DefeaTED

The War On Women Is A Myth, I Tell You!! A Leftist-Created Myth! A Lie
(the Trump Bumper Sticker says "Trump That Bitch")

The drama was over at 7:01 with minimal fuss Donald Trump had won Indiana and almost unquestionably the Republican nomination. The #NeverTrump faction had failed. What everyone had assumed could not happen . . . has happened.

We don't have the final numbers now--but it appears that his win will be substantial. What happens next has some defined contours.

1. Does Ted Cruz Stay In?

There is still a remote chance that a Trump-collapse could lead to an open/contested convention. The problem here is that Cruz has shown himself to be an inadequate vessel for the party's voters. If he loses in a land-slide to Trump, why pick him at the convention?

Also: Does Cruz still represent anything? Is he the last-conservative standing? Or a self-serving politician who hugged the him when he should have been talking seriously about qualifications.

2. Does The Party Unite?

The #NeverTrump faction will be hard-pressed to unite behind The Donald--but what about Republican moderates? Do they hate Hillary badly enough to prefer . . . anyone? Do they think Trump is all that bad a candidate in the first place?

3. What About Kasich?

Okay, he's not much of a factor--but he's likely to pull double digits in Indiana leading to speculation that he might've been a spoiler for Cruz. This doesn't appear to be the case (the problem is that Kasich voters were also #NeverCruz, which is why the strategic voting thing was doomed). Still, if there appears to be no chance of a contested convention does Kasich bother?

4. What About The Media?

It is an article of faith that The Mainstream Media will turn on Trump once he is nominated. The reality is that they've been "turned on him" since day one. It's just that all his negatives in the moderate world are strengths in the GOP voter-base. Trump has been given questions and, in many cases, held to them (as much as he can be).

He has gotten a lot of exposure--because he is a ratings machine and a spectacle--but to think that The Media has been easy on him is not so. The problem, anyway, hasn't been the liberal media--it has been the conservative media which has given him pass after pass.

5. How Long Will The Soul Searching Last?

Donald Trump represents an existential threat to the Republican coalition and (potentially) one to the country. Will conservatives, out in the wilderness right now, come back to the fold as the election nears? Will we see days, hours, or even weeks of self-examination? Probably not--but for now . .

Items To Read

I've Lied To Myself For Years RedState writer and TeaParty guy Ben Howe comes to grips with the fact that he gave a "pass" to people who said crazy things because they were allies to his cause. Now he sees where that led--too late.

The Thing I've Most Gotten Wrong In My Career TheResurgent. Erick Erickson concludes that the press created Trump by letting him call in, giving him softball questions, and tons of air-time (like his jet landing). He concludes that anyone could be a front runner with that. Well, he's wrong--you need to be a ratings machine and own a jet, for starters. Bloomberg? Yes--maybe. Joe The Plumber? No.

Trump Just Burnt Down Conservatism. The Time To Rebuild Is Now. The Daily Wire. Ben Shapiro, former Brietbart editor, is on the #NeverTrump team and has realized, just now, that the party base isn't, actually, conservative. They just want someone who will "burn it down." Of course, Shapiro takes the current leadership to task for capitulating to Obama--which was the logic that got everyone into the Trump-mess. But never mind.