The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Primary races spotlight Wisconsin

    • Candidates rally voters before Wisconsin's Feb. 19 primary
    • Democrats Obama and Clinton appear at party's Founders Day dinner
    • Republican frontrunner McCain attends Serb Hall Reagan Day fish fry dinner
    • Challenger Huckabee bowls on Milwaukee's south side

    The eyes of the nation will be focused on Wisconsin tonight, after voters go the polls to vote in Democratic and Republican races for president. The state has already been the center of the primary election for the past week, as the major candidates traveled in all directions stumping for votes.

    In the Milwaukee area and beyond, the candidates tried to fit in with Wisconsin voters by meeting them where they work and play. Hillary Clinton campaigned for votes at the Brat Stop in Kenosha. Mike Huckabee bowled at a south side Milwaukee bowling alley. Barack Obama met assembly line workers at a General Motors plant in Janesville. And John McCain participated in Wisconsin's largest fish fry at Serb Hall.

    Clinton, Obama vie for party

    The Wisconsin Democratic primary is shaping up to be all political junkies wanted it to be: an up-for-grabs race as Obama tries to win his ninth state in a row and Clinton tries to gain momentum before voters in the crucial states of Texas and Ohio head to the polls March 4.

    The nature of the tight race was evident Saturday night when both candidates made separate appearances at the Democratic Party's Founders Day Gala, attended by about 2,300 people at the Midwest Airlines Center downtown.

    Clinton told party regulars she wants to "get real" by being in the "solutions business" in dealing with problems. She said this election is about making the American dream real in the 21st century.

    The New York senator also indirectly took aim at Obama, who she has previously suggested is more style than substance. Clinton said it will take hard work—and not only speeches—to fulfill the country's dreams.

    "It's not about speeches for me. It's not about the bright lights and cameras. It's about the changes we can make that can actually deliver results in people's lives," Clinton said.

    On the topic of change that has added to the campaign discourse, Clinton later added, "Change is going to happen. The question is: Are we going to get the right kind of change? Because what I'm interested in is not just change for the sake of change, but progress."

    Responding to criticism that he focuses too much on his rhetoric and not on solutions, Obama said policies are secondary until the country is inspired to believe again.

    "The most important thing that we can do right now is to re-engage the American people in the process of government, to get them excited and interested again," the Illinois senator said.

    He said words do matter, and mentioned that "I have a dream" and "We have nothing to fear but fear itself" were also "just words."

    "What our leaders say matters because the American people need to trust that we're saying what we mean, that we're meaning what we say," Obama said.

    Obama tried to position himself as a Washington outsider and said voters are tired of "the same Washington game with the same Washington players." Washington, Obama said, "is where good ideas go to die."

    "All of us should be in the solutions business, but all too often it ends up being business as usual," Obama said.

    The Saturday appearances by Clinton and Obama were the closest the two candidates got to each other on the Wisconsin campaign trail. They were not in the same room together during the event – Clinton spoke first; Obama was second.

    Clinton hoped to debate Obama before the state's primary, but the Obama campaign said the senator wanted a chance to speak to Wisconsin voters in person. Clinton agreed to a debate hosted by the Marquette Law School, ABC News and WISN-TV. The debate over debates even played out in television commercials last week.

    Most polls show Obama with a slim lead over Clinton in Wisconsin. Obama led 46.3 percent to Clinton's 42 in an average of polling data comprised by RealClearPolitics.com.

    In the delegate count, Obama has 1,078 pledged delegates to Clinton's 1,081 going into today's election. A total of 2,025 delegates are needed to be the party nominee, according to The New York Times.

    Both Obama and Clinton told party supporters why they have what it takes to run against McCain, the most likely Republican nominee, in the general election. Clinton said she has the toughness to compete with McCain "toe-to-toe." Obama, as a resident of the South Side of Chicago, said he's seen tough and is looking forward to a debate with McCain.

    Looking ahead, Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold (D) said before Obama and Clinton's speeches that either candidate could win in Wisconsin in the general election. Feingold did not make an endorsement in the primary.

    Referencing the state's role in today's tight Democratic primary, Feingold said, "Wisconsin matters again."

    McCain looks ahead

    Speaking in the shadow of a portrait of Ronald Reagan, McCain attempted to reassert his conservative credentials at a party dinner in Milwaukee Friday.

    The Republican presidential hopeful aimed to gear up support for his all-but-guaranteed party nomination at a Reagan Day Dinner at Serb Hall, 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave. But he also wasted no time at criticizing the two Democratic presidential candidates. He vowed to compete against Clinton or Obama in every state during November's general election.

    "I will not allow the Democrats to have a single state," McCain said. "We will compete here in the heartland of America. I will compete in the state of Wisconsin and we will carry the state of Wisconsin."

    The Arizona senator again positioned himself as a conservative strong on national security and fiscal issues at Friday night's party dinner, reiterating his support of increased troop levels in Iraq and promising to veto spending bills that contain earmarks, if elected.

    Looking to "unite and re-energize" his party, McCain attempted to show the "stark difference" between his candidacy and that of Clinton and Obama.

    "They want to raise taxes. I want to lower taxes. They want bigger government. I want smaller government. They want to have the government take over the health care system in America. I want American families to decide," McCain said.

    McCain was introduced by former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who told party supporters he is bothered by some who say McCain is "not conservative enough."

    "There is not one senator in the United States Senate today, yesterday or for the last 25 years that has stood the course more on spending than John McCain," Thompson said.

    Patrick Fields, communications director for the Marquette College Republicans, said most Milwaukee-area conservatives initially thought McCain was too liberal.

    "Now they're having a different tone," Fields said. "People are easing into (his candidacy)."

    Added Justin Phillips, a Marquette junior in the College of Communication: "They're slowly going to turn to him and this night is a good jumping off point."

    McCain holds a solid lead over Huckabee, who has promised to continue his campaign until all 1,191 delegates needed to earn the party nomination have been secured. The winner of the Wisconsin primary will receive 40 delegates in the winner-take-all format.

    Bowling with Huckabee

    For the defiant presidential candidate claiming to be the only true conservative left in the race, a bowling alley on the South Side of Milwaukee served as a fitting locale to continue a campaign aimed at garnering grassroots Republican support.

    Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, donned size-13 bowling shoes Sunday night and, along with his wife, Janet, squared off against two teams of reporters at the Olympic Lanes, 4040 S. 27th St. Team Huckabee rolled an 86, good for second place.

    Afterward, Huckabee emphasized his support of a fair tax system. He said citizens, such as the owners of local bowling alleys, would not be taxed for their productivity but rather at the point of consumption at the retail level.

    The current tax system "penalizes people in their productivity; it chokes the life out of them," Huckabee said. "For those who really are trying really hard to make their businesses work, they spend a lot of their time, as well as a lot of their money, complying with a tax code that nobody can understand, including the (Internal Revenue Service)."

    Later, Huckabee was asked if he thought former President George H.W. Bush's endorsement of McCain was a sign the Republican Party was rallying behind a common nominee.

    Huckabee agreed but also said he did not think such a ploy was fair to citizens residing in states that have not yet held their primaries.

    "If you're going to create a system of rules, and the rules perhaps create a scenario where you pick the nominee at the convention, then either play by the rules or don't have them," Huckabee said. "That's what I really fear that we're getting to is that now people are saying, 'The game isn't turning out like we wanted, so we're going to change the rules in the middle of the game and go ahead and just name somebody the winner.' That's not how we play the game."

    Spousal support

    The candidates themselves aren't the only ones stumping for votes. Milwaukee area voters got to hear from Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton, who have been making their own appearances on the campaign trail, often separate from their spouses.

    On Monday, Michelle Obama spoke to supporters at the Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St., saying her husband's candidacy was deemed impossible a year ago, but it has overcome the obstacles of organizing, raising money and winning primaries. She echoed the themes of change and hope her husband's campaign has touted this election season.

    She described her husband as "a different kind of leader" with the necessary character and experience to be president.

    "You measure the character of an individual not by what they do when everybody's looking, when the spotlights are on and you decide you want to be the leader of the free world," Michelle Obama said. "The measure is determined by what people do over their lifetime—the choices they make when they're working in the shadows."

    Clinton also made a campaign stop in Milwaukee, stressing his wife's experience and political efforts as first lady, and describing many of his actions while president as a collaborative effort between them. Clinton spoke Thursday at the Italian Community Center, 631 E. Chicago St.

    The former president emphasized his wife's economic agenda to combat the subprime mortgage crisis, create new "green" jobs, and make health care and higher education more affordable.

    "She is a solutions person," he said of his wife.

    Noting the "interestingly and profoundly important election," Clinton outlined criteria he said voters should consider when casting a vote: Whether the country will be better off, whether future generations will be better off and whether there will be international interdependence and unity.

    Steve Yanda and Jim McLaughlin contributed to this report.

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