Obama’s Wisconsin visit reflects national politics

By Arthur I. Cyr

Scripps Howard News Service

President Barack Obama's recent town hall meeting in Racine, Wis. directly underscores the importance of the Midwest for Democratic political fortunes.

The nation's chief executive was simultaneously seeking advantage at the local policy level, the intense arena of party partisanship, and finally the grand strategic level of his presidential reelection efforts in 2012.

Racine has very long-term problems predating the recent financial collapse and severe economic recession. By visiting Racine, Obama underscored traditional Democratic Party imagery as champion of the poor. In interchange with citizens, he argued that unemployment would be even higher without the enormous federal stimulus spending.

The President is seeking to blunt Republican criticism before the most intense phase of the Congressional elections this November, and well before his own campaign for reelection in two years. This is standard political interplay, where Obama showed both skill and foresight in 2008. His aggressive offense makes good defensive sense.

Southeast Wisconsin is represented in the House of Representatives by Republican Paul Ryan, who has earned a solid reputation for serious, detailed economic analysis and specific federal budget proposals. In our electronic age, where politicians reduce policy complexities to TV sound bites, Ryan is notably old school serious in approach.

Rhetorically, Obama targeted not Ryan but rather House Republican Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner of Ohio, seizing on a mixed metaphor statement that administration financial reform efforts amount to using a nuclear weapon to kill an ant. Obama abstained from joking about clumsy elephants.

Southeast Wisconsin traditionally elects Congressional representatives noted for specific policy interests. Long-term Democratic Congressman Les Aspin developed a very well deserved reputation as an expert on defense. He had a Ph.D. from MIT and started out in Washington as one of the controversial ``Whiz Kids" of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara.

Democrat Peter Barca succeeded Aspin for one term, and both before and since has been elected to the state legislature. Throughout his career, Barca has demonstrated sustained commitment to detailed policies to alleviate the problems of disabled children.

Republican Mark Neumann, who served two terms in the House after defeating Barca, developed specific initiatives regarding both budget and defense policies. In sum, the local region has developed a serious public policy advocacy culture congenial to policy wonks such as Obama.

At the comprehensive strategic level, the Midwest politically is crucial to Obama's re-election. Chuck Todd and Sheldon Gawiser develop this theme in detail in the superb book ``How Barack Obama Won.''

He is from Illinois, the Iowa caucuses provided initial presidential campaign success, Missouri gave him an important victory on Super Tuesday, the Wisconsin primary maintained election momentum, and Indiana cemented his nomination.

Wisconsin remains a lynchpin for Obama reelection strategists. The state went for Vice President Al Gore over Gov. George W. Bush in 2000 by 4,000 votes, for Sen. John Kerry over Pres. Bush in 2004 by 12,000, but for Obama over Sen. John McCain by more than 400,000 votes. Obama won 56.2 percent of the state presidential vote.

Obama secured the White House without a Southerner on the ticket, the only time since World War II that the Democrats have won a presidential election without that region represented in either the top slot or by the vice presidential nominee.

With the Northeast and West Coast strongly Democratic, and the South and West strongly Republican, the Midwest swing region likely will play a particularly important role in the 2012 election.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen distinguished professor at Carthage College. He can be reached at acyr(at)carthage.edu.