I like David Axelrod, but it’s ridiculous that he allowed this piece to land on the front-page of the New York Times. I mean, he actually sat for an interview for the article, and I don’t see how the article is helpful to the administration in any way. Axelrod is in charge of the administration’s communication strategy and this is the best he can do when the Times comes knocking?
The main things I took away from the article are that Axelrod is unhappy, unhealthy, burned out, and pissed off. He hates Washington and doesn’t “give a flying fuck” what anyone in town has to say. He loves the president and even his sister thinks he may be too much of a yes-man.
This isn’t how you want to be presented. I know the author, Mark Leibovich, made the choices of what to include and what to leave out, but getting played like this doesn’t speak well of Axelrod’s savvy. I actually am willing to cut him some slack on his performance to date. While communications haven’t been as strong as they were during the campaign, they haven’t been terrible. In looking for areas to blame for the polls and the stalled health care reforms, I have to put it more on the people in charge of working with Congress (Messina and Emanuel) than on Axelrod or Gibbs. And I have to give credit to the Republicans. They have been very effective in creating wedges, including on Gitmo, detainee policy, climate, and health care.
After reading the article in the Times, I’d like to see Axelrod take a break after this year so he can rest up for the 2012 election. If he’s unhappy, tired, and unhealthy, he’s going to continue to make mistakes. And I know he doesn’t want to do a disservice to the president he so admires. He can best serve him by getting his head right and preparing for the next campaign. It’s what he really excels at.
