|
 Obama, who has made only rare appearances on the 2014 campaign
trail because of low popularity ratings, came to Milwaukee to
support Democrat Mary Burke, a former Trek Bicycle executive.
She is running to replace Governor Scott Walker, a Republican whose
effort to strip public-sector unions of much of their power led to a
recall effort in 2012 that he survived.
The two candidates are effectively tied in the polls.
A loss for Walker could quash his hopes of being in the mix for the
Republican party’s presidential nomination in 2016, but a win could
position him well for a primary race that is expected to begin next
year.
Obama's trip highlights a sharp ideological divide between him and
Walker.
The president, like many Democrats, is a strong supporter of the
right to collective bargaining and has campaigned repeatedly to
raise the minimum wage and to implement measures to ensure men and
women are paid equally.
 Walker's anti-union policies deeply divided his state and made him
extremely unpopular with Democrats, but his win in the recall
election gave him and his party a boost. Walker repealed an equal
pay act in his state.
"I don't understand ... why would you want to repeal a law to make
sure women are treated fairly on the job? That's your platform?
That's your agenda?" Obama said to an enthusiastic rally crowd. "It
don't make no sense."
In another implicit slam at Walker, Obama said Burke would not put
political ideology or partisanship first if she became governor, and
said her record as a businesswoman would help spur the state's
economy.
"Wisconsin lags the rest of the country when it comes to job
growth," he said. "Over the next week you have a chance to change
that."
[to top of second column] |
Obama's advisers believe his trip to Wisconsin could help increase
voter turnout, especially among African American voters. The
campaign event, held in a school gymnasium, was made up of a
predominantly African American crowd.
Walker sent out a fundraising email on Tuesday saying Obama's visit
was aimed solely at Democratic Party members and, perhaps needling
the president for his low approval ratings, questioned why he had
not come to Wisconsin earlier.
"Mary Burke wants President Obama here to mobilize her base of
straight-party votes," Walker wrote. "But Fellow Conservative, if we
turn out every voter who DISAPPROVES of President Obama's
performance, we WIN," the email said.
In addition to fundraising, Obama has focused his campaign work in
2014 largely on getting out the vote and fighting back against a
tendency by Democrats not to turn out in midterm elections.
"She will be your next governor as long as folks vote," Obama told
an overflow crowd that did not fit into the gym, referring to Burke.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
