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Josh Marshall on Donald Trump's Triumph of the Will

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KGxvi1/28/2016 2:01:58 pm PST

re: #71 Big Beautiful Door

Keep in mind, however, that Rubio which much prefer that Trump win Iowa than Cruz; he wants the race to be between him and Trump, not between Trump and Cruz.

Sure, but Iowa has shown itself to be a less than useful bellwether over the last few cycles - for both parties. If that were the case for Rubio, he should be focusing on New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada.

That said, from a media narrative point of view, it benefits the entire field for the winner of Iowa to be “anyone but Trump.” If Trump loses, that’s the first nick in the armor. It renders his inevitability/invincibility arguments null because actual voters in an actual nominating contest have rejected him. One of the key things to remember about the GOP primary electorate - as Tweety has said a few times - they tend to fall in line. The polls I’ve looked at lately suggest that close to half the primary electorate would be willing to change who they support, which means Trump’s support is likely not as solid as he might think.