October 2, 2012

"President Barack Obama will hold a campaign rally on Bascom Hill this Thursday."

Openly announces the University of Wisconsin—Madison.

After I went to all that trouble to critique the earlier attempt to frame the visit as historical and presidential, when it was really a campaign rally.

I can't believe the University is shutting down, closing buildings such as the Law School, depriving us of the rooms for regularly scheduled classes, for an entire day, to accommodate a campaign rally. The grounds and the students are provided for a massively intrusive photo-op. Of course, the students don't have to attend. But they will. They've paid their tuition for classes, which they're not getting, and their bodies are repurposed for political exploitation.

What should a UW student do?
  
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241 comments:

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Synova said...

Actually... the top return for "Romney campus visit" is Obama's pending visit to the University of Madison.

garage mahal said...

 "Both campaigns have been using colleges for campaign rallies"

But only one blackity black Kenyan anti colonial negrofascist!

Anonymous said...

Yes I know Synova, I thought that it was interesting that Romney would only allow Republican students. Maybe he should've tried harder to woo college students.

Synova said...

Me: "what comes up for "Romney campus visits) is the Univision interview and taping"

john said...

I saw and heard Senator John Kennedy speak at UMD in Duluth. I would have been in 4th or 5th grade, I think, and it had to have been on a Saturday since I was out of school that day.

Being an Ivy-League educated man, JFK would never have permitted university classes to be disrupted for a mere campaign speach.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

If Romney shuts down an University for an appearance his campaign should reimburse the cost OR declare it as a campaign contribution.

The other side does it is NOT a defence.

Synova said...

"Yes I know Synova, I thought that it was interesting that Romney would only allow Republican students. Maybe he should've tried harder to woo college students."

I assumed that there were limited tickets and he wanted to make sure that students who really would value getting to see him in person would get to go.

How many people were allowed in when Obama taped his interview there?

Anonymous said...

Fair question Synova.

Synova said...

"Both campaigns have been using colleges for campaign rallies"

Garage claiming racism: "But only one blackity black Kenyan anti colonial negrofascist!"

The initial statement hasn't been been supported by anyone garage. Perhaps before claiming racist hatred you should find an example or two of Romney's non-existent "campus tour".

Link them.

Or admit that you only care about your hate.

chickelit said...

Synova said...
Actually... the top return for "Romney campus visit" is Obama's pending visit to the University of Madison.

The Universe of Madison has a nice ring to it.

Mark said...

Anyone who's comfortable shutting down Manhattan on a pretty regular basis isn't going to have a problem shutting down a University for a day.

Me, me, me.

Roman said...

"After I went to all that trouble to critique the earlier attempt to frame the visit as historical and presidential,"

What flavor is the Koolaid they are serving this time around?

Unknown said...

Synova - Try this for your google search:

Romney Northwestern College

Christy said...

How well I remember the fall Nixon came to Knoxville. Waiting with my best friend and other high school kids, we all sang along to the radio which was playing "Hey Jude" repeatedly. For decades I was shamed that I actually invested the time and enthusiasm to see Nixon. These days I know he was the president we needed at the time and am quite sanguine.

May the Obama enthusiast's shame long endure.

Synova said...

Looks like Romney visited Bradley University when he was just one of the many Republican candidates at the invitation of the campus student Republican organization and talked to a few hundred people.

Doubt he disrupted anyone's classes and certainly didn't cancel a mega-lecture Physics class mid-term.

Unknown said...

Here's an announcement from Flagler College:

College Closed for Romney Visit

john said...

Jake Diamond said...
Here's an announcement from Flagler College
:

Romney seemed to have disrupted campus activities about 10 days before fall semester started. He could have disrupted marching band practice however. Those kids start really early.

But keep trying Jack.

Synova said...

LOL! Jake. I did that and got the most hysterical article.

Didn't say how many people came. It was all about how giving away a little "swag" item to the first 1000 people was a "bribe" to get college students to attend, showing how desperate he was to get anyone to go.

A whole bunch of people must have done, but they were *old* so... FAIL!

I needed a good laugh. Honest, it was really funny.

Also... bet he didn't disrupt any classes.

So we've got Northwest in Iowa... and the other before he was the Republican nominee.

Anonymous said...

Jake, and he's not even a President.

kjbe said...

"The only real piece of personal information they have to give up is their email."

"-- And their first and last name, home ZIP code and phone number. All of which are personal information."

From the people claiming that showing photo id to vote is a return to Nazi Germany. And racist.


For crying out loud...sure, they want to contact you later, but nothing says you have to give you real name or number. Give them enough (the email) to get yourself in (if that's what you want) and make up the rest. Unsubscribe layer. This is not even close to comparable to voter I.d. - they won't checking id's to get in - they're only interested getting a crowd and contacting you for GOTV, later.

Nathan Alexander said...

Obama is stopping in WI, and it isn't even directly fundraising.

This can only mean one thing:

Obama's internal polls tell him WI is in play.

chickelit said...

Althouse asks: What should a UW student do?

They'll probably do what did when I was a UW student in 1980. They'll double down on stupid and vote for the modern-day Carter like did back then. It won't matter because they'll be out voted anyways, by people with more sense.

Now, I did have a lot of lefty professors, even back then.

Baron Zemo said...

Perhaps the young scholars could stay at home and study.

What is the chance of that?

Ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha,ha!!!

Snort. Giggle

Nichevo said...

Althouse, you often chide (and not gently!) commenters and others (viz., the journalist in the other thread) whom you feel have failed to comprehend what they have read of your posts.

You have failed to comprehend what I wrote. I did not suggest that you, Ann Althouse, file a lawsuit. I suggested that you have your students prepare briefs as an exercise, or pair off for mock trials or debates, or otherwise use this as background for a training exercise.

Was your misunderstanding inadvertent or deliberate? I have already disclaimed knowledge of the inner workings of your class, so you would have to structure how this would work. It would help if you understood, or admitted understanding, what I was saying. I would assume that an old and seasoned professor such as you would understand how to turn a real life incident into a basis for study, without having diagrams and blueprints prepared for you by a layman.



bagoh20 said...

Look, I found a squirrel!

~~That's not a squirrel - it's a horse.

OK, Look at this squirrel.

~~Nope, that's an eggplant.

OK, not enough hair, but how about this squirrel?

~~Now, that's not even a living thing - that's just a pile of crap, just some bullshit to be precise.

Yea, but that had to be squirrel that left it.

~~ I think I hear your Mom calling you.

Unknown said...

Synova - Just helping you out with a few examples of Romney visits to college campuses.

Of course I fully expected further qualifications as soon as I provided some examples of the Romney campaign using college campuses for rallies.

"He wasn't officially the nominee yet!"

"He didn't disrupt any classes!"

"No students attended the Romney rally because they don't like him!"

You'll conclude whatever you want to conclude. Facts don't matter.

garage mahal said...

No matter how hard Chickelit tries to discredit UW Madison, year after year it always ranked as one of top public schools in the nation. In many different categories. As is the city itself. Suck it, h8ers! Suck it.

Unknown said...

Jake, and he's not even a President.

True, but if you believe the polling data*, he will be soon!



*Not actual polling data, but the REAL polling data that pollsters are hiding!

bagoh20 said...

"Jake, and he's not even a President."

The Press thinks he is, and Biden thinks he has been for the last four years. That's what this rally is all about. Obama want's to say: Hey everybody, I'm the President. I know it doesn't seem like it, and everybody else gets blamed for my screw ups, but it's true, I won!

Unknown said...

IIRC, Romney also spoke at Liberty University. Not that any sane person considers Liberty a real university, of course, but a fair fraction of the GOP base probably does.

Methadras said...

Amartel said...

Obama flies over my house every time he comes to the Bay Area for campaign donations, which is frequently. It's the only reason we ever see him here in Cali. The sound of heavy choppers signals the presence of St. Barry flying over the little people on his way to shake down the techie wealth. I guess I should be thankful that he's helo-ing in instead of jamming up the 101. Ungrateful rube!


The 101 coming out of South San Fransisco is always a mess. That whole interchange near the bay bridge needs to be completely revamped. Although I don't know how they are doing to do it. Maybe bulldoze Daly City? That would be an improvement.

chickelit said...

garage mahal said...
No matter how hard Chickelit tries to discredit UW Madison, year after year it always ranked as one of top public schools in the nation. In many different categories. As is the city itself. Suck it, h8ers! Suck it.

How the UW-Madison be so smart and so dumb?

How wonderful that we have met with a paradox. Now we have some hope of making progress.
― Niels Bohr

Ann Althouse said...

@Nichevo. I don't do bullshit like that.

Synova said...

"You'll conclude whatever you want to conclude. Facts don't matter."

I didn't doubt that Romney probably spoke on campuses. I just wanted verification that "they both do it" the "it" being what Obama is doing at UofW-Madison. So I tried to google his campus visits. I fully expected to find campus visits.

But it looks like Romney speaks on campus here or there *rarely* but hasn't done anything like a campus tour and certainly hasn't stopped traffic in the middle of the campus proper.

Likely Obama doesn't usually do this either when he visits and speaks at a campus.

Romney doing a little speech last spring to a few hundred people or *gasp* filling one of the athletic venues at Northwestern last month with old people or doing an interview with Univision didn't shut the campus down.

If Obama came to *my* campus and spoke at one of the athletic venues I wouldn't even notice. I don't even know where those places *are* because they're not actually on campus and I don't go to games. If it were at the other university I've attended the to-do would be up at the far end of campus right next to the airport and wouldn't disrupt the campus or classes either.

So complain that I'm moving the goal posts but seriously... if you're going to say that Obama isn't doing something Romney doesn't also do, you have to show that Romney also did it. There has to be some actual equivalency if you're going to claim equivalency.

Or if garage is going to toss around his vile piles of race baiting shit, garage should show how the only thing different between Obama totally disrupting classes in the middle of campus during the middle of the semester and Romney totally disrupting classes in the middle of campus during the middle of the semester is that Obama is *black*. But to do that garage would have to, first, show that Romney ever did that. EVER. And then show that no one was all pissed off at having their class schedule and life disrupted.

Honest to dog... do you really think we wouldn't have heard about that Romney campaign "gaff"?

Anonymous said...

Someone needs to remind a certain professor that she teaches constitutional law and didn't write the constitution.

Just a thought.

Nichevo said...

Althouse, I must tell you: your periodic use of profanity is grating and does nothing for you. Even when I agree with your sentiment.

As for what you don't do: hmm. Why don't you email me course notes for the semester and I'll lyk whether I think a topical/current events/"ripped from the headlines" flavor would improve your work. Otherwise I really couldn't judge.

But off the cuff, why is it BS (and why would that stop you? Half your posts are BS, like the rush-romney-racist-obamaphone post) to engage student interest with issues relevant to the day? Do you dare to dream that your stuff is so good that it will be used in 200 years and you mustn't seem dated?

Unknown said...

So complain that I'm moving the goal posts but seriously... if you're going to say that Obama isn't doing something Romney doesn't also do, you have to show that Romney also did it. There has to be some actual equivalency if you're going to claim equivalency.

Oh, I'm not complaining; I'm observing. And I'm not defending claim or counterclaim; I'm providing you with information that you were struggling to find on your own.

The Romney campaign tends to set up smaller venue rallies for Mittens. They don't specifically target college students, preferring to spend resources with rallies aimed at "business leaders." So it should come as no surprise to anyone that Mittens has made fewer college campus stops. That doesn't mean, however, that his relatively rarer visits to college campuses don't cause disruptions.

As usual, the Althouse crew is making a mountain out of a molehill. Missing a college class (or two) isn't a crisis. In fact, most people realize that undergraduates choose to skip class when it suits them. I don't expect the right wing whining about this to stop, though.

Joe Schmoe said...

Jake Diamond, you're minimizing this event to just missing a few classes. Most of us who aren't Flunkies for Barry are peeved that a state college, funded by all of the state's taxpayers regardless of party affiliation, is promoting one party over the other during school time.

Joe Schmoe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joe Schmoe said...

The other thing you're downplaying, Jake Diamond, is that the university has rules expressly forbidding faculty and staff from using school time and resources for partisan political activity.

Would I be as mad if a Republican did the same thing? To be honest, I would. I'm sick of politicians throwing their weight around like they are the second coming of Cleopatra. Like Clint said, they work for us.

Unknown said...

peeved that a state college, funded by all of the state's taxpayers regardless of party affiliation, is promoting one party over the other during school time.

Imagine how peeved I was when the idiots in the Bush administration started a war without my approval. And I'm sure I would have been expected to help pay for it too if the "fiscal conservatives" had decided to fund it up front instead of passing on that burden to future generations.

But back to your faulty premise... The state college is not promoting one party at the expense of another. There is no evidence that Romney requested a similar opportunity and was refused. Therefore your complaint is baseless.

Thank you for whining, though.



















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