November may be months away but local Democrats aren’t wasting any time in their effort to re-elect President Barack Obama.   Roughly 50 of the president’s supporters from around the area gathered at the kickoff Wednesday evening at the Racine County Democratic Party’s 2012 campaign headquarters, 606 Sixth St., to listen to a special call from first lady Michelle Obama, and learn about how they ensure Obama gains another term in office. 

“You know there is a place on the other side of town run by some other people,” said Jane Witt, chairwoman of the Racine County Democratic Party, firing up the crowd. “It’s called the Victory something. We don’t have a gimmicky name for our place. But we have a lot of other things. We have you. You are the most intelligent, most professional, best looking, hardest working, most dedicated group of campaign workers in the whole state, maybe the whole country.”

Journal Times:

Democrats will soon be opening a 2012 campaign office in Downtown Racine. The party’s Racine County campaign headquarters will be at 606 Sixth St., said Jane Witt, the Democratic Party of Racine County’s chairwoman. Organizers have already started to move supplies over to Sixth Street from the Racine Labor Center, 2100 Layard Ave., where the recall headquarters were located. A date has not yet been set for the official grand opening, Witt said. That will be in the next few weeks. But an event will be held there Wednesday for supporters of President Barack Obama, who is up for re-election this fall. Obama for America is holding a “house party,” according to an email from the organization, which Witt verified.

There, organizers will be registering voters, and helping prepare volunteers for the process leading up to the November election. Also, according to their email, “You’ll get to join a special call with First Lady Michelle Obama to talk about the progress we’re fighting for and get fired up for the months ahead.”

That event is scheduled for 6 p.m. at 606 Sixth St.

I was disappointed to read in Monday's Journal Times that Sen. Van Wanggaard has chosen to avoid meeting his opponent in the upcoming Senate recall election. I recognize that an open forum can be a difficult setting for campaigning. It's hard to think quickly and articulate your points clearly when you're not sure what the question will be.

I was particularly looking forward to hearing my senator in person because I have not been successful in communicating with him in other ways. I went to his Ives Grove office hours many times and conversed with various pleasant assistants who took copious notes but I heard nothing in response from the senator. I then switched to using emails, but only once received anything other than the stock "Thank you for contacting my office ..." reply. I participated in his telephone "Town Hall Meeting," but the call screener who answered did not forward my question to the senator.

I would like to be confident that those who represent me in Madison are willing to answer my questions, listen fairly to my views and respond cogently. Every one of us deserves no less. We need representatives who are willing to meet with all segments of the public, and thus provide more openness in the political process; meeting the public in an open forum is one way to do that.

Melissa H. Warner

Caledonia