What a difference a week makes.

After avoiding any mention of the lawlessness that’s raged in cities large and small all summer at their national convention last week, Democrats have finally decided that looting, arson and rioting is bad.

Because recent polls show Americans fed up with the insurrection.

From his basement bunker on Wednesday, Joe Biden said, “The needless violence won’t heal us.”

Master of the scripted understatement.

That same day, after videos went viral of BLM bullies harassing diners at outdoor Washington DC. cafes, the mayor of that city finally spoke up.

“What I saw in those videos was highly inappropriate," said Muriel Bowser at a press conference Wednesday. "It was likely against the law if they were on private property. But more importantly I don't think it had anything to do with demands for social justice."

Ya think?

Oh, and after more than 80 consecutive nights of riots in Portland, Oregon Gov.  Kate Brown belatedly noticed. This week.

“Let me be clear: It’s time for the violence and vandalism to end so Portland can focus on the important work to be done to achieve real change for racial justice. Those who have committed acts of violence will be held accountable,” Brown tweeted on Tuesday.

Translation: National polling shows that American support for Black Lives Matter has cratered and “safe cities” is sharply rising as a concern of voters.

Like it or not, the Republicans are the party of law and order, while the Democrats - led by Nancy Pelosi who in July shrugged off illegal statue toppling with “People are going to do what they’re going to do” - are the party of protests.

The choice is becoming clear and that’s bad for Democrats.

It was CNN’s Don Lemon, who sometimes seems to act as a spokesmen for the DNC, who early this week lamented the fact that Democrats were seen to be enabling mob rule and it was hurting the party in the polls.

"I think this is a blind spot for Democrats. I think Democrats are ignoring this problem or hoping that it will go away," Lemon worried to his fellow CNN host Chris Cuomo. “The rioting has to stop.”

The next day the tepid denunciations of the violence began.

It’s been 92 days since American cities exploded in a festival of burning, rioting, looting and anarchy after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25th. Rioters have been killed and so have business owners. Family businesses have been reduced to rubble and stores have been looted.

Democratic governors and mayors have been mostly mum, other than to praise the “peaceful protests” and “summer of love” and promising to do away with the police.

Americans are not stupid. They know that the belated condemnations of violence are poll-driven, not guided by conscience.

That spells trouble for the Dems.