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Sean Eaton, owner of Fletcher Arms in Waukesha, says gun sales have been brisk since the election of Barack Obama. Customers are worried that the new administration will severely restrict gun sales, he said. Handgun purchases in Wisconsin skyrocketed 82% in the days before and after Barack Obama's election as president compared with the same 13 days in November last year, figures on state background checks show. Most of the early November background checks took place after the Nov. 4 presidential election, a sign that gun owners anticipate new restrictions with Democrats taking control of the federal government. Calls for...

State Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) was briefly detained Saturday outside the Zeidler Municipal Building and "advised about the laws surrounding electioneering," a police spokesman said. The incident occurred around 3:15 p.m. as early voting was taking place inside the building. "A Milwaukee police officer who was working the mounted patrol monitoring traffic in the area of the Municipal Building at Kilbourn and Broadway observed a person who was clad in political attire who was engaged in conversation with people in line for early voting. He called for another officer to respond," Milwaukee police spokeswoman Anne E. Schwartz said. Schwartz said...

The NRA is going up in 10 battleground states with an featuring a tough-talking Chuck Norris touting the Second Amendment and warning against those unnamed politicians who have not supported gun rights. "He’s an American badass," said Chris Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist, of Norris. Cox wouldn't say how much they were spending on the ad, but that it would be on broadcast and cable, cycled into a seven-figure buy they have up now. They'll air the spot in Colorado, Nevada, Missouri, North Carolina, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The NRA has spent millions going after Barack Obama...

[See video at link] CBNNews.com - While most eyes are on the White House race, homosexual activists are quietly targeting smaller contests throughout rural America this year. CBN News first exposed the strategy this summer when it was presented by multi-millionaire donor and gay organizer Tim Gill. WEB EXTRA: Tim Gill Talks Gay Rights to Dems RELATED STORY: Gay Activist Packs Message for DenverHow Gay Activism Shapes U.S. Politics Heartland States Fight Back Now, pro-family groups in the heartland are paying attention -- and fighting back. Iowa is a prime example. The rural beauty of this state where corn and...

If McCain does win, it will be despite some steep odds. The Republican National Committee has pulled its ads from the state, to focus them elsewhere. And in some key local races, endorsements are going to Democrats.. And in some key local races, endorsements are going to Democrats. This is especially a concern in parts of the Fox Valley, where Democratic Congressman Steve Kagan won the endorsement of the NRA — both he and his opponent, John Gard, had received “A” grades from that organization. In a traditionally conservative area, a downticket endorsement from a conservative organization could have a...

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows Obama leading by seven percentage points—51% to 44%. Not surprisingly, Obama also has a seven-point advantage on the question of which candidate is trusted more on the economy. Economic issues are the most important of Election 2008, both in Wisconsin and throughout the nation.

MADISON, Wis. (Legal Newsline) - Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said Thursday he will appeal a court ruling today that threw out his lawsuit to force officials to cross-check information on voter rolls. "I believe today's decision was an erroneous interpretation of the law," the Republican attorney general said. "When a lower court gets the law wrong, parties appeal to a higher court, and that's what I will do. Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi dismissed the lawsuit Thursday, saying Van Hollen lacked the authority to sue to force the state Government Accountability Board to comply with the federal...

O-52%, M-41%, Other/Undecided-7%

The Our Country Deserves Better Committee's national "Stop Obama Tour" is traveling through Wednesday, October 22nd with three rallies across the state in: Madison, Green Bay and Milwaukee.The day will start off with Fox News Channel broadcasting live from our rally location in Madison, Wisconsin.  Join us for just the live remote at the rally location, or a couple hours later for the rally itself.Call up your friends & family and come out to join us at one of these events as we rally support for the McCain/Palin ticket in these critical days before Election Day!Wednesday, October 22nd 7:40 AM -...

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's scheduled trip to Madison on Thursday might be derailed. Obama's campus-area campaign office said workers there have heard the visit was "in flux" and were awaiting further word. The much-anticipated visit would have been the first for the Illinois senator to Madison since winning Wisconsin's primary in February. City workers, however, said they were told the visit would be canceled. Laura Whitmore, community relations manager for the Parks Department, said an organizer left a message with employee Kelli Lamberty, who issues street-use permits for the Capitol, saying the permit requested Friday would no longer be...

Waukesha, WI - If John McCain and Sarah Palin came to Waukesha on Thursday to fire up the Republican base, they could have left their matches at home. Based on the raucous reception the GOP ticket received at a town-hall meeting, the party regulars are plenty fired up — as well as feisty, anxious and a bit frustrated. Angry even. “I’m mad,” one man declared, when handed the microphone. “I’m really mad, and what may surprise you is it’s not the economy.” He paused, a hand on his hip, amid cheers. “It’s the socialists taking over our country.”Louder cheers. Including...

I went to the McCain Rally in La Crosse, Wisc. It was a lot of fun. Local candidates were there, as well as Tommy Thompson. There were about 5,000 people in the La Crosse Center, which is about what it holds for these type of rallies. Lots of enthusiasm from the crowd and McCain was fired up, as well. Enjoy the pictures, you can see more of them here.

LA CROSSE, Wis. (AP) — Some of the anger is getting raw at Republican rallies and John McCain is mostly letting it flare. A sense of grievance spilling into rage has gripped some GOP events as McCain supporters see his presidential campaign lag against Barack Obama. They're making it personal, against the Democrat. Shouts of "traitor," "terrorist," "treason," "liar," and even "off with his head" have rung from the crowd at McCain and Sarah Palin rallies, and gone unchallenged by them. Presidential candidates are accustomed to raucous rallies this close to Election Day and welcome the enthusiasm. But they are...

McCain rally in LaCross WI.

Freeps, I just watched the La Crosse Rally, and it was compelling enough that i wanted to start a new thread. Many thanks to bayliving for the original live thread! This was the best speech in my opinion that McCain has given all year. It was detailed, mature, hard hitting, and very Presidential. A new narrative seems to be developing that is really exciting: Underdog. McCain has shifted the message from "dont believe the polls" to "we are down like we always are but we are going to surprise everyone one more time". Also, McCain introduced a new idea: to...

There's 26 days and people are looking at the very serious possibility that there's a chance that Obama might get in, and they don't like that," said Ian Eltrich, 28, as he filed out of the crowded sports complex. "I'm mad! I'm really mad!" another man said, taking the microphone and refusing to surrender it easily, even when McCain tried to agree with him. ....In recent days, a campaign that embraced the mantra of "Country First" but is flagging in the polls and scrambling for a way to close the gap as the nation's economy slides into shambles has found...

Republican presidential nominee John McCain is bringing his campaign to La Crosse Friday at the La Crosse Center's South Hall. Doors for the rally will open at 8:00am, and the public is asked to arrive no later than 9:00am. According to McCain's campaign website, the program is scheduled to begin at 10:00am. You can view the event via live video stream: http://www.wkbt.com/Global/Category.asp?C=149579 http://www.wkbt.com/

Watching the two people at today's McCain / Palin rally demanding John McCain start fighting back gave me a glimmer of hope in an otherwise gloomy day. I think that even if Obama wins, there is a something brewing at a grassroots level has me excited. I think people are tired of being pushed around - Conservatives realize that there needs to be a stronger leader and that it's time we started fighting back. Does anyone else feel the same way?

Wisconsin Fair Trade Coalition Dear Friend: As you know, the economy is in crisis. Some have suggested that the current crisis compares not only with the savings and loans bailout of the '80s, but also with the greatest economic crisis our nation ever faced - the Great Depression. However, just one short month before a presidential election, we were stunned to see this weekend that one of the two major presidential candidates said they want to "turn the page," on discussing our economic crisis. Whether you support one major-party candidate or the other, or a third-party candidate, it is absolutely...

Fired Up Crowd Cheers Warning To McCain Palin About Obama-Pelosi

WAUKESHA, Wisconsin (AFP) — John McCain and Sarah Palin cranked up a searing character assault on Barack Obama on Thursday, but another day of punishing losses on Wall Street further dented their White House hopes. The Republican nominee and his vice presidential running mate railed against Obama's personal honesty, but the deepening financial crisis played into the Democratic nominee's hands as he slammed Republican economic policies. Trailing badly in the polls just over three weeks before the November 4 election, McCain and Palin accused Obama of not telling the truth about the extent of his relationship with 1960s radical William...

Waukesha, Wisconsin -- In response to a broad question about how Barack Obama "got here" -- presumably got his lead -- John McCain didn't name Bill Ayers but spoke of him directly. McCain said "We don't care about an old washed up terrorist and his wife" who said earlier this decade that he wished they were more successful. (Several in the crowd chanted: "Yes we do!") McCain noted that Obama had referred to Ayers as "just a guy in his neighborhood," and said "we know that's not true. We need to know the full extent of that relationship to know...

McCain backers in Wis. say they don't trust polls WAUKESHA, Wis. (AP) - Supporters waiting in line to see John McCain and his running mate Sarah Palin in Waukesha say they don't believe recent polls that show Democrat Barack Obama leading by 10 points in Wisconsin. Alicia Thorson of Waukesha says she thinks the polls are fixed. The mother of 4 says she doesn't trust what she called the "liberal media." Thorson's 3-year-old and 7-year-old daughters were dressed like Palin outside the sports complex where McCain was to hold a noon town hall meeting. Kristi Czaplewski (CHAP-lew-skee) says she doesn't...

(MILWAUKEE) - John McCain and Sarah Palin were about halfway through a town hall meeting here when a man in the audience rose to be heard. “I'm mad! I'm really mad!” he shouted. “And what's gonna surprise you, it's not the economy. It's the Socialists taking over our country.” The crowd of several thousand erupted in thunderous cheers, as if many of their most underlying concerns had finally been verbalized. The man’s righteous anger set the tone for Palin, who fully embraced her role as the Republican ticket’s attack dog. Palin seemed to question Barack Obama’s character repeatedly and slammed...

Waukesha, Wisconsin -- In response to a broad question about how Barack Obama "got here" -- presumably got his lead -- John McCain didn't name Bill Ayers but spoke of him directly. McCain said "We don't care about an old washed up terrorist and his wife" who said earlier this decade that he wished they were more successful. (Several in the crowd chanted: "Yes we do!") McCain noted that Obama had referred to Ayers as "just a guy in his neighborhood," and said "we know that's not true. We need to know the full extent of that relationship to know...

When I decided to write a column about voter fraud, I first had planned to have some fun with it. After all, the publicized Milwaukee cases were hardly in a league with the rampant problems down in The Land of The Cubs. In 2000 here, some workers from Al Gore's national campaign office were caught offering free cigarettes to the homeless if they voted for the former vice president. Then there was the "you can't make this up" moment in 2004 when the sons of some prominent politicians were arrested for slashing the tires on vans belonging to a program...

Barack Obama has opened a double digit lead over John McCain in Wisconsin. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state—conducted the night before the second Presidential Debate—shows Obama attracting 54% of the vote while McCain earns 44%. That’s quite a change from a month ago when Obama held just a two-point advantage. Obama is viewed favorably by 58% of Wisconsin voters, McCain by 52%.

If the country ever needed new direction under a fresh, steady, calm president, this is the time. Sen. Barack Obama is the country's hope, the kind of promising, intelligent leader who comes along perhaps once in a generation. Obama is the best candidate for president. He has the vision, patience and fortitude to put America on a track to recovery after an eight-year run of financial irresponsibility, aggressive adventurism abroad and mismanagement, secrecy and dissembling on numerous fronts. The issues and the superiority of the Obama-Joe Biden team have become clearer than ever in the past few days. Obama spoke...

In Wisconsin's blue-collar Paper Valley, the Democrats are banking on an outpouring of volunteers while the Republicans are left with fear itself. GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mid-morning Saturday, the Republican headquarters here in the fiercely contested northeast corner of Wisconsin reflected the somnolent air of the half-empty indoor mall in which it was located. A few Republican stalwarts wandered by to pick up McCain-Palin lawn signs and other GOP campaign paraphernalia. A signboard on the wall announced the target of "878 Doors" on which to knock, but it was evident that most of the canvassing -- the lifeblood of grass-roots...

Democrat Barack Obama has been sharply outspending Republican John McCain on TV ads in Wisconsin and other key presidential battlegrounds in recent weeks. That edge in firepower is one more obstacle for McCain to overcome as he seeks to bounce back in the contest's final month. Between Sept. 16 and 29, Obama outspent McCain on TV in Wisconsin by almost 2-to-1, according to figures provided by a northern Virginia firm that monitors political advertising, TNS Media Intelligence/CMAG. Obama spent $1,254,281 on local broadcast stations in the state. McCain spent $657,923. Obama has enjoyed a similar edge in other battlegrounds, after...

A Republican National Committee lawyer says one of the groups that recruited new voters in Milwaukee engaged in “systematic fraud.” The Associated Press said ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, hired at least seven convicted felons to register new voters. Their crimes included robbery and possessing cocaine. Earlier this year, Milwaukee officials discovered 49 cases in which employees of ACORN and the Community Voters’ Project allegedly submitted false voter registrations. They were dropped from the voter rolls, and a 21-year-old worker with the Voters’ Project was the first to be charged criminally this week. In April, the...

Obama focuses on tight races in Wisc., nearby states ELECTION '08 | Obama trying to lock up Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan October 2, 2008 BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Political Reporter LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Making his second appearance in Wisconsin in nine days, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama Wednesday renewed what could be called his "Putting out Fires Close to Home" tour. At one point, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan looked like relatively secure wins for Obama. Then, the polls tightened in those states, making each a toss-up. Most surveys show the Illinois senator leading McCain by three to four points in...

Former New Hampshire Sen. Warren Rudman has been tapped by Republican presidential nominee John McCain to co-chair a new campaign committee that will deal with voter fraud issues as the election nears. Rudman and his fellow co-chair, former Missouri Sen. John Danforth, told reporters on a conference call yesterday that voting and registration issues are already surfacing in many states, although New Hampshire was not among them. Rudman said that the election "ought to be decided by voters, not lawyers." The McCain-Palin Honest and Open Election Committee wants to ensure that "every qualified citizen has a right to vote in...

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Hoping to shore up support in his suddenly undependable backyard, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama flew here Monday to talk about how he’d handle economic crises as president. Recent polls have shown that Wisconsin — once pretty solidly in Obama’s column — is now a statistical dead heat between Obama and Republican John McCain. “You all know that you hold this election in your hands,” Sen. Russ Feingold, a Democrat who said he worked on ethics legislation with Obama, told a crowd of about 6,000 cheering Obama fans in the arena next to Lambeau Field.

Green Bay, WI - Deriding opponent John McCain as a late convert to regulating Wall Street, Barack Obama used his speech here Monday to try to burnish his own reform credentials, vowing that as president he would attack abusive practices in Washington, from no-bid contracts to revolving-door lobbying. "The era of greed and irresponsibility on Wall Street and in Washington has led us to a perilous moment," the Illinois Democrat told a crowd of several thousand at the Resch Center. "They said they wanted to let the market run free, but instead they let it run wild," said Obama, presumably...

Uncharacteristically low turnout for Barack Obama rally in Green Bay, Wisc. McCain/Palin drew 4,000 more supporters at same venue a week ago September 22, 2008 BY ABDON M. PALLASCH Staff Reporter GREEN BAY, Wis. — Hoping to shore up support in his suddenly undependable backyard, Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama flew here Monday to talk about how he’d handle economic crises as president. Recent polls have shown that Wisconsin — once pretty solidly in Obama’s column — is now a statistical dead heat between Obama and Republican John McCain. “You all know that you hold this election in your hands,”...

From Madison to the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin elections officials are reporting strong interest in absentee voting for this year's presidential race.In Madison, the city clerk's office is prepared for up to 40,000 voters to cast their ballots through the mail or in-person at clerk's offices instead of on Election Day. A record 25,000 did so in 2004 in the state capital. In the Milwaukee suburb of Brookfield, about 1,000 voters have made requests for absentee ballots to be mailed to them. That's about half as many requests the city clerk received in 2004 -- and absentee voting has yet...

McCain spoke to a crowd of approximately 11,000 and made pointed remarks regarding Obama. These two videos will take about 15 minutes to watch but they are well worth it. (Photo from Lancaster PA rally.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yg-CT6vlkg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYzOEksDhtA

Two years ago, I called for reform of this corruption at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Congress did nothing. The Administration did nothing. Senator Obama did nothing, and actually profited from this system of abuse and scandal. While Fannie and Freddie were working to keep Congress away from their house of cards, Senator Obama was taking their money. He got more, in fact, than any other member of Congress, except for the Democratic chairmen of the committee that oversees them. And while Fannie Mae was betraying the public trust, somehow its former CEO had managed to gain my opponent's trust...

http://www.wisn.com/politics/17478846/detail.html

The presidential race continues to tighten in Wisconsin, where Barack Obama now leads John McCain by just two percentage points, 48% to 46%, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of voters in the state.

John McCain has worked himself back into a tight race with Barack Obama in Wisconsin, a state that Democrats had hoped would be a stronghold for the Illinois senator.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and his running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will be in Green Bay on Thursday... Free tickets are required for the McCain event, with doors opening at 4 p.m..

MADISON, Wis. - Sen. John McCain is sharply increasing his number of campaign aides and offices in Wisconsin, where he has worked his way back into a tight presidential race with Sen. Barack Obama. Through a barrage of television ads, campaign events and the selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate, McCain has pulled closer in a state some Democrats hoped would be an Obama stronghold this cycle. Now McCain is working to catch up to what Democrats say is Obama's biggest strength in the state -- organization -- by increasing the number of offices from 10 to 18...

Sen. Barack Obama's presidential campaign is opening up four more offices across Wisconsin this weekend. Campaign spokesman Matt Lehrich says the campaign is opening offices in Baraboo, Beaver Dam, Monroe and Sun Prairie. He says the four additions means the campaign has a total of 36 offices up and running, covering all corners of the state. Sen. John McCain's campaign has 10 offices open in Wisconsin, but a Republican Party spokeswoman says that will increase to 18 soon. Obama and McCain are in a tight race for Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes.

(CNN) — CNN has learned that John McCain and Sarah Palin plan to hold joint town hall meetings next week. A McCain adviser says early plans are to hold the town halls in western Michigan and Wisconsin, although the exact details of where and when they will be held are still being worked out. These events would likely mark the first time Palin takes questions from voters.

Madison - The lawsuit against the state's election authority could lead to a spike in provisional ballots, which an election expert said greatly increases the chances of a fight after Nov. 4 over who won the presidential race in Wisconsin. Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen sued the state this week to require more checks of voter information against driver's license records - a move that critics say could force people off the voter rolls and require them to cast provisional ballots. Provisional ballots are counted only when voters provide proof of residence by the next day. Van Hollen asked...

WI: http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/wisconsin_poll_091008.htm PA: http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/pa_poll_091108.htm MI: http://www.strategicvision.biz/political/michigan_poll_091008.htm

It’s as tight as it’s ever been. That’s the upshot of the first public poll in a month on the presidential contest in Wisconsin and the first since the two political conventions. Democrat Barack Obama leads Republican John McCain 46% to 43% in the survey taken Friday through Sunday by Strategic Vision, a firm that has polled regularly in the state in recent years. The new poll shows little change in the race overall since before the conventions and McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. The same firm polled in August, and Obama's lead then...

Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin talks a lot about being a hockey mom, mayor, and now governor in Alaska, but it turns out she has roots in the Badger State. Local historians traced Palin's family heritage back five generations to the western Wisconsin town of Stanley. Sarah Palin's great-great grandparents, Homer and Gussie Strong, are buried in Stanley. That's about 130 miles from St. Paul, where Palin accepted the Republican V.P. nomination. Stanley native Al Brown says a history buff called him after tracing Palin's lineage to Chippewa County. Brown says Homer Strong played an important role in establishing...