If you’re running against Trump, you don’t need to directly make this case against Trump, and you shouldn’t. Electability as a campaign message inspires no one.

But being more electable than the other guy can be a powerful asset when voters are desperate to recapture the White House, and there are ways to make that contrast clear.

If I were a Republican planning to take on Trump, I’d already be planning a series of speeches about getting back to core conservative ideals. That means being the world’s indispensable beacon for freedom (as opposed to being pro-dictator); it means championing federal law enforcement (rather than supporting rioters and indulging crazy conspiracy theorists); and managing government like a business (and not like a criminal family enterprise).

I’d praise Trump for whatever good things you think he did — but only in the way one praises an erratic boss at his retirement party. I’d talk about him in the past tense, making the point at every opportunity that his moment has passed.