[pics & quips] Preppy Mob Steals Axelrod's Thunder at Beacon Hill Obama Rally

I was en route to the Statehouse on some other business this morning when my inbox blew up. Word was that senior Obama advisor David Axelrod was set to rally with fellow Romney haters on Beacon Hill. Due to occasional showers and nap time, I often miss out on micro-cycle pseudo-events like this. But I was in the area anyway, so I checked in on all the fuss.

The shouting echoed past a swarm of day campers on the Common, and all the way down to Tremont Street. It wasn't coming from the Dems huddled on the steps under the dome, but rather a battalion of conservatives who were hollering at high volumes. Outfitted in sensible Brooks Brothers summer gear, a few fashioned bullhorns out of placards and let the blue-collar sympathizers have it.

It was as rude and raucous of a scene as Beacon Hill has hosted in some time. Voices get loud all the time up there, but not since gay marriage and perhaps early casino debates have the tempers raging out on Beacon Street been newsworthy. By the time that Somerville mayor Joseph Curtatone grabbed the mic, the Romney-bashing on the menu was no longer the lead story.

In order to steal Axelrod's thunder – not such a difficult feat, considering his reluctance to tongue-lash back when a reporter asked about the hecklers – Team Mitt behaved like players on an all-boys school hockey team whose coach looks the other way when they cross-check rivals. Shouting buzzwords like “Solyndra,” they acted exactly like the Dems (hopefully) would have if the situation were reversed.

None of this is bad news. Having covered wild protests for months – while also watching the creatures of Beacon Hill avoid significant conflict (not to mention meaningful dialogue on issues like prison reform and transit funding) – it's exciting to see some mean-spirited partisan action. Especially if it attracts more caricature preppies than a golf catalogue casting call.

FOR DAVID BERNSTEIN'S COVERAGE OF THE PRESS CONFERENCE GO HERE...