I just came back from the Madison rally for John Kerry. I could not leave until 11:00 AM and I hoped to see 50,000 people there. They had blocked off 3 blocks of the street near the capitol. As I walked closer to West Washington, I was a bit surprised to not see more people walking with me. Then I turned the corner of University and Broom and saw a glorious site, thousands and thousands of people! I entered the gate, and there were more than 60,000 people in front of me. I have never, never seen that many people at a political rally.
It was uplifting to stand with so many people, all with the same vision and hope for America. Tammy Baldwin and Herb Kohl warmed up the crowed talking about their important issues, Health Care for Tammy and good government for Herb Kohl. Then Russ Feingold spoke and did a great job. One thing Russ said really hit home, he paused and the crowd got quiet.
I know this has been said before, but this is the most important important election of our time. Five days from now Wisconsin holds history in its hands. When we elect John Kerry to the White House we will change the course of Wisconsin, change the course of America and change the course of the world
He then introduced two members of the Foo Fighters and they played some good songs. There was about a half-hour pause and then Jim Doyle and Bruce Springsteen came on to a loud cheer. Governor Doyle then said a few words to get the crowd worked up and he introduced The Boss. Bruce said Doyle was the worst backup band he ever had. He played two songs, spoke a little about the election and how the people he writes and sings about were the ones suffering under the Bush adminstration. Then he introduced John Kerry and the crowd went nuts. It is clear that everyone was there to hear John Kerry who then gave a great stump speech. Kerry is on fire and has the body language of a winner. It's pretty clear he thinks he is going to win. The speech flew by and I was surprised when I looked at my watch and it had been 35 minutes. A great and uplifting experience.
At least 100,000 people were there, if you count all the side streets and buildings. That is 40% of the population of the Madison area. We are determined to win Wisconsin for Kerry and we will.