From the latest NBCNews/SurveyMonkey poll:
Donald Trump has the frontrunner spot to himself, with 28% support among Republican and independent voters who lean Republican.
Ben Carson has dropped 8 points to 18 percent (which is second place, alongside Ted Cruz), but his recent, eloquent opposition to canine rabidity may re-exalt him. Marco Rubio is at 11 percent. At 4 percent, Jeb Bush is still crushing Chris Christie, who squats pathetically at 3.
I cite these figures not because they are in any way suprising, but because NBC's reporting on them is enormously perplexing:
The attention that is gained from being the lead candidate in the polls can be a mixed blessing. The media tends to shift its focus to those candidates leading the race - and that spotlight can seem especially harsh to those who are newer to the political scene.
Who's the "lead candidate"? Who's been the lead candidate for months? That would be Donald Trump, who for months has likewise been subjected to that "harsh" spotlight. And it hasn't changed a thing, because the rules have changed. There aren't any now. The GOP primary base has been anarchistically swallowed whole, yet NBC News seems not to have gotten the memo.