Obama Meets The Packers

Jermichael Finley and Desmond Bishop stop by Milwaukee rally.

Image by Carolyn Kaster / AP

President Barack Obama deployed the politics of football at a rally in the Badger State Saturday, bringing two Green Bay Packers on stage with him in Milwaukee.

At the start of his speech to a crowd of thousands, Obama noted that hometown favorites Jermichael Finley and Desmond Bishop were to his right, adding they ribbed him over their defeat of his beloved Chicago Bears last week.

“But we are not Bears fans first or Packers fans first,” Obama said, riffing off his stump speech line about red states and blue states. “We are American fans first.”

Obama never intended to be campaigning in Wisconsin — a state he carried handily in 2008 — at this point in the race, but the selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate narrowed the polls considerably as did an unusually strong GOP field program in the state.

“If you’re willing to knock on some doors for me….and vote for me, we’ll win Milwaukee, we’ll win Wisconsin, we’ll finish what we started,” he said. And we’ll remind the world why the United States is the greatest nation on Earth.”

Obama also took the time to sample the local fare. He stopped for sausages at Usingers Fine Sausage and ordered a kielbasa, an Italian sausage and a hot sausage.

“I was able to have an outstanding sampling of Bratwurst from Milwaukee,” he reported to the crowd which braved a brisk and windy day to see him.