February 12, 2008

The Wisconsin primary.

Here's some analysis of the Wisconsin primary.
Wisconsin has lots of blue-collar, older and female voters who form the backbone of Hillary Clinton's base.
The "backbone" of the "base"? I wish people would picture their own metaphors for the sake of us readers who see the images in words. I don't like "backbone of the base." If you want to talk about the "base" with a bone metaphor, how about Wisconsin has lots of blue-collar, older and female voters who form Hillary Clinton's pelvis?
It also has plenty of college students, progressives and upper-income independents who favor Barack Obama.
I know, I live in that town. I'm returning there over the weekend — not just to vote — and I'll be interested to see how active things are.

Obama will be in Madison today. As his website puts it: "Obama will be in Madison, WI to talk to supporters at the Kohl Center on February 12th." "Talk to" is funny, because the Kohl Center is a huge arena, seating over 17,000 when it's set up for a basketball game. I'm sorry I'm going to miss that. (If you're going, take pictures and send me links to your Flickr pages and your blogs!) Will Obama pack the Kohl Center? That will be one hell of a rally if the place fills up.

ADDED: If you're at the big rally tonight and can get on the WiFi, comment here and tell us about it while it's going on.

20 comments:

ricpic said...

You can't tell us upper income independents what to do, Hillary. No Siree Bob! We're going with that profound and original thinker, Barak. He's like a...a GOD!!

rhhardin said...

Those are dead metaphors.

Fowler :
But the line of distinction between the live and the dead is a shifting one, the dead being sometimes liable, under the stimulus of an affinity or a repulsion, to galvanic stirrings indistinguishable from life.

MadisonMan said...

My daughter and her friend are going tonight. They're not of voting age yet, but I'm sure they'll make noise. They are LOUD!

Peter V. Bella said...

...but I never rule out a Clinton,'' said Wisconsin Democratic Party Chairman Joe Wineke…


Sounds like he is fghting a war or a vile personal enemy.

mystickeeper said...

If Facebook is any indicator of the activities of college people, 3,500 have already RSVP'ed that they will be going. I'm planning on going! Hopefully I'll get some pictures.

Bissage said...

All their backbone are belong to Hillary!

Peter Hoh said...

If what happened in the Twin Cities and Seattle is any indication, then yes, Obama will draw a capacity crowd to the arena.

nina said...

It's snowing (Madison has had a record snowfall this year), it's cold, it's at 8 pm downtown where there is basically minimal parking. Expect a young crowd of students who live in the area. He planned it well.

AllenS said...

I've been noticing that Obama has his rallies in large arenas. Hillary has been having her meetups in school cafeterias.

Maxine Weiss said...

Sad how you're never where the action is, when it's happening.

There are several things going on, this weekend in New York.

A New York Holiday weekend: In 20 years you'll marvel how you let life pass you by.

Of course, we all know the real reason you moved to New York!

former law student said...

Wisconsin has lots of blue-collar, older and female voters who form the backbone of Hillary Clinton's base.

I'll try: Wisconsin has lots of blue-collar, older and female voters who form the cellulite of Hillary Clinton's cottage cheese thighs.

Simon said...

"(If you're going, take pictures and send me links to your Flickr pages and your blogs!) Will Obama pack the Kohl Center? That will be one hell of a rally if the place fills up."

Be sure to take lots of pictures that show more of the arena than just the stage, too. Let's see what the campaign doesn't want people to see - a wider angle shot than just the stage and the immediate front of it.

MadisonMan said...

Let's see what the campaign doesn't want people to see - a wider angle shot than just the stage and the immediate front of it.

The implication seems to be that Obama won't draw. I think that's incorrect. The Kerry events here in '04 were massively crowded. Insanely crowded. I see no reason to believe this will be different.

I only hope Gov. Doyle doesn't introduce Obama. He was absolutely dreadful at the Springsteen/Kerry thing. Waaay worse than Kerry, and that's saying something!

Elliott A said...

Obama got 18000 in conservative Virginia Beach on short notice. They turned away another couple of thousand because of fire regs at the convention center.

Dan from Madison said...

Lets not forget in all of this the conservatives crossing over to vote not for Obama, but against Hillary. I think it is something that has gone generally unnoticed.

I am sure that Obama will pack the Kohl, although travel will be dicey - it has been snowing all day here in Madison AGAIN and the roads will stink. I have half a mind to wonder if Obama will make it himself if he is coming from a long ways away.

nina said...

We were just sent emails not to park in our university (nearby to the Kohl Center) parking places unless we are there in the evening for work, because they're selling spaces beginning 3:30 for attendees of the 8:00 event. They are expecting a capacity crowd.

MadisonMan said...

Dayton Street was pretty much a parking lot at 5:30 when I dropped off the daughter and her friends. It doesn't help that all the roads are down to one lane either way because of the snowbanks. I also saw people walking there along the bike path as I crossed it while walking to the bus stop on Regent at 4:45. Doors opened at 6, and there seemed to be hundreds who didn't mind standing in the snow waiting.

froggyprager said...

I wish I had my camera when I drove by the Kohl center at 5 pm, lined up along the side were more than 10 TV trucks with the satalites pointed in the same direction. All the vans were half stuck in the piles of snow.

Also, I heard from a friend that the great local Irish band The Kissers were performing.

Mr.Blue said...

A vote for Sen. Clinton is a vote for the economy

sammy2 said...

This is for ricipic: Let me guess, as a so-called independent you lean more to the right when it comes to social issues and tax giveaways for the wealthy. You probably have voted republican every time but now you jump on the Obama bandwagon. You're not fooling anyone. You now claim that Obama "is like a God". If Obama wins the nomination, come general election you will have seen the light and gravitate towards your republican nominee. Fellow democrates do not let spoilers like this one decide who is our next nominee. Obama's inspirational speeches are empty rhetoric. He voted for Cheney's 2005 energy bill that gave millions to oil & gas companies. Clinton voted against this bill.