K is right that the Iowa caucus means fuck-all.
This time feels different though. Not necessarily that Cruz won, but that Trump didn't.
A lot of his "appeal" is the self fulfilling prophecy that "he's a winner" and 90% of his rhetoric is his braggadocia that he's been leading in the polls all along. This feels like a genuine turning point because A) The people who just want to "bet on the winning horse" are going to back off, B) He can no longer rely on that rhetoric, and C) It is going to piss him off and will start throwing fits that will make him even more unappealing. (Not sure about that last part, because again, the more of an idiot he appears the more people somehow like him).
Rand placed 5th. I would have liked to have seen better, but hopefully others will start withdrawing soon and maybe the next debate can be just the top 5 candidates. I gotta believe once that happens, Trump & Carson will eventually drop off for not being able to offer any substantiate debate.
Meanwhile on the Dem side, A LITERAL COIN FLIP determined the winner. Six of them actually. And Hillary won 6 of 6. There is a 1/64 or 1.56% chance of that happening (for real, my maths haz been checked).
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/02/clinton-wins-at-least-six-iowa-precincts-by-coin-flip/Seems legit.