There is one important sense in which Donald Trump “won” the debate on Sunday night: He did not implode. He wasn’t “good,” or attractive, or knowledgeable. He was coarse and whiny and unpleasant. He lied constantly. And he became the first presidential candidate in the history of our Republic to promise that if elected he would attempt to have his opponent face criminal prosecution. Actually, he went a bit further than that, telling Clinton that if he is president, “You’d be in jail.” Which, by the by, should terrify you and be disqualifying all on its own.

But Trump didn’t have a psychotic break onstage. And clearing that bar might be enough to keep Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, and Reince Priebus from publicly disavowing his candidacy this week.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a win looks like for Trump these days.