unlike Mr. Clinton or Mr. Bush when they ascended, she knows Washington; unlike Mr. Obama when he ascended, she has executive experience. She does not let her feelings get in the way of the job at hand. She is well positioned to get something done.

Editorial:

Simply put, Clinton is the one candidate who presents the opportunity for steady, reliable leadership abroad and here at home. Trump’s policies, meanwhile, represent a dark, dangerous direction for the nation if implemented.

Editorial:

If she is elected, Clinton would be well advised to be much more transparent and to wall herself and her administration off from the influence of lobbyists.