While Ted Cruz may yet have that pig roast on the White House lawn it’s time to stick a fork in fellow Cuban Marco Rubio’s ass – he’s done. Rubio has been in a death spiral ever since he abandoned his finely distilled talking points to turn into a smart-assed Ricky Ricardo style comic to attack the hated Donald Trump but now it’s obvious that the peeing his pants and stupid dick jokes weren’t such a good ideain retrospect. In reality the high water mark for little Marco was that third place finish in Iowa but sandwiched in between that glorious day and the big win in Puerto Rico’s primary were a series of defeats that exposed the ambitious whelp – some actually have called him “Kennedyesque” – as an empty suit. The other shoe dropped on Tuesday when young Marco was walloped in the four primaries, triggering calls for him to throw in the towel in his home state lest he face further humiliation.

You can only cheat the hangman for so long but Rubio’s demise became official when the Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin called for him to give up the ghost. Ms. Rubin has been Rubio’s biggest cheerleader from the get go and carried the torch for him as long as anyone but in a Wednesday column she called for him to put his pathetic run for the White House out of it’s misery.

In the piece simply entitled “Sorry, Marco Rubio, it’s time to fold” Rubin writes:

There reaches a time in every campaign in which the only people who are convinced that the candidate has a legitimate chance to win is the candidate himself and the most loyal (or ambitious) aides. The polls look rotten. Every argument against other candidates has been tried and lost. It’s time to pack it in — especially if continued participation in the race involves a dangerous outcome to the party and the country — but no one, not even those with his interests at heart, has the nerve to tell the candidate.

AND

That’s the spiel. Rubio should take it to heart and move promptly. Carly Fiorina’s endorsement of Cruz may be a sign that more support is on the way. What if Florida Gov. Rick Scott changes his mind and endorses Cruz? What if Mitt Romney or Jeb Bush do? Those endorsements would likely be enough to push Rubio’s chances to zero in Florida; if he exited after that, he would not have much leverage to make it onto the ticket and would be seen as leaving under duress.

We say this with no joy, having credited Rubio with courage on immigration reform and creativity in advancing a credible domestic agenda. He is by far the most electable of the remaining candidates, but to get to the general election one must win the primary. Blame the times in which we live. Blame the media obsession with Trump. Blame the voters who avert their eyes from ominous signs that Trump is a danger to the republic. Still, the choice for Rubio remains what to do now. The answer to many, many Republicans seems obvious.

When you have lost Jennifer Rubin you have lost the highly influential neocons and if Rubio fails to heed the advice to get out now and ends up getting schlonged by Trump next Tuesday it will bode ill for his career. Rubin wrote an impassioned plea in her piece – the meat inside the shit sandwich of her column – but it’s gotta sting Rubio like a slap across the face coming from her. Additionally there are reportsthat members of Team Rubio are at each other’s throats on whether to quit now or face the music next week. The establishment is still looking to salvage Robo Rubio for a potential vice presidential pick at the inevitable brokered convention and is going to have a tough enough time selling another Mitt Romney run at the White House without the damaged goods.

mittmarco