Today, President Obama is flying to Milwaukee to mark Labor Day at a union picnic ("Laborfest"), at a far smaller venue than he used when marking the same event in 2008. Don't worry about a rambunctious crowd, protest signs, or any other indignities, though. Admission is by ticket only, with unions in charge of distribution.Even more curious is the absence of left wing Senator Russ Feingold, facing re-election this year, and not showing a lot of strength in the polls. Patrick McIlheran, columnist for the  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, has a witty column on the visit:It's quite a party: Parade organizers were still looking for volunteers to help carry the giant protest puppets of the Earth Goddess and such. Pity, then, that Russ Feingold, the incumbent Democratic senator in a neck-and-neck race, can't hang out with the president. [....]Many presidents fall in public esteem by mid-term, but with Obama, the change is more fundamental. What put him in office...(Read Full Post)