By james art Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include information about former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris’ tax plans.
Former president Barack Obama and the governor of Minnesota Tim Waltz spoke at the Alliant Energy Center on Tuesday, Oct. 22, the first day of early voting in Wisconsin, as they campaign just two weeks before the 2024 presidential election.
Obama emphasized the essential role of Wisconsin voters in the upcoming election. Obama encouraged early voting, saying he voted yesterday.
“If you haven’t voted yet, I won’t be offended if you just leave right now,” Obama said. “Go vote.”
The former president expressed understanding for Americans seeking change after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I understand why people want to shake things up,” Obama said. “I got it. What I can’t understand is why anyone would think that Donald Trump would shake things up in a way that is good for you.
Obama claimed former President Trump took credit for the economy he built in 75 months during his two-term presidency.
“Wisconsin, we don’t need to see what an older, crazier Donald Trump looks like without railings,” Obama said. “America is ready to turn the page. We await a better story in Wisconsin. The good news is that Kamala Harris is up for the job.”
The former president praised Vice President Kamala Harris as a leader who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people in need of a voice as a former prosecutor. He told the audience that Harris knows what it’s like to scrap, to strive and to work hard.
Obama slammed Trump’s tax cut plans, saying the middle class could pay higher income taxes while Trump and his “country club buddies” would benefit.
Trump’s tax proposals would increase taxes on average for all income groups except the richest 5 percent of Americans. The middle fifth of Americans will see a tax increase of 2.1 percent of their income, and the poorest fifth will see an increase of 4.8 percent, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. His proposals include extending temporary provisions in the Trump Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, exempting various types of income from taxes and reducing the corporate tax rate, and repealing tax credits from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act .
Harris’ proposed tax changes would raise taxes on the richest 1 percent of Americans while cutting taxes on all other income groups. This will be done by fully expanding temporary provisions in the Labor Act for those making less than $400,000, passing proposals related to raising children and obtaining health insurance, helping service workers and making housing more affordable. -affordable, reforming the taxes that fund Medicare, reducing existing capital gains and dividend tax breaks for those with incomes above $1 million and reforming the corporate tax code, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
“He’s not thinking about you,” Obama said. “He sees power. He sees you as a means to his ends.
Obama reminded the audience that the upcoming election is not just about policies, but also about values and character. He described Trump’s rise in politics as troubling and said Trump seems to have set aside the values most people hold dear.
Obama uses Trump’s answer to the devastation of Hurricane Helen as an example. Trump reportedly made false claims in late September while campaigning in Georgia, saying President Biden was “asleep” and not responding to calls from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, when the opposite was true, according to the Associated Press . Obama argued that Trump’s actions have harmed people in desperate situations and FEMA workers trying to help.
The former president concluded by telling the audience not to sit back and hope for the best, but to take action and vote.
“We will leave no doubt about the outcome of this election,” Obama said. “We will leave no doubt about who we are. We will send a message about what America stands for, and together we will continue to build a country that is fairer and more just, more equal and freer. That’s our job. It is our responsibility.”
Walz, who spoke before Obama, began his address by recounting a recent visit to the high school he graduated from to give a pep talk to the football team and joked that he would not pick a side during Saturday’s Wisconsin game against Penn State because the Harris-Waltz campaign likely needs to win both swing states to succeed in the election.
The Minnesota governor called out Trump’s recent campaign efforts serving of fries at McDonald’s, saying there’s something inappropriate about a billionaire using lower-wage jobs Americans work as political leverage.
“His agenda allows big corporations to not pay people for overtime and cuts those same workers he was pretending to,” Waltz said.
Minnesota vice presidential and gubernatorial candidate Tim Waltz speaks at a Harris-Waltz campaign event. October 22, 2024
Waltz pointed Project 2025calling it a Trump administration plan. During the Sept. 10 presidential debate, Trump said Project 2025 did not reflect his priorities and he had not read the document. But it shares ideologies and ideas with its official program, Agenda 47, according to the Associated Press.
The speech turned to gun regulations, with Waltz reminding the audience that as a veteran and hunter, he is a gun owner. Vice President Kamala Harris is also a gun owner, he said.
“We can uphold the Second Amendment while being equally committed to our first responsibility, protecting our children,” Waltz said.
Waltz urged the men in the audience to think about the consequences of a national abortion ban on their daughters, wives and relatives, arguing that women’s lives are at stake in this election.
According to Waltz, the stakes are high, and he encouraged the public to vote early and campaign for Harris-Waltz.
“There is one way to make sure we stop this guy … we have to do the work and have the courage and defeat him at the ballot box in 14 days,” Waltz said. “We’re still the underdogs in this one and we know we’re going to leave it all on the field.”
Before speeches by Obama and Walz, chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party Ben Wickler kicked off the event by talking about the importance of early voting and the importance of Wisconsin to the outcome of the election.
First-time voter and officer Neve Jackson-Winters of the Madison College Democrats spoke about the organization’s efforts to register students on campus.
US representative Marc PocanD-Wis, echoed many of the main points of previous speakers, praising the Affordable Care Act and the Harris administration for selecting Walz as her running mate.
Kato Pocan, an Emmy Award-winning actor and native of Madison Bradley Whitford incorporated humor while also condemning Trump and the character of US Senate candidate Eric Hovde. His speech covered topics ranging from transgender rights to fair taxation.
The actor spent considerable time talking about abortion rights, shedding light on the case of Amber Nicole Thurmana Georgia woman who bled to death in her car after being denied a dilation and curettage by a hospital. This procedure is now considered a criminal offense following the annulment decision Roe v. Wade.
Sen. Tammy BaldwinD-Wis, also spoke, addressing his opponent Eric Hovdealleged plans to cut Social Security and Medicaid and cut taxes on large corporations and multi-millionaires.
Gov. Tony Evers used his time to praise Kamala Harris for her work as vice president.
The governor specifically mentioned Harris’ role in capping the price of insulin at $35, investing in infrastructure and “fixing the damn roads.”
“She has spent the last four years defending our democracy, fighting to protect our freedoms and working tirelessly to do the right thing,” Evers said.