In 2010, President Barack Obama is making a return visit to the liberal college town, seeking to rekindle young voter enthusiasm for the midterm elections. Tragically, Madtown: The Sequel isn't exactly inspiring a magical sense of deja vu for Team Obama:
...Where he drew a crowd of 17,000 at the University of Wisconsin in 2008 during the presidential race, crowds are expected to be significantly smaller this time around -- so much so that the president's campaign team, Organizing for America, is sending out RSVP requests for Tuesday's rally, featuring musician Ben Harper.
"We've got a lot of work to do between now and November 2nd to keep moving America forward. But this movement has never backed down from a tough fight. I hope you can join me. If you haven't already, please RSVP here. Hope to see you there, President Barack Obama," reads the e-mail distributed Monday by Organizing for America.
Just In case a presidential visit with a top musical headliner doesn't generate sufficient excitement, Organizing for America has an ace in the hole:
Working on shoring up the student vote, the president held a conference call with college students on Monday, in which he promoted lending and tuition assistance programs, talked up programs to help students finish the degree programs they started and touted the health care law's provision that allows unemployed adult children to stay on their parents' health care until age 26.
"I want to send a message to young people across the country about how important this election is," Obama said on the call.
A conference call? Now that's a foolproof plan to fire up the college-age demo if there ever was one. Obama is losing his mojo, and like a single guy entering middle age, he's clinging desperately (bitterly?) to the glory days.
Dude, they're just not that into you anymore.
UPDATE-- It's not just college students who aren't keen on attending Obama's Madison revival hour. Incumbent Democratic Senator Russ Feingold has decided to forgo the event, perhaps in an hilariously misguided effort to convince voters that he's not, in fact, an incumbent Democratic Senator. (Psst, Russ, they know).