Some polls show Clinton ahead of Trump in traditionally red states such as Arizona, Georgia, and North Carolina. Could Trump at this point even be elected dog-catcher?

I am sure there is some (Cliven) Bundy-ville out there where Trump could be elected dog-catcher.

But I must admit my surprise at how rapidly the polling has shifted in favor of HRC. I'm not sure we'll ever know exactly why it happened.

It's not that hard to figure out. A lot of folks have decided that Trump lacks the demeanor and style necessary to be president. That's unlikely to change.

@Stu B -- I largely agree about the "Why?" But I'm somewhat confused by the "When?"

It's not like The Donald has changed significantly since the end of the RNC convention, when the insta-poll results gave Trump a significant chance of winning.

So why did so many people apparently change their minds in the space of 2-3 weeks?

As I mentioned in the question, the insult of the Khans had a big impact IMO.

No, I don't believe he could.  If he treats a human crying baby like a dog, what makes anybody think he's gonna treat a real dog any better.

I think there is so much dirt on hillary that there is still hope that she will not win.

Now she is being sued by the benghazi parents.  What she did is worse.  She lied to them and called them liars for saying she lied to them.  It was no mistake, she knew she was lying.  She emailed the truth to her daughter.

Talk about staged Dem. antics, lol. Give me a break, those parents used their boys death as a political tool, disgusting if you ask me and Trump has every right to fight back, Gold parents my --s, they're unethical pieces of s--t.

Doesn't matter how it came about - their son died fighting for the USA. Trump handled it terribly. He should've just said he was sorry for their loss and left it at that.

Irrelevant to this instance. He insulted the family of a soldier who gave his life for his country. Try to put your partisan anger aside and see Trump clearly as the buffoon that he is.