If the Republican "power brokers" had any actual power, and if they truly see a Trump nomination as the cataclysm they claim it would be, they would summon the other four candidates—Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, John Kasich, and Ben Carson—to a woodshed where they would knock some heads together. Three of them would bow out for considerations to become obvious later; one would continue to challenge Trump.

No such backroom summit seems likely, however. There is too little concentrated power and too many egos committed to chasing a top job they are decreasingly likely to secure. The Texas debate highlighted the problem. For the first time, Rubio and Cruz directed their attacks at Trump, rather than at each other.

And though both landed numerous blows reassuring to those who prefer them to Trump, it is unclear that either made Trump look bad to his own supporters—and neither gave any indication of being on the verge of bowing out. And so, heading into Super Tuesday, it appears that more than two candidates will persist, and that the Republican Party will thus nominate a man that a sizable majority of Republicans disdain – perhaps even fear.