What a difference a few years of progressive rule makes. The crowd that showed up for Bruce Springsteen and President Obama (a sitting president, as opposed to just a candidate) in Madison, WI wasn’t even half of what it was for Springsteen and John  Kerry in 2004.

One of the more memorable “gulp” moments for Republicans in ’04 was the Friday before Election Day when John Kerry and Bruce Springsteen brought together a massive crowd of  70,000 to 80,000 in the liberal stronghold of Madison, Wisconsin.

Today, in a last minute push to get the vote out, the combined power of Barack and the Boss drew only 18,000.

Democrats are already worried about the early vote counts in Wisconsin. The fact that Obama is now depressing turnout for free Bruce Springsteen concerts should worry them even more.  On his own, Springsteen can attract 84,000 paying customers just a few hours away in Chicago.

There’s video at the link.

Springsteen sang, while Obama pleaded for votes.