From Hudsonville, Michigan -
If you believe the polls in Michigan, Ron Paul has no chance in the primary here in the Wolverine State on Tuesday. But that hasn't stopped the Texas Congressman from spending three days here before Tuesday's primary.
But when you dig down into Paul's message, you don't hear much about the home-state favorite, Mitt Romney.
Instead, Paul is taking dead aim at Rick Santorum, in a sense giving Romney some help in what has become a must-win state for the man whose father was once Governor here.
Over the weekend, Paul laughed off any idea that he was in cahoots with Romney, labeling Santorum "desperate."
But Paul does have attack ads running here in Michigan that target Santorum as a "fake" conservative, hammering Romney's main adversary just as Paul helped attack Newt Gingrich before that.
Over the weekend, Paul's son U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), sent out a missive to supporters which took direct aim at Santorum as well.
Here's part of that email:
"I wonder which 'team' Rick Santorum thinks he was playing for when he:
*** Voted to raise the debt ceiling five times;
*** Joined with senators like Barbara Boxer and Frank Lautenberg to pass massive new federal gun control schemes and regulations;
*** Helped keep forced dues flowing to Big Labor by voting to kill the National Right to Work bill;
*** Pitched in on creating a brand new, unfunded entitlement, Medicare Part D, the largest expansion of entitlement spending since President Lyndon Johnson - creating $16 TRILLION in unfunded liabilities;
*** Sent the American people's hard-earned money straight to Planned Parenthood."
At a rally outside Grand Rapids, Paul drew loud cheers from an overflow crowd that lined up on a sunny but cold February day to see their candidate.
"The economy is the big issue, especially here in Michigan," Paul told the crowd, which was the usual interesting mix of people from all walks of life that I've seen in several states this year.
"The revolution is alive and well," Paul said to thunderous cheers, as he thanked those who showed up.
"You've given me more energy just by being here," said Paul, who said, "We are influencing other people."
While there were all kinds of big applause lines from Paul is his one hour of remarks, the biggest cheer most definitely came when he called on the Obama Administration to shelve any ideas of getting involved in Syria or taking military action against Teheran.
"We don't need a war in Syria and we don't need a war in Iran!" argued Paul.
But while Paul's supporters certainly left more energized, the Texas Congressman seems no closer to his first victory of the 2012 race, as unless there is a major surprise, the polls are forecasting a distant third place finish on Tuesday night.
But we'll see what the voters of Michigan decide on their own.
