It's Obama Time!

About two weeks ago, former Wisconsin Governor and presidential wannabe Tommy Thompson spoke to a large crowd at Milwaukee's Messmer High School, one of Thompson's school choice success stories.

On Monday another presidential candidate will be in Milwaukee. Barack Obama is coming to the city to pick up an endorsement and pick up some cash.

You can "pony up" and get your tickets here.

According to The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, tickets are $25, $10 for students or senior citizens, and free for anyone under 16.

That information contradicts the ticket request page on Obama's site.

Look at this screen capture:



What? No senior discount?

That's right. There's no mention anywhere of a special price for seniors.

Doesn't Obama care about seniors on a fixed income?

Apparently, Obama is targeting a younger demographic, at least on the Internet.

Enough about the price of attending.

Obama's visit is being promoted as the "Wisconsin Kick-Off Event, Benefiting Obama for America."

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

When Illinois Sen. Barack Obama comes to Milwaukee on Monday, he will collect his first big-name endorsement in the state - Mayor Tom Barrett - and it will provide the Democratic presidential campaign with a kind of symbolic launch in Wisconsin.

Obama's "low-dollar" fund-raiser at the Milwaukee Theatre is the first major crowd event by a Democrat in the state this year.

Barrett is officially on the Obama bandwagon.

Perhaps Barrett and Obama cut an endorsement deal last fall.

I suspect Barrett thinks that aligning himself with Obama will have a positive impact on his own reelection hopes.

...In an interview with the Journal Sentinel, Barrett announced his support for Obama, calling him the candidate "who can really add excitement and create hope in this country."

Barrett said he likes and respects the other candidates but thinks Obama is the "right person" at a "watershed moment for American history."

Why has Barrett chosen Obama over Hillary Clinton or John Edwards or the others?

Let's see.

Barrett's qualifications for President of the United States:

1) Add excitement

2) Create hope

3) Right person

There's not a lot of substance there.

...If Obama can come close to filling the 4,000-seat downtown theater Monday evening, that would constitute a huge crowd for a Wisconsin event this early in a presidential cycle. Tickets are $25. The campaign is describing the speech and fund-raiser as its "Wisconsin kickoff."

Afterward, Obama is holding a much smaller high-dollar fund-raiser ($1,000 or more per person) in River Hills, an event hosted by Stacy and Dan Kohl (nephew of Democratic U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, who hasn't endorsed anyone), with the assistance of several well-known Wisconsin Democrats, according to the invitation the campaign sent. Among them: Chuck Pruitt, a close supporter of both Kohl and Gov. Jim Doyle and a Doyle appointee to the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents; Marc Marotta, former secretary of the Department of Administration under Doyle; former state party Chairman Jeff Neubauer; and former U.S. Attorney Tom Schneider.

Doyle plans to attend the high-dollar Obama fund-raiser, but an aide said the governor has not endorsed anyone. "He feels it's part of his responsibility as leader of the party to welcome presidential candidates to Wisconsin," said spokesman Matt Canter.

I would love to attend both fund-raisers.

It would be interesting to see how Obama conducts himself in a crowd of low-dollar supporters and a small group of elite, big bucks donors.

Does he change his speech patterns? His body language?

Bachelor "Nobody's Senator" Kohl hasn't endorsed anyone, but he must have given the green light for his nephew to play host for the $1000+ per person gathering. In terms of relative closeness, a Kohl nephew takes on the significance of a Kohl son.

Doyle will be there. I guess that means big donor backers with casino interests will be attending the soiree.

...U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, who has not endorsed a candidate, said Obama generally has sparked the most discussion and questions at Feingold's state appearances.

"He's intriguing to people. Whether that's simply interest in a new person or whether it represents a really strong enthusiasm that will sustain itself over the next year and a half is the question," Feingold said.

Feingold, who has differed sharply with Hillary Clinton over the Iraq war, said the former first lady also has "a lot of very strong support" in the state. And while he said Hillary Clinton has her critics within the party, those sentiments seem "somewhat reduced from a year ago."

Feingold probably finds this presidential campaign stuff a bit depressing. He really wanted to be a player in the 2008 election.

Don't look for Feingold to endorse anyone until a nominee has officially been chosen at the Democrats' National Convention.

I'm sure he's holding out hope to be selected as a running mate.

He wouldn't want to burn any bridges.

However, if the Dem primary race isn't tight, I'm sure Feingold will scramble to endorse the front-runner in that case.

Remember when Obama went to Selma back in March?

He adopted that distinct and phony Southern drawl.

When he's in Milwaukee, I wonder if he'll take on some local traits. Will he ask where he can find a bubbler?

Given the crime crisis in the city, I hope Obama doesn't stop to get gas between the two events.

As his wife Michelle said on 60 Minutes, "[T]he realities are that, you know, as a black man, you know, Barack can get shot going to the gas station, you know."

While Obama is in the city, Mayor Barrett should point out to him that Milwaukee is a colorblind, equal opportunity place, at least when it comes to citizens getting shot at gas stations.