can't wait for it. I've heard on news today that estimates that the rally may attact about 30,000 people--hopefully it will help gotv here in Madison for Feingold and Barrett:
MADISON, Wis. -- President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak on Library Mall Tuesday at 4:45 p.m. Analysts say his sixth visit to Wisconsin as president is all about getting out the Democratic vote for the midterm elections.
It’s no secret that Dane County is one of the biggest Democratic vote producers in the state of Wisconsin.
Local political analyst Charles Franklin said Obama’s Tuesday visit – his sixth to Wisconsin since being elected – is all about turning out the Democratic vote.
“One of the things the Obama administration is betting on, is that the president can rally those people who came out for him two years ago and get at least a good chunk of them to go to the polls this year,” said Franklin. “But in doing that, they're betting long odds, that's usually not a successful strategy.”
Franklin said it is surprising that Wisconsin is being treated as a big battleground state since it strongly supported Obama back in 2008.
Meanwhile, Franklin said the Republican Party is getting out the vote for the midterm elections.
“I think this year we've seen Republicans very energized, very enthused, much more likely to say they're going to vote than we do with Democrats,” observed Franklin. “So I think the president can't really enhance the turnout of Republicans anymore, they're already as enthused as they can get. It’s the Democrats who lack in enthusiasm that the administration is really worried about, and that's his focus.”
15,000 thousand people are expected to show up at Tuesday's rally at Library Mall on the UW-Madison campus, which is where State St. begins.
The last time Obama came to campus was in 2008 when he was a candidate for office. Obama filled the 17,000-seat Kohl Center on the UW campus a week before the presidential primary in 2008.
Obama's last visit to Madison was in November 2009. He spoke to about 600 students, parents, teachers, politicians, and others at Madison's Wright Middle School, where he spoke about education reform under the federal Race to the Top program. The president outlined what needed to happen to award the stimulus funds to schools across the country. Wisconsin is hoping to secure some of the federal funds.
Before Obama's visit to Wright Middle School, a sitting president hadn't been to Madison in nearly 60 years. Harry Truman had been the last one to visit the city in 1950.
Tuesday's rally will mark Obama's sixth visit to Wisconsin since he was elected. It is the first of four visits the president has planned in swing states leading up to the Nov. 2 election.
Obama hosted a town hall meeting centered on the economy during a stop in Racine in June. On Aug. 16, the president also was in Milwaukee where he hosted a fundraiser for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tom Barrett and toured a local business.
The president also spoke at a Labor Day rally in Milwaukee on Labor Day.
If you plan on attending, you should enter from Park St. at the base of Bascom Hill.
Parking will be limited, so plan on using public transportation or walking to Library Mall.
Gates will open at 3:30 p.m., with the rally scheduled to start at 4:45 p.m.
Carry-ins will be restricted.
And if you will be driving downtown around that time, keep in mind that some roads will be shut down.
Langdon St. will be closed between Park St. and Lake St., while Lake St. will be closed north of the Lake St. parking ramp, and Park St. will be closed from Lake Mendota to University Ave.
http://www.channel3000.com/politics/25169306/detail.html
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