The very first day of the preliminary rounds of voting in Wisconsin witnessed an interesting scenario. In a desperate attempt to woo voters, the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee and Governor of Minnesota Tim Walz and none other than former President Barack Obama assembled in Madison for a campaign commotion. The Harris camp confidently projected that Walz and Obama are out there to pump up the Wisconsin voters to cast their early votes for Harris and team. A stunt that followed Walz’s visit to Green Bay on Monday, which marked his surprising sixth campaign stop in Wisconsin since he was roped in as Harris’s running mate.
Vice President Kamala Harris herself has decided to grace the area with her presence on Thursday, as part of her Wisconsin tour which includes stops at Milwaukee and La Crosse. The Democrats, in an obviously exaggerated attempt, are desperately hailing Wisconsin as the key to unlock the White House for Harris. In contrast, the stalwart, former President Donald Trump, has also been no stranger to campaigning frequently in Wisconsin, marking his presence staunchly over the past weeks.
Just last week, in a show of strong resolve and tenacity, Trump made his initial appearance in Dane County, conveniently the abode of the rather liberal capital city of Madison. The aim was clear: to churn out the Republican vote even from deep within the Democrat’s fortresses. Despite it being an uphill task, the undertone of determination was not to be missed.
Dane County happens to be the second most populated and the most rapidly expanding county in Wisconsin; a place where Biden managed to bag a significant 75% of the vote four years ago. The Democrats’ desperate attempts to depict Wisconsin as pivotal for their success are understandable given the context.
Pale in comparison to the rich political history of Wisconsin which is known to be perennially tight in presidential showdowns, the Democrats rejoice in the fact that they have gained advantage only once in the past four decades. Nobody can forget the astonishing win by Trump in 2016. Their overconfidence seems to miss the fact that winning Wisconsin wouldn’t guarantee a smooth sail for the Democratic nominee Harris to the White House.
This is because many understand that a victory in November isn’t a silver bullet for Harris’s White House dreams. Mockingly enough, history has it otherwise. Trump gained the state in the year 2016 over Democrat Hillary Clinton by a margin of slightly less than 23,000 votes.
Despite this clear precedent, the Democrats like to overlook the fact that they lost to the strong stand of Trump in 2016. Instead, they latch onto their minor win in the 2020 elections where Joe Biden won by a narrow margin of just under 21,000 votes. Logically speaking, one can’t replace the hard fact with wishful thinking.
Wisconsin, as some may believe, might not necessarily be the jackpot ticket for Harris or any other Democrat for that matter. Blindly banking on this state as a guaranteed pathway to success might be more a delusion than an effective strategy.
The Democrats must remember their past history. They can’t ignore their past failures or the shaky ground on which they stand. Funnily enough, instead of acknowledging their weaknesses, they seem more interested in selling the narrative of their invincibility.
While they do so, they completely overlook the strong Republican foothold in the state. The fact that Trump has been relatively successful here in the past, and continues to have a strong presence, should be a concern for them, rather than an amusing side note.
The ground reality, however, speaks differently and there’s a lot to learn from it. Democrats’ overemphasis on winning this state is a clear display of their nervousness beneath the mask of overconfidence. It will be interesting to see how their efforts bear fruit in the coming times.
Listed as the underdogs, Democrats have to check the ground beneath their feet if they are to turn the tables in their favor in Wisconsin. Overconfidence may lead them down an all too familiar path of disappointment. However, it will be the voting day that will determine the fate of their ungrounded aspirations.
It is astounding how desperate the Democratic sideshow appears. Rather than encouraging realistic chances for a win, they seem to be flirting with the idea of capturing the White House on the back of unreal projections. The desperation, the fervor, and the nervous energy surrounding their campaign in Wisconsin clearly reflects the apprehensions underlying their false bravado.