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Townhall…
Why
Wisconsin is in Play
by Salena Zito
Sep 23, 2012
MOUNT
HOREB, Wis. – At first, Jeff Millard was
undecided about who to vote for in November.
“I
am not particularly happy with Obama,” the
retired auto-parts storeowner said of the man he supported in 2008.
His
wife, walking beside him on the Military
Ridge state trail, overheard him voicing doubt. She let him know it was
not an
option.
“What
about my reproductive rights?” she asked,
clearly upset. “No, we are voting for Obama!”
Discussing
his uncertainty, the retired couple
walked off along the popular recreational trail in this small town,
once known
for the National Mustard Museum and an obsession with all things
related to
trolls.
By
all rights, President Obama should easily
win this state, with its “progressive” activism and elected liberals
such as
former U.S. senator Russ Feingold.
Obama
won the state within an inch of 14
percentage points in 2008.
Today,
he leads Republican Mitt Romney in state
polling. But, based on his Chicago campaign headquarters’ reaction to
any
questioning that support, his lead may be as solid as quicksand.
The
Badger State illustrates the political
divide gripping segments of America, thanks largely to the reaction of
organized labor and Democrat activists to Republican Gov. Scott
Walker’s
collective-bargaining reform bill.
Since
2011, Wisconsin has endured an
unprecedented rash of statewide elections, including recalls of GOP
state
senators, a February primary for local offices, an April presidential
primary,
a May gubernatorial-recall candidate primary among Democrats, and then
June’s
gubernatorial recall election.
Despite
millions of dollars spent by Washington
Democrats and unions, Walker and Republicans shocked pundits by
prevailing in
most of those contests.
On
Saturday, Obama made his first appearance in
220 plus days in a state that may be politically spent: Less than 19
percent of
its eligible voters showed up for an August primary to choose both
parties’
U.S. Senate candidates…
Read
the rest of the article at Townhall
http://townhall.com/columnists/salenazito/2012/09/23/why_wisconsin_is_in_play
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