But this mayhem should come as no surprise. As Trump himself said in Wisconsin earlier this month, dismissing Cruz’s superior delegate operation in Louisiana: “I don’t care about rules, folks.” That bravado may win applause, but it won’t win a nomination.

And it shouldn’t. The overall primary process that has evolved includes a variety of different kinds of contests. That respects federalism. It also means that to win the nomination, a candidate has to show demographically and geographically broad support and build an organization that can master the details. Not coincidentally, those things are related to picking a strong general-election nominee and a good president. Trump wouldn’t be either of these, and his failure on the ground in Colorado — and Iowa, and North Dakota, and Louisiana, and Wisconsin, &c. — is yet another indication. Contrary to his endless boasts, he is not a quick learner, he does not run complex organizations well, and he does not hire the best people.

Trump is trying to bluster and bully his way to the Republican nomination. But that strategy — or, more accurately, lack of strategy — will not carry him through November. Cruz is proving himself the only candidate capable of running an effective national campaign, and the only candidate who stands a chance of going toe to toe with Hillary Clinton and the Democratic machine.