[Solecismic]

Fox News definitely prepared the case against Trump. But isn't that the responsibility of the press? Isn't that what should happen every cycle? Will we see this in the general as well?

Trump held up for two hours. I certainly agree with the case against him, but his supporters feel the need for a strong outsider. For them, Trump "wins" by holding up. If he continues to hold up and wins the nomination, he has proven the Teflon Don moniker. That said, it seems ridiculous that a major party candidate cannot intelligently discuss specifics around the world.

Rubio has sacrificed his candidacy to play attack dog. If it were a coordinated strategy to give Kasich the nomination in a contested convention, I'd applaud it. But Rubio seems to think he's still in this. He had the best line of the night (the flexible/yoga line). That really showed he's quick-witted. But do we need a President who could win on Whose Line is it Anyway?

Cruz was effective. From day one, he's shown himself as a brilliant debater. I think his supporters like him more today than they did last summer. He was rewarded with a truly impressive victory in Texas and Oklahoma. If this were a close race and Cruz had national appeal, that would have been the moment he turned things in his favor. However, his candidacy is regional because he is too right wing. He doesn't compromise and he hasn't built much in the Senate. As he gains more experience, I think he could be an effective conservative voice, but I don't think someone that divisive should be in the Oval Office.

Kasich is hitting his stride, but he still can't resist the temptation to tell people why they should vote for him. His new reasoning now had something to do with communities and love, and I'm sure it's compelling, but why can't he just say it once in his opening or closing remarks and go a little bit more with the flow. Obviously, his strategy now is to try and win Ohio, and then be the guy who offends the fewest people if Trump doesn't have a majority at the convention. I think that's a good strategy for him, but the problem he has is that with the exception of a couple of testy exchanges early on, no one is hitting him on Ohio's problems. For instance, Detroit wasn't last in the recent educational rankings of school competency; Cleveland was. For all his rhetoric of having succeeded, his record on some issues - particularly education - isn't a good one. If he wins the nomination without a mandate and without being tested on these issues, he'll get hammered hard in the general.

Hopefully, we're almost at the end of this nasty cycle of the race. I'm not looking forward to the next four days - probably relentless phone spam and, well, I'm glad I don't watch commercials. I hope the spammers are sophisticated enough only to call people in the party, so at least I'll get a break from that end of it. Michigan is a closed primary and the registration deadline is long past.

I don't think today's debate changed the landscape. Trump's negatives go up, but, then again, they've always been high.