Actor Bradley Whitford campaigned for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Monday at Memorial Union and strongly encouraged students to volunteer for the upcoming election.
Whitford, who played the character Josh Lyman in the television show The West Wing"" and appeared in the movie ""Billy Madison,"" said the election's outcome will affect the country's future generations.
""You and your children are going to deal with the consequences of this [election] for the rest of your lives,"" he said.
However, Whitford cautioned audience members to not become complacent. He said Republicans are adept at using allegations of voter fraud and a ""cynical"" political machine to win elections.
""I think it's been hard to run against Republicans for a long time, because they ridiculously have owned God and the flag, and it is really hard to run against that,"" Whitford said.
He said Obama is a candidate who is able to deal with complex issues and has the ability to stop the political polarization of the country.
Obama, according to Whitford, would hopefully be able to encourage more thoughtful discussions of the issues facing the country.
Similarly, a way to appeal to current undecided or conservative voters, according to Whitford, is to offer a different definition of conservatism.
Whitford described himself as conservative but said a true conservative would not ""rush"" to war or encourage financial recklessness.
""There's nothing conservative about being in a position of this economic vulnerability,"" he said.
Whitford and UW-Madison Students for Obama, who sponsored the event, said it was important for students to vote early so they could volunteer on Election Day.
Hannah Bailey, a UW-Madison sophomore, said she was a fan of ""The West Wing"" and the event was motivating.
""I thought he was really eloquent, that he explained the issues very well,"" Baily said.
