Just a year ago—hell, even earlier this year—Marco Rubio looked like one of the most formidable Republicans on the national stage, and a likely presidential contender. He was young, he was passionate, he was demographically appealing to the too-white Republican party. Now Rubio is a joke. Teabaggers think he’s a sellout because of his proposed immigration reform, and Paul Ryan is smacking him down on Morning Joe and branding him as a worthless fringe concern troll.
Now, it’s entirely possible that Rubio’s fortunes could change again between now and 2016. (The media loves a comeback story.) But this is still a significant reminder that pretty much all political predictions are worthless.