On Monday, former president -- and current Republican frontrunner -- Donald Trump garnered a record-breaking 51% of the votes in Iowa's GOP presidential caucus. Trump's percentage was greater than those of his next two competitors' -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley -- combined.

Notably, Trump won among Iowa voters with and without college educations and among self-described "conservative" and "moderate" voters. He won with urban, suburban, and rural voters, with both men and women; he won with older and younger voters. Immigration was the top issue among Iowa caucus participants, and an overwhelming majority polled were completely unfazed by the civil or criminal cases that have been filed against Trump.

Yes, this is only the first of the 2024 presidential primaries; plenty can happen in 11 months. Even so, Iowa's results raise compelling questions that demand serious analysis. Unsurprisingly, some of America's self-appointed political experts in media show neither the inclination nor the ability to conduct it.
MSNBC's Rachel Maddow is a textbook case. As the Iowa results were announced, Maddow explained that Republican voters are the problem. She intoned ponderously:

"If we are worried about the rise of authoritarianism in this country; if we are worried about the potential rise of fascism in this country; if we are worried about our country falling to an authoritarian and potentially fascist form of government, the leader who is trying to do that is part of that........

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