Michele Bachmann’s rally with Sarah Palin at the Minneapolis convention center yesterday was a sight to see. Politico estimates that up to 11,000 people may have attended. Bachmann and Palin know how to work a crowd. Their message was that only Republican victories in 2010 and 2012 can undo the damage Obama and the Democratic majorities have done to the American economy and American security. Judging by the raucous applause, the audience agreed with them. Here’s an interview with Bachmann from before the rally:

Earlier this week, I wrote that Palin is assuming a new role as a conservative vanguard, a charismatic leader who summons the masses to battle. That is clearly what she was up to in Minnesota. The crowd, the rhetoric, the energy all confirmed that the balance of enthusiasm favors the GOP. The Republicans hold a small lead in the congressional generic ballot. The passage of health care reform may have helped Democratic fundraising, but it has done nothing to change the public perception of the bill or of the Obama administration. Dick Morris points out that