Please give to The Capital Times Kids Fund.

Learn how the annual fund drive helps our community.

Election matters: McCain's 'Angry Waukesha Man' is a superstar

John Nichols  —  10/11/2008 2:33 pm

CALENDAR: The Nov. 4 election is 24 days from today.

THE BIG QUESTION: How famous is "angry Waukesha man" going to become?

Cable television shows keep running the clip of him ranting about creeping "socialism." The Washington Post highlights him in its "Anger Is Crowd's Overarching Emotion at McCain Rally" story. Bloggers are writing about him, talk radio is talking about him, and he's a genuine YouTube star. We speak, of course, of Angry Waukesha Man, the older fellow who gave McCain a piece of his mind at the candidate's town hall meeting Thursday in Waukesha.

"I'm mad. I'm really mad, and what may surprise you is it's not the economy," began angry Waukesha man, one hand on the microphone, one hand on his hip.

"It's the socialists taking over our country," he continued.

The crowd of 4,200 went wild.

McCain tried to agree with him -- or, more likely, to get him to sit down.

But Angry Waukesha Man wasn't finished.

"I'm not done. Lemme finish, please," declared Angry Waukesha Man, as the people around him rose to deliver a standing ovation.

McCain: "Go ahead."

More applause. Cheers. Laughter.

Angry Waukesha Man: "Thank you!"

"I think its so important in today's country, what we're really missing and what's really goin on! When you have Obama, (House Speaker Nancy) Pelosi and the rest of the hooligans up there gonna run this country -- we gotta have our head examined! It's time that YOU TWO are representing US, and we are MAD! So go get 'em!"

Wild applause. Cheers of "U.S.A.! U.S.A.!"

"Well I, I think I got the message!" said McCain, who was laughing and applauding with Palin, "Could I just say, the gentleman is right ... "

Angry Waukesha Man, as yet unidentified, is a superstar.

There's even speculation about whether "Angry Waukesha Man" is a real Wisconsinite. Wisconsin blogger Sundries, who was at the rally, writes, "By the way, I am no expert at American accents, but I think this gentleman must not be a Wisconsin native. He sounds like a New Yorker, or another northeastern transplant. Am I right?"

What's going on here? McCain backers -- not just in Wisconsin, but nationwide -- are spoiling for a fight. They're down in the polls and scared. And Angry Waukesha Man put their frustration into words on Thursday.

Here he is: Angry Waukesha Man

OBAMA ON GM: When he was campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama delivered a major address at the General Motors plant in Janesville. GM announced in June that it would idle the Janesville plant and three others making SUVs and trucks by 2010.

Last night, a spokesman for Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Milwaukee, announced that the troubled company -- which may be facing bankruptcy as a result of its dabbling in the credit business -- will shutter the plant in January. That will cost Janeville and surrounding communities 4,000 of Wisconsin's best-paying jobs. "This is a dark day for Janesville and a dark time for America as the economy struggles," says Kohl. "General Motors' plant has been a central part of the community for generations, and its closing will have devastating consequences."

Obama, who has referenced his visit to the Janesville plant frequently in speeches in Wisconsin and other states, was wise to join the response.

"Reports that the GM plant I visited in Janesville may shut down sooner than expected are a painful reminder of the tough economic times facing working families across this country," Obama said in a statement released by his Wisconsin campaign organization.

"This news is also a reminder that Washington needs to finally live up to its promise to help our automakers compete in our global economy. As president, I will lead an effort to retool plants like the GM facility in Janesville so we can build the fuel-efficient cars of tomorrow and create good-paying jobs in Wisconsin and all across America."

Republican John McCain would be equally wise to comment as well. For Wisconsin, this is the Main Street end of that Wall Street versus Main Street equation that all the pundits are talking about.

NEXT BIG CAMPAIGN EVENT IN WISCONSIN: After two days of campaigning around the state by McCain and (in Waukesha) his running mate, Sarah Palin, the spotlight shifts to a Democrat: Kerry Kennedy, the daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy as well as a prominent author and human rights advocate, is set to join Wisconsin women for forum discussions and phone banking in Green Bay, Marinette, Rhinelander and Wausau. Kennedy is one of many members of her family fanning out across the country to aid the Obama campaign.

Here's where Kennedy will be:

8:45 a.m.: the home of Nancy Nusbaum, 1319 N. Summer Range Road, DePere

11 a.m.: Stephenson Public Library, 1700 Hall Ave., Marinette

3:15 p.m.: Best Western Claridge Inn, 70 N. Stevens St., Rhinelander

5:20 p.m.: Wausau CFC Office. 201 N. Forest St., Wausau

FIRST QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I don't trust Obama. I have read about him. He's an Arab." -- woman at a McCain town hall meeting in Minnesota

SECOND QUOTE OF THE DAY: "No, ma'am. He's a decent, family man, a citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues..." -- McCain countering the woman

THIRD QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I have to tell you, he is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States." -- McCain, at the same rally, defending his opponent after a man said he would be afraid to raise a child in an America led by a President Obama

John Nichols  —  10/11/2008 2:33 pm