The importance being placed on Wisconsin was emphasized the past 10 days. The day before the Republican convention opened, Obama was campaigning here. The first appearance McCain and running mate Sarah Palin made the day after their convention was in Cedarburg. Only three days later, Obama’s running mate Joe Biden was in Green Bay. Expect to see a lot more of all of them in the next eight weeks. Expect to be overwhelmed with television ads and "robocalls." We are Ground Zero.

Most states are reliably in the pocket of one of the political parties. The Democrats have no chance in Wyoming or Texas and the Republicans don’t have a prayer in New York or Illinois. In the end, only 15 states are really in play. Republican sources tell me the McCain campaign considers Wisconsin to be one of the most important of the 15. They understand Barack Obama will produce unprecedented turnout of black voters. This could give him victories in a handful of border states that were carried by President Bush in 2000 and 2004. In particular, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas are potential losses for McCain. Bush carried all three twice. McCain has to make up the difference by winning a state that has gone Democratic. That’s where we come in.

The wins by Al Gore and John Kerry in Wisconsin were by extremely narrow margins. McCain can win here by doing only a little better than Bush. The McCain campaign believes Wisconsin’s historical infatuation with mavericks will benefit McCain. They see their guy as a lot like Tommy Thompson, a Republican who won four Wisconsin landslides.

For Obama, a loss here would be devastating. Wisconsin has voted Democratic six times in a row. It’s hard to get to 270 Democratic electoral votes without our 10. Because McCain is making such a heavy push for Wisconsin, Obama is forced to make us a major focus himself.

After all, we are the ultimate swing state. Our state Senate is Democratic and the state Assembly is Republican. The state’s congressional delegation has a 5-3 Democratic edge but only because the Democrats in 2006 took a longtime GOP seat. The governor is a Democrat who has won two elections in a row but he was preceded by a Republican who won four wipeouts in a row. In 2006, the incumbent Republican state treasurer was beaten by a Democrat and the incumbent Democratic attorney general was replaced by a Republican. You get the picture. Politically, we swing both ways.

Obama has the edge here. He won the Wisconsin democratic primary by a big margin and did much better here among white voters than in most other states in his primary fight with Hillary Clinton. Being from neighboring state Illinois doesn’t help much, but it doesn’t hurt.

McCain’s selection of Palin really helps him in a state like ours. If Sarah Palin weren’t from Alaska, she’d almost have to be from Wisconsin. Where else would you find a woman who hunts, fishes and rides snowmobiles? She’s our kind of politician. If the McCain campaign is smart (and they sure seem to be lately), they’ll be sending her here a lot.

Wisconsin may not be the most glamorous state in the union and we’re hardly the best known. But in 2008, we are the most important.

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Have you noticed all the activity surrounding the Pabst Farms shopping center? No, you haven’t. There isn’t any. Developers Diversified, the company developing the "town center," has been saying the complex will be open by 2010. Really?

Banks aren’t lending money to anybody right now. A big town center planned for Interstate 94 at Highway 50 in Kenosha County is on hold. Absolutely nothing is happening at the old Pabst Brewery site in Milwaukee. Until the credit markets loosen, don’t look for any significant movement on Pabst Farms. Don’t be shocked if an announcement of a project delay comes soon.

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The Milwaukee Brewers still have four games with the Phillies and six with the Cubs. How they do in them will determine whether this season ends the same miserable way as the last 26. If the Brewers collapse and don’t make the playoffs, manager Ned Yost is almost certain to be fired. But a meltdown will have a big impact on the rest of the franchise, too.

How easy will it be to sell season tickets in 2009 after a collapse this year and the loss of both Ben Sheets and CC Sabathia to free agency? On the other hand, if the team makes the playoffs, enthusiasm will be higher than ever and this year’s 3 million in attendance can be matched. If they actually go somewhere in the playoffs, the numbers will be even bigger.

There’s a lot at stake for everybody at Miller Park.

(Mark Belling is the host of a daily WISN radio talk show. His column runs Wednesdays in The Freeman.)