Yesterday, Madison parks community relations coordinator Laura Whitmore announced that the Obama campaign will not be visiting Madison Thursday. The cancellation is due to the deteriorating health of Obama's grandmother, according to his campaign.
The noon rally was approved to be held around noon at the Capitol Square. This is the same location at which John Kerry - accompanied by the Foo Fighters and Bruce Springsteen - held a similar rally before the 2004 presidential election.
Obama supporters will no doubt support his decision to cancel for personal circumstances. Also important to note, though, is that when Obama returns to the campaign trail Saturday, Wisconsin will rightfully receive less attention than other states from the campaign as a whole. None of his supporters should feel slighted if denied a rally or other forms of significant attention.
As evidenced by the estimated 80,000 people in attendance at Kerry's 2004 rally, or the 17,000 at Obama's Feb. 12 rally at the Kohl Center, these events prove to be quite the spectacle. However, in a state favoring Obama and in a city clearly conscious about getting out the vote,"" a rally would do little more than preach to the choir.
Recent CNN polls show that Obama has a 17-point lead over McCain. Two weeks represents a long time in presidential campaigns, but the consensus is that McCain is on the defensive, trying to protect traditionally Republican states, while Obama is on the offensive, attempting win over as many undecided states as possible. Obama's best interests lie in doing everything to support his potential election, and campaigning in other states less decided than Wisconsin will only bolster this potential.
Wisconsin, once believed to be a swing state, shows 54 percent favoring Obama to McCain's 38 percent, according to recent CNN polls. Tossup states such as Ohio, Florida and Missouri - each split by less than 5 percent - require more attention from both campaigns as the election nears.
While the sentiments of every Obama supporter in Madison go to his grandmother at the current time, when business as usual resumes, don't doubt the campaign will be focused elsewhere. With the election two weeks away, this clearly Obama-friendly campus should recognize that, barring a second push in Wisconsin by John McCain, Obama's best interests lie elsewhere.
