What Palin does for Trump, and to Cruz

In September, when Donald Trump appeared before a giant rally in Dallas, a person in the Trump circle described the coming months of the campaign. Sure, a big event like Dallas got headlines, but Trump knew he couldn't do the same rally, rally, rally for the next several months and expect the public to remain interested. Even then, TrumpWorld was planning a varied (and secret) schedule of special events, bold policy rollouts, and other attention-getting gestures to keep the voters' and the media's attention over the course of a long campaign.Tuesday night in Ames was a prime example of Trump's timing and showmanship. Bringing Sarah Palin to Iowa grabbed all eyes in the Republican caucus race. And it seriously undercut the notion, growing in some political circles, that GOP rival Ted Cruz has nailed down the support of all of Iowa's conservatives.

Palin, whose last highly-publicized visit to Iowa was a poorly-received speech at Rep. Steve King's candidate summit in January 2015, was her most Palinesque self. Discussing who is and who is not a conservative, for example, she said, "How about the rest of us? Right-winging bitter clinging, proud clingers of our guns, our God, our religions, and our Constitution…" At other times, her style was her own brand of lyricism: "We all have a part in this, we all have a responsibility, looking around at all of you, you hard-working Iowa families, you farm families and teachers and Teamsters and cops and cooks, you rock 'n' rollers and holy rollers, all of you who work so hard, you full-time moms, you with the hands that rock the cradle, you all make the world go 'round, and now our cause is one."

But Trump was happy to have Palin for more reasons than her ability to entertain a crowd. Even though she is much diminished from her heyday a few years ago, Palin still has influence among some conservatives. Trump now has that on his side, and just as important, Cruz doesn't.