It was like watching a fire start – an errant spark lands in the trashcan, the paper ignites, the rug smolders, the flames lick up the wall, the fire spreads throughout the house.

Monday the Wall Street Journal published a poll showing Hillary rolling to an 11-point lead and showing Democrats ahead by 7 points on the ‘Generic Ballot’ question, meaning voters were going to vote for Democratic candidates for Congress over Republican candidates by 49% to 42%.

One. Two. Three. It was like watching a row of dominoes fall. Trump collapsed. The Generic Ballot dropped. The Washington Republicans panicked.

House Speaker Paul Ryan held a conference call with Republican Congressmen, announced he wasn’t going to campaign for Trump, and told the Congressmen if anyone had to un-endorse Trump to get reelected that was fine.

Trump then fired a Twitter broadside back at Ryan calling him weak and ineffective – and another domino fell.  

Ryan’s logic went something like this: Independent voters dislike Trump and if Republican Congressmen have to throw Trump over the side to get their votes, well, that’s what they have to do.

Trump listened to Ryan, did a bit of calculus of his own, and said, You want to dump me? What if I’ll tell Republicans who support me to dump you.

And that’s where Ryan’s gambit ended: With Trump collapsing, the house on fire, and with Republicans inside having a civil war.