NEWS
Campaigns kick into high gear
Looking for a print version?
Simply choose ‘Print’ on your computer and a printer-friendly document will be generated.
Also by Ryan Masse:
Related Stories:
- Students unite for John Kerry (October 10, 2003)
- Doyle decides to back presidential hopeful Kerry (March 4, 2004)
- Campaigns court Latino votes (September 23, 2004)
- Madison top market for Bush (October 13, 2004)
by Ryan Masse
Tuesday, October 26, 2004
With the finish line in sight and Election Day a mere seven days away, both presidential campaigns are battling the clock as they try to drum up every last bit of support from a largely decided electorate.
In Wisconsin, those efforts will translate into campaign stops this week from both President George W. Bush and Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, as the candidates return to a state that has become well acquainted with the two in the last couple of months.
The difference this week, however, is the sense of urgency.
“Right now everybody says there’s nine states that are a toss-up,” former University of Wisconsin College Republicans chair Frank Harris said. “I think it comes down to the final 72 hours.”
Bush will kick off the one-week countdown with a tour through western portions of the state today. The president is scheduled to deliver remarks at the Omni Center in Onalaska early this morning, before attending a forum on the economy in Richland Center and lastly participating in an afternoon Victory 2004 Rally in the “City of Presidents,” Cuba City.
Hot on Bush’s heels will be Vice President Dick Cheney, who will meet with community leaders in Waukesha Wednesday afternoon. Bush and Cheney’s visits this week will bump the duo’s total number of stops in Wisconsin this year to 19.
Bush’s visit to western Wisconsin continues the flood of campaign stops to the region, which has emerged for both campaigns as something of a battleground within a battleground.
“Milwaukee is probably going to go Democrat, the outskirts of Milwaukee is going to go Republican, Madison is Democrat, so really western Wisconsin is the battleground,” Harris said.
Not to be outdone, the Kerry campaign will bring the junior senator from Massachusetts back to Madison Thursday for a midday rally at the Capitol. Running mate Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., visited the Badger state Monday for a rally in Racine.
Even third-party candidates will get in on the late swing-state action. Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader will speak this afternoon in Green Bay, while Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik will make several stops in the state, including a reception in Middleton Wednesday afternoon.
Kerry’s visit mirrors similar stops made late in the campaigns of Al Gore and Bill Clinton, both of whom attracted huge crowds to Capitol rallies in 1992 and 2000. Joined this time by alternative rockers The Foo Fighters, Kerry is keeping a promise from his September Madison campaign stop to hold an outdoor rally before the election.
Whereas Harris contends Madison is not a practical stop for the campaign and a sign of weakness, Liz Sanger, chair of College Democrats, said she feels the senator’s repeat visit should be interpreted as a sign of strength for the Kerry base.
“Kerry’s coming back because he has a strong base here and he needs to energize that base to get out the vote for him,” Sanger said. “It’s definitely not a sign of weakness, but in fact, a sign he recognizes the citizens here in Madison as people who are going to win the election for him. I feel honored he’s coming back to Madison.”
Anonymous (October 26, 2004 @ 9:08am):
Rather versus Bush
by kos
Wed Sep 22nd, 2004 at 17:01:21 GMT
"Dan Rather, CBS News Anchor
1. given documents he thought were true
2. failed to thoroughly investigate the facts
3. reported documents to the American people as true to make his case
4. when confronted with the facts, apologized and launched an investigation
5. number of Americans dead: 0
6. should be fired as CBS News Anchor
George W. Bush, President of the United States
1. given documents he thought were true
2. failed to thoroughly investigate the facts
3. reported documents to the American people as true to make his case
4. when confronted with the facts, continued to report untruth and stonewalled an investigation
5. number of Americans dead: 1100
6. should be given four more years as President of the United States"
(From Outlet Radio and The Daily Kos)
http://www.outletradio.com/grantham/archives/000753.php and http://www.dailykos.com/
Other URLS http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_DETAINEES?SITE=MSJAD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=VEL4DUVRQ4JYMCRBAE0CFFA?type=domesticNews&storyID=6519915 http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=VEL4DUVRQ4JYMCRBAE0CFFA?type=worldNews&storyID=6520211 http://www.dominionpost.com/a/news/2004/10/14/ai/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3735294.stm http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6420672 http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/28/politics/28intel.html
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6334618 http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040917/NEWS/409170380/1024 http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-09-09-bush-guard-memos_x.htm?csp=22_tnt
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/09/08/bush_fell_short_on_duty_at_guard/
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/01/10/oneill.bush/index.html http://www.detnews.com/2004/books/0406/04/books-166059.htm http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/nation/8984351.htm
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/nation/9924336.htm?1c and
http://www.tbns.net/dejesus/juancomments.html
Anonymous (October 26, 2004 @ 10:03am):
Interesting...both Rather and Bush were given false documents and made poor choices with the information they were given. Rather's mistake resulted in no deaths; Bush's mistake resulted in over 1100 American deaths so far and many times that number of Iraqi deaths. Yet someone still thinks that Rather should lose his job while Bush should keep his.
WRONG!
If only one of them should lose his job, it should be the one whose mistake led to loss of life. Since both violated the standards of their professions in terrible ways, both should really lose their jobs. But Bush losing his is much more important in the grand scheme of things.
