When thousands of University of Wisconsin-Madison students pack the slopes of Bascom Hill to hear President Barack Obama speak Thursday, students from the College Democrats and College Republicans plan to capitalize on the large crowds, but for different reasons.
College Republicans Chair Jeff Snow said his group plans to canvass campus all day Thursday, wearing Romney T-shirts and promoting Romney’s “positive agenda for the country” to young voters.
“We’re obviously not going to protest,” Snow said. “We’ll let Obama have his time, but still remind people about his failed policies.”
College Democrats Chair Chris Hoffman said his group plans to travel up and down the waiting line to make sure people are registered to vote and they have voting forms.
“I think the president’s speech is going to motivate students to vote,” Hoffman said. “It will be one of the biggest points of his speech.”
Both Snow and Hoffman said they expect the president to speak on issues relevant to UW-Madison students, such as student loans, increased tuition and health care.
But Snow said Obama’s speech has not generated as much buzz compared to prior visits and he will not be viewed as positively as in 2008.
“[He is taking] up the most central, pivotal part of campus and just disrupting everything for an entire day,” Snow said. “It wasn’t like that when he spoke in Library Mall in 2010 or when he spoke at the Kohl Center in 2008.”
But Hoffman said Obama’s visit shows the strong support he has in Madison.
“I really think [his speech] really energizes the city and the university,” Hoffman said.
