Bizarrely, Cruz’s string of setbacks has made him seem less contemptuous of everyone around him, and Kasich’s weak showing has made him like Ben Carson but with a pulse, while Rubio’s and Trump’s fortunes have made them more tonally similar even as their rivalry has diminished both men. Too snide, too superficial, and far too ego-driven, the two offered equally dangerous options: Bushism without the family ballast, or anti-Bushism without the wisdom of the ages.

On the other hand, all too little evidence suggests this most debate-y of Republican debates will make a difference at the ballot box. Every candidate gratified his supporters and incensed his detractors. Trump haters thrilled to Rubio’s cheesy collegiate zingers, while Trump lovers laughed off the boy wonder’s belated effort to punch up. Rubio fans saw the complete package last night; Rubio skeptics, a cranked-up ambition bot whose irritated, irritating cadence never changes. Kasich people celebrated a man above it all — while others called for the cane. Perhaps only Carson united observers (against him).

Trump must now begin running a general election campaign, not only broader in its appeal but sharper in its detail. If he chooses not to, he could well be picked apart and left for dead at the convention. Rubio must find some way to humble himself and earn some trust. Running as an even cockier and less experienced iteration of George W. Bush will unite the party’s elder losers and negate his youthful optimism. Cruz needs to show he’s a surer, wiser bet than either of the frontrunners. Otherwise his personal negatives will crush him. And Kasich has to do the same, lest his personal positives make him a soft but distracting smudge quickly wiped away.