Wisconsin: Candidates Who've Actually Campaigned Here

Here in flyover land, in the Badger state of Wisconsin, we have a long and 'proud' history of being visited by candidates during the primary season.

John F Kennedy's April 1960 campaign here, in which he camped out in the state and went to cities and towns, big and small, is still legendary in these parts.  Kennedy's win in the Wisconsin primary in 1960 was a huge boost to his candidacy, particularly since it came against Hubert Humphrey from neighboring Minnesota.

This state has seen appearances by just about every candidate over the years.  Just a sampling of a few names : John Anderson, Jerry Brown, Jesse Jackson, Michael Dukakis, Walter Mondale, George HW Bush, Al Gore.   Bill Clinton's legendary October 1992 appearance in the state's capital city drew 40,000 . . . only eclipsed in 2004 by John Kerry's amazing rally which drew nearly 100,000 with Bruce Springsteen opening for him.

Continued after the jump . . .

Barack Obama came to the capital of Wisconsin one week before our primary, which is Tuesday February 19.  Here is his schedule as of this afternoon:

Feb 12:

== 20,000 at rally in Madison

Feb 13:

== 'Several hundred' people as he toured General Motors plant, Janesville (closed to public)

== 1,000 at rally in Waukesha

== 3,500 at rally in Racine

(Feb 14:  Obama took the day off to spend Valentine’s Day with his wife and family.)

Feb 15:

== 6,000 at rally in Milwaukee first thing in the morning

== 4,000 at rally in Oshkosh in the afternoon

== 4,500 at evening rally in Green Bay <updated>

Feb 16:

==  Morning appearance in Wausau at a technical college

== 4,000 at afternoon rally in Eau Claire <updated>

== Evening speech to state party dinner/fundraiser in Milwaukee

Feb 17:

== Scheduled appearance in Kaukauna

Feb 18:

== Scheduled appearance in Beloit

I have to assume that Obama will schedule additional appearances in Wisconsin on Feb 17 & 18, and perhaps the day of our primary, Feb 19 ( although I'd love it if he were here the night our primary results come in, I wouldn't mind if he went to Ohio to start working there ).

On the other side of the aisle, John McCain and Mike Huckabee have made several appearances this week around Wisconsin.

So . . . what about that other Democratic candidate, Hillary Clinton?

Here's what the Badger state has seen, so far :

Chelsea Clinton:

The Clintons' daughter appeared at several Wisconsin locations earlier this week.  At one appearance, in Madison before 500 people on the University of Wisconsin campus, she promised that her mother would come to Wisconsin sometime before our primary.

Former President Bill Clinton:

Feb. 14:

== 'Several hundred' at rally in Milwaukee

== 200 at rally in Waukesha

== 1,000 at rally in Madison
(News reports said the crowd was "standing on hay and manure" in the Stock Pavilion, the old cow palace)

== 2,000 at rally in La Crosse

Oh, wait a minute.  How about the actual candidate, Hillary Clinton ?

While Obama was in Wisconsin on Tuesday, Wednesday, and today – Hillary has skipped the state so far (apparently because it doesn’t matter like Texas & Ohio) and will show up here for the first time on Saturday night at a state party dinner/fundraiser in Milwaukee.  

Meanwhile, while she hasn’t set feet in our state yet, her campaign ran silly TV ads saying that Obama won’t debate her in Milwaukee.   Uhhh, how about coming to Wisconsin to actually visit our 'proud' state's cities and towns, and talk to our voters FIRST, before playing games and trash-talking about debates ?

Until Friday mid-afternoon, the Saturday night party dinner  was her only announced appearance in Wisconsin, with less than 4 days before the polls open here.  That is, until just this afternoon, when her campaign announced a second Wisconsin appearance:  in Madison at a facility in which the likely capacity is no more than 4,000.

Of course, while I certainly hope that the 'proud voters' of Wisconsin take note as to which candidates have been actually on the ground here, traversing the Badger state, and which candidate has not been, that won't necessarily translate into a win for the candidate who's spent several days here already.

But it sure speaks volumes, I'd say.

UPDATE :  Wisconsin Gov Doyle minces no words :

Doyle calls Clinton's Obama attacks baseless

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Friday, Feb 15 2008, 04:26 PM

Madison -- Gov. Jim Doyle today accused Hillary Clinton of leveling baseless attacks and engaging in the kind of politics Barack Obama is trying to end in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Doyle said Clinton's charges that Obama's plans lack specifics are clearly wrong. He also dismissed Clinton's complaints that Obama is ducking a Wisconsin debate, saying Obama has made several stops in the state while she has made none so far.

"She very, very disingenously attacks Sen. Obama for not reaching out to the people of Wisocnsin when he has been here day after day," Doyle said in a conference call with reporters.

"The only campaign she has going on in Wisconsin is negative TV ads," he added. . . .

ANOTHER UPDATE :  Apparently the Hillary campaign is writing off Wisconsin - again (as of Saturday afternoon).  She cancelled a rally scheduled for Eau Claire.  She is limiting her appearances to the scheduled party dinner tonight in Milwaukee, three appearances on Sunday, and a morning appearance on Monday before departing the state a day early. All this according to the state's largest newspaper which says the Clinton people don't think they can win the Badger state.