Here & Now

Presidential Campaigns Storm Wisconsin in Final Stretch

Mitt Romney:
What a kickoff here in Janesville. What an honor it is to be here.

Zac Schultz:
Wisconsin has seen 14 campaign rallies by the presidential tickets since June hitting all corners of the state.

Mitt Romney:
Go Packers.

Barack Obama:
It is good to be back in Milwaukee.
Hello, Madison!

Zac Schultz:
But all visits are not the same. Where they are and who they send determine what the campaigns hope to achieve.
As a candidate you can either campaign in battleground areas where independents and undecideds can swing the vote, or like this Obama rally in Milwaukee, you can head for friendly territory, where the goal is to fire up the base and turn out the vote.

Barack Obama:
And I got to tell you Milwaukee–

Zac Schultz:
President Obama’s first two visits hit the Democratic strongholds of Milwaukee and Madison.
Barack Obama:
This is an unbelievable crowd.

Zac Schultz:
Republican nominee Mitt Romney has also been to Wisconsin twice.

Paul Ryan:
Welcome to Janesville, Mitt Romney.

Zac Schultz:
When Romney returned to Wisconsin in August, it was the day after announcing Ryan as his pick for vice president. And they were in the Republican hot bed of Waukesha county.

Mitt Romney:
I guess you think I made the right decision, the right choice?

Zac Schultz:
Campaigning outside the traditional strongholds, Paul Ryan held one event in De Pere. Otherwise it’s been up to Vice President Joe Biden to travel the rest of the state, making stops in five different university towns.

Joe Biden:
It’s good to be back on campus.

Zac Schultz:
The candidates need the crowds to embody the excitement of the campaign. One way to fire up the crowd is to show how you’re one of them. President Obama uses sports figures, calling out a few members of the Green Bay Packers at the Milwaukee rally and members of the UW basketball team in Madison.

Barack Obama:
Some members of the Badgers basketball team are here. They’re getting ready for the season coming up.

Zac Schultz:
Even Paul Ryan has to prove his Wisconsin roots.

Paul Ryan:
Not only did I wear my Packer tie about our enthusiasm, but I carry my phone with me, which is blaze orange and camouflage.

Zac Schultz:
The major objective is obviously to communicate to the voters, but most of the voters the campaigns what to reach are at home. If you’re willing to stand in line, go through security, sit in a hot gym in June or stand on a rainy hill in October…
Barack Obama:
I know we’re getting a little wet, but that’s okay.

Zac Schultz:
…waiting hours to see the candidates speak for 40 minutes, odds are they’ve already got your vote. So the big attraction is media. Candidates get more air time from local TV when they’re actually in the area.

Frederica Freyberg:
President Obama came looking for a welcoming crowd and found it on campus.
Mitt Romney chose the budget committee chair citing his bold leadership.

Zac Schultz:
But the crowds are more than smiling wallpaper. The campaigns want them to volunteer, vote early and turn into campaigners themselves.

Man 1:
I got something that you guys can do right now to take action.

Man 2:
Raise your hand if you’re going to go out to a victory center.

Man 1:
I want everyone to take out their phones

Man 2:
We need you folks to get to the victory centers–

Man 3:
We’ve got thousands of voters to register.

Man 1:
You can commit to doing one shift between now and the election right from your cell phone.

Woman 1:
We need you to talk to your friends. We need you to knock on doors.

Woman 2:
Tell your friends, tell your neighbors.

Woman 1:
We need you to talk to your relatives, your coworkers, everyone.

Woman 2:
Tell people behind you in church and in front of you in the grocery door who you are voting for.
Tammy Baldwin:
So knock on some doors.

Scott Walker:
I need you to figure out how between now and November 6 you’re going to sign up for time to be on a phone bank or going door to door.

Woman 3:
The volunteers you recruit–

Scott Walker:
About how you’re going to put up more yard signs.

Joe Biden:
We need you to help us win Wisconsin.

Paul Ryan :
Make sure we work on making phone calls, getting people to the polls.

Barack Obama:
So you can register and vote at your early vote location.

Mitt Romney:
It’s going to happen in Wisconsin. You’re going to be the deciding voice. Help me win the presidency and keep the America the shining city on a hill. Thank you so much.

Barack Obama:
It’s the greatest nation on earth. The sun is going to come out. God bless you. God bless the United States.