THERE'LL BE NO "SHORT TAKES" TONIGHT BECAUSE I'VE BEEN MONITORING THE "SUPER TUESDAY" RESULTS.  "SHORT TAKES" RESUMES TOMORROW UNLESS I DECIDE TO FLEE TO MY BUNKER IN AUSTRALIA.

The voting is over, I think.  It's after midnight.  Generally, predictions were accurate.  Hillary Clinton swept most of the states participating in "Super Tuesday," but Bernie Sanders did pick up his own home state of Vermont, along with Oklahoma, Colorado, and Minnesota.  Bernie has an estimated $45-million in the bank, so he stays in to lead the movement to bring socialism to the Democratic Party.  He will be a major presence at the convention, but, barring a negative finding by the FBI in her e-mail probe, Hillary Clinton will be the nominee.  If there is a negative finding, the Democratic race could turn into a free-for-all.

On the Republican side, Trump won in most of the states, but some of his victory percentages were in the low thirties.  He did not "break out" to any staggeringly impressive numbers.  Once again the divided field opposing his candidacy gave him relatively easy victories.  However, Ted Cruz won a landslide victory in his home state of Texas, and also won in Oklahoma.  And Marco Rubio won his first state of the campaign, emerging victorious in Minnesota. 

News reports say that a new anti-Trump super PAC is about to be launched, with the hope of forcing an open convention this summer.  It could happen, although, as Trump rolls up victory after victory, the statistical chances of it diminish.  While Rubio pledges to stay in the race to the bitter end, he might have to rethink that pledge if he loses his own home state of Florida two weeks from now.  And he is way behind Trump in the polls there. 

Hillary Clinton's victory speech was a shrill recitation of traditional Democratic themes – how she is going to unify the country and personally be sure that every American benefits from the economy.  She never mentioned foreign policy once.  She never explained how she was going to pay for all the gifts.  I didn't get the feeling that she believed a word of what she was saying, and that voice, after five minutes, became a weapon of war.

Trump's victory speech was remarkably sober and even "presidential."  It appears he's been getting some advice from grown-ups, and is now looking toward the general election.

There'll be another Republican and another Democratic debate later this week.

Peggy Noonan tweeted, after Trump's Super Tuesday victories, that she felt this was the breakup of a great political party.  Many Republicans feel that way.  The overall mood of the party isn't triumphant, but gloomy, even desperate in some circles.  Donald Trump was not in their dreams.  Many regard him not as a victor, but as an invader.  It's that feeling that will fuel the remainder of the race. 

March 1, 2016