During an extremely difficult time in Wisconsin’s history, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a speech at Green Bay Wisconsin that convinced the Midwest that, despite his upbringing amongst New York’s elite, he was on their side in the struggle against Wall Street. This support won him spectacular support.

Barack Obama, however, though he is often compared to Roosevelt, has noticeably ignored Wisconsin. Despite his greatly publicized Midwest tour coinciding with the day of the last recall elections and a victory for populist demographics, Obama would not touch the political hotbed that is Wisconsin.

The Nation’s John Nichols joins The John Batchelor Show to describe the significance of this campaigning decision.

—Anna Lekas Miller