Did the Republican Debates Matter?

Playbook: “Score them how you want. But this much seems indisputable: Nothing happened last night that changes the fundamentals of the race and the fact that Donald Trump is on a glide path to the GOP nomination.”

“With the scheduled primary debates now all behind us, it’s clear that Trump lost nothing from not participating. He’s remained the main character even in absentia, while avoiding the potential pitfalls that come with actually having to subject himself to cross-examination or giving oxygen to a would-be opponent.”

“As a thought experiment, consider how differently it might’ve gone had Trump shown up last night. Just 24 hours removed from a Fox News appearance in which he merrily said he would be a “dictator” on Day One if reelected, he would’ve almost certainly been taking it from all sides. At the very least, he would’ve had to defend himself.”