by AWR Hawkins Recently, David Axelrod announced that President Obama would start targeting would-be Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney via various types of media. The tenor of the announcement made it sound like they were doing the smart thing: going after the presumptive candidate instead of wasting time going after other candidates who might not have a chance of securing the nomination.
This all seemed innocent enough at first, but after I heard Axelrod’s announcement for the 8th time over the course of a couple days it became evident that he and Obama weren’t picking the presumptive Republican candidate as much as they were picking the candidate they hoped they would get a chance to run against.
(Seriously folks, if you’re Obama, what could be better than to run against a candidate who instituted his own form of Obamacare in Massachusetts, who still supports subsidies for ethanol, and who refuses to sign pro-life pledges when presented with them?)
But things don’t always go as planned. And on August 12th, students of American politics learned this lesson anew when Sarah Palin rolled into the Iowa State Fair unannounced.
People who long ago realized Romney is just John McCain in taller boots flocked to Palin. They crowded around her at the fair and asked the very question the MSM has labeled passé – “Are you running for president?”
The New York Times covered her appearance with this headline: “Palin Spotted – and Swarmed – at Iowa State Fair.”
Reuters said, “Palin Stokes 2012 speculation with Iowa appearance.”
And RealClearPolitics.com reported that Palin’s appearance gave voters a glimpse at “what her campaign would look like.”
Question for Axelrod: Romney who?
To make matters worse for those who have either tried to seize on the weakest candidate possible or who have written Palin off altogether, she took part in Sean Hannity’s live broadcast from the fair and blew the doors off of it. In her normal, commonsense manner, she told the audience to hold current politicians of both parties accountable, and “make sure they’re not getting away with saying government is the answer.” She stressed the need to “cut spending, balance the budget, and pursue energy independence.”
Her message to Congress – “Cut the crap and balance!”
Folks, you’ve probably all seen the pictures by now, but those of you who haven’t can trust me when I say the crowds at the fair literally descended upon Palin in droves.
Iowans love her, the American people love her, and Obama fears her (I really believe this is so).
I didn’t see any headlines about Romney being “swarmed” by crowds, but rumor has it that Axelrod was last seen pacing in his office with a worried look on his face.
Big Government
