By absolutely every metric imaginable, Cruz s performance in Saturday s South Carolina primary was a disaster. In a state which has a massive E vangelical Christian population and a thriving anti-gay community, Cruz, the man whose entire campaign is built on those two things, got walloped by Donald Trump, and edged out by Marco Rubio. Jeb Bush may have dropped out, but for Cruz, South Carolina might as well have ended his campaign.So it was baffling to see that the Texas senator was on the Sunday morning political talk shows putting on a brave face and claiming that an embarrassing third place finish was actually a big win for him. Things went from surreal to down-right delusional on Meet the Press, where Cruz gave an unsolicited victory speech like he was already elected president. It was painful to watch and host Chuck Todd quickly moved to put Cruz out of his misery. There is now only one strong conservative in this race who can win,  Cruz opined.  We see conservatives continuing to unite behind our campaign. Our campaign is the only campaign that has beaten Donald Trump, and that can beat Donald Trump,  he continued.  So, what we re seeing is Republicans coming to us in incredible numbers. Todd wasn t having it.  Wait a minute,  he interrupted.  You finished third in a state with the highest evangelical turnout that we ve seen yet. And you finished third! Cruz continued on with all the confidence of an asylum patient.  We effectively tied for second.  (Bullshit detector: Blaring.)Cruz is hoping to persuade Americans that his win in Iowa, not his devastating losses in New Hampshire and South Carolina, is a sign that he can sweep other primary states. However, he never mentions that Iowa has long been considered a toss up. Literally anybody can win Iowa. Rick Santorum won Iowa. Rick Santorum!What South Carolina proves is that even the people who Cruz panders to don t like him very much. If Evangelicals are flocking to Trump, a man who has had several divorces, was until recently pro-choice, and has no idea what s in the Bible, then Cruz is screwed. The writing is on the wall.No wonder Trump has been quietly shifting his attacks towards Marco Rubio rather than focusing on Cruz. He s focusing on the bigger threat. Everyone but Cruz seems to know it.Featured image via NBC screengrab 