As part of a Democratic National Committee tour bus, two celebrities stopped by one of President Barack Obama’s campaign offices in Madison to speak to a group of supporters.
CSI: NY actor Hill Harper and Chris Walla from Death Cab for Cutie joined Democratic National Committee communications director Brad Woodhouse and the state’s party chair Mike Tate at Obama’s State Street office.
All four speakers talked of Wisconsin’s importance in the presidential race and the necessity of state for an Obama victory.
“Madison is a critical place in a critical state,” Woodhouse said. “This could be the state that tips the balance for President Obama on Election Day. There are very few paths to 270 votes for us that don’t require us winning Wisconsin.”
Walla emphasized volunteers should continue their work in registering voters and talking to voters.
The biggest challenge for Wisconsin voters, he added, is to discern the truth from the various advertisements and information they hear.
“You guys are getting bombarded with information, and sometimes it’s hard to actually figure out what is true,” Walla said. “I am here to tell you that all you need is a calculator and a little bit of common sense, that there is only one candidate who is going to continue to move the country forward and that’s Barack Obama.”
Harper agreed the state is among the most important, as he said the winner of this state would become the next president.
He also gave a more personal story of his days at Harvard Law School, where he first met Obama.
“I went to play basketball, and no one was there playing,” he said. “In Harvard Law School, the library is full, but the gym is empty. So I got discouraged and started to walk, and just as I was hitting the door, in walked this really tall skinny guy with his socks pulled up a little too high and shorts a little too small. I was excited. I was like ‘Hey man, do you wanna play basketball?’ and he looked down and said, ‘Why else would I be in the gym?'”
In his early twenties, Harper was inspired by the older Obama, and as he got to know him, he said he started to look up to him, although it was not simply since “he was taller than [him].”
Harper said he was inspired by Obama’s vision of the future and emphasized he is still the same person he met while playing basketball. Since he believes Obama has a similar background to most students, Harper said Obama understands the necessity of Pell Grants and affordable health care.
University of Wisconsin College Republicans Chair Jeff Snow responded to celebrities coming to encourage voters by saying voters should not be swayed by what famous people think. Although his group has had Mitt Romney’s son and several surrogates come to campus, he said they are not planning on having celebrities come by.
He also addressed Obama’s vision for education as one that is flawed and does not tackle the real issues.
“He has no solutions whatsoever to lower the cost of education besides just giving out more Pell Grants,” Snow said. “There’s a lot of structural reform that need to be done, but Barack Obama has yet do to that.”
