A lot of Mr. Gingrich’s current support, I suspect, comes from voters who had once been inclined to support an outsider like Mr. Cain or Mrs. Bachmann or even Donald Trump — but who got tired of hearing about how they weren’t cut out for the job or developed some of those concerns themselves. They found in Mr. Gingrich a candidate who espouses many of the same policies and embodies much of the same fighting spirit — but who seems at least passably presidential.

I think that's partly it. He is a former Speaker, rather than a former foster-mom or restaurant lobbyist. But surely the base understands how limited his appeal is beyond them. Or has epistemic closure truly begun its suicidal phase?