Democratic Candidates Challenge Wisconsin to Vote

Madison, Wisconsin -- Wisconsin voters typically vote in a primary that has been decided two weeks earlier on Super Tuesday, but this year Wisconsinites are thrilled to be a battleground state. Both candidates have drawn large crowds to their political rallies and voter turnout is predicted to perhaps be as high as 35% of the eligible turnout, though lingering snow and bitter cold may keep many in.

In the past week, I had the opportunity to hear both candidates speak and was impressed with their ability to draw people from every demographic: gender, ethnic, age and so forth. They each discussed issues close to their hearts with passion and a keen understanding of the issues at stake. While I have a definite preference between them, both are firm in their convictions and would -- and have -- serve the country honorably.

Barack Obama has been campaigning in Wisconsin since early last week and held a rally in Madison's Kohl Center which drew an estimated 17-20,000 people. The Kohl Center, the third largest indoor venue in the state, is usually a sports venue and ideally suited for a candidate who rouses his audience to a fever pitch of appreciation. The center video screens constantly broadcast videos (including the famous YouTube "Change" video), clips detailing the Obamas' respective childhoods and CNN's coverage of the Potomac Primaries that were ending as the rally began before turning to Obama's speech.

Obama's speech, short and pithy, resonated with the audience; at times the cheers were so loud his speech was briefly drowned out and other times the audience fell completely silent to absorb his message. This was not a policy speech, but a rally intended to pep voters and motivate them to go to the polls; he addressed the issues of the day and encouraged his audience to hope for -- and demand -- change. His staging was minimal, stressing the candidate and his message: a single podium (with UW's iconic "W" blazoning an ironic contrast) topped with an "Obama for Change" sign.

The Clinton presence was seen around Madison throughout the week: daughter Chelsea spoke to a crowd of around 400 in the Memorial Union, former President Bill addressed a packed Stock Yard of 2000 and the candidate herself encouraged 4000 supporters the night before the election at the Monona Terrace. I only attended the last and was quite surprised by the difference between her rally and Obama's.

Hilary Clinton is a gifted speaker, commands the issues with precision and insight, but ultimately failed to hold her entire audience and struck me as boring despite her enthusiasm for her topic. She spoke in a large open room, with two American flags draped behind her and a campaign banner: "Solutions for America." This setup was horrible! The room was cavernous -- it would have easily held two to three times that number of people, so a massive American flag (12ft by 18ft?) was hoisted as a room divider. The audience crowded in between two rafters full of people: those who came early and the press, while Hilary Clinton stood in the middle on a slightly raised platform. Very few of us saw more than her head for the entire rally. This probably encouraged the early exit -- when it became clear she was within a minute or two of concluding, the back part of the audience drifted away.

What interested me most about her speech was the way it was set up: she was accompanied by various governmental figures who had endorsed her and worked heavily on her campaign. They all stressed how historic it was for a woman to be running for President, a message Hilary herself echoed in the opening moments of her speech. For someone who has declared publicly that she does not want to inject gender into the race, I found this a dubious way to avoid that. Her speech hinged on the metaphor of voting as hiring an employee and moved through a laundry list of problems, offering Hilary's perspective on how to fix them. After hearing Obama's speech and despite agreeing with most of Hilary's opinions, I found her uninspiring: the speech was boring, frequently condescending and I found it representative that she had to encourage the crowd to cheer at times, though many in the crowd were clearly thrilled to hear her speak. (Perhaps everyone was still frozen from the negative wind chills.)

Voting today was a breeze. I'm used to voting in a large city, but Madison has divided its polls up to very small chunks of people. Within two blocks of where I voted, there was another polling place, for instance. I was number 253 and as I cast my ballot about half of the dozen voters were registering for the first time. Initial results before the polls close suggest voter turnout is mixed throughout the state.

While I've focused on Madison in this report, Obama and Clinton toured the majority of the state, drawing sizable crowds to hear their vision for America. Wisconsin voters by and large (outside of Madison) are considered Clinton's bread and butter voters, but Obama's visits -- and in Janesville, WI his specifics on his economic plan -- have made the race closer than many expected. Clinton has responded with negative ads criticizing in particular Obama's health care plan. Obama has gone on the defensive and also tweaked his speeches to reflect not just the pep rally hope I heard, but the specifics he has not emphasized in earlier speeches.

Regardless of who wins, Wisconsin can be proud that both candidates felt the need to present their vision for America around the state -- and that we listened.