Cruz also has a sizable campaign war chest, and has built the most sophisticated campaign of the bunch. Unfortunately for him, he is almost universally reviled by other elected Republicans, and his overt combative social conservatism, however genuine you think it may be, is considered a major turnoff to the Republican donor class.

In other words, the scenario where the party rallies around a non-controversial and electable alternative to Trump is harder to imagine today than it was before New Hampshire had its say.

Trump did not do the normal events bagging groceries in New London shops. He did not do little evening strolls at winter festivals, or barnstorm the state with townhall events. He did not raise money from the normal Republican donors, or get policy and speechmaking advice from its class of conservative intellectuals and courtiers. He only realized this week that well-worn campaign clichés about having a “ground game” in a state referred to actual things like a get-out-the-vote operation. He broke every rule in the game and won easily.

Right now, the only effective counter-move to his hostile takeover of the party is to give in to the other hostile takeover led by Ted Cruz.