Scott Walker has produced real results here in Wisconsin. It'd be terrific to see a President Walker take on the bloated federal bureaucracy and inefficient public-sector unions like he did in Wisconsin.
Scott Walker for President!
Scott Walker for President!
2
If the press wants to help the public know who Scott Walker really is, it needs to delve into the abundant available records which have preserved what Walker thinks (or doesn't think about), what he says, what he doesn't say about what he will do after he's elected, what he really does after he's elected, and what he does when the political winds change direction.
Close scrutiny of Scott Walker's 2015-2017 budget proposal is a good place to begin. Another obscure source is an editorial, "When Walker supported path to citizenship" by Robert Mentzer (Opinion Editor for Gannett Central Wisconsin [email protected]).
The public deserves to know the underlying causes for 3 elections in 4 years, to know the real reasons why Walker quite college after completing many of the graduation requirements (It seems that sour grapes might have been an influencing factor.), to know how he avoids telling the public what he really wants to do after being elected, et cetera.
Close scrutiny of Scott Walker's 2015-2017 budget proposal is a good place to begin. Another obscure source is an editorial, "When Walker supported path to citizenship" by Robert Mentzer (Opinion Editor for Gannett Central Wisconsin [email protected]).
The public deserves to know the underlying causes for 3 elections in 4 years, to know the real reasons why Walker quite college after completing many of the graduation requirements (It seems that sour grapes might have been an influencing factor.), to know how he avoids telling the public what he really wants to do after being elected, et cetera.
6
Electability? Walker doesn't have a record to run on. Only rhetoric. His "divide and conquer" strategy has led to a dismantling of Wisconsin's progressive base that leaves millions demoralized. Shell-shocked, really. This is a state that under Walker has lost its way and it's identity. "Forward" used to be our motto. Now, it's "Backward." How's that for a campaign slogan?
8
It takes a lot to overlook the childish bickering, prevaricated distortions, and complete fabrications, as well as the hubris, narcissistic ignorance and outright stupidity in the babbling barkers canvassing our votes, to say nothing of the faults inherent in the opposition's candidates and positions. However, there is so bloody much riding on our ability to do so...like functioning, productive governments.
I, for one, am getting a bit bored with the bottom 25% dictating who wins the primaries and too greatly influencing the elections of our republic's and our states' Congressional legislators and chief executives. However, I will, while purposefully eschewing televised political commercials (up yours Citizens United), continue to read, research, analysis and vote in Every election with the continuing hope that large numbers of my brethren in the upper 75% will become 're' or 'en' gaged in our, often messy, wonderful democratic process every other year versus their now maybe every fourth.
I, for one, am getting a bit bored with the bottom 25% dictating who wins the primaries and too greatly influencing the elections of our republic's and our states' Congressional legislators and chief executives. However, I will, while purposefully eschewing televised political commercials (up yours Citizens United), continue to read, research, analysis and vote in Every election with the continuing hope that large numbers of my brethren in the upper 75% will become 're' or 'en' gaged in our, often messy, wonderful democratic process every other year versus their now maybe every fourth.
7
So this is what happens if people can't be bothered to vote and the turnout is less than 35%.
8
I sincerely hope he runs, so the nation will finally learn the truth about him and send him packing back to Madison. Unfortunately for the good people of Wisconsin, gubernatorial elections fall in alternate even years from the presidential ones...so when he loses, they’d still be stuck with him as governor for at least two more years.
Wisconsin has always been two states politically, ever since industry faded and agriculture gave way to agribusiness. If Madison and Milwaukee would like to secede (taking the rest of Dane and all of Rock Counties with them), we in Illinois would gladly take them in, just as we granted WI’s Democratic legislators temporary asylum.
Wisconsin has always been two states politically, ever since industry faded and agriculture gave way to agribusiness. If Madison and Milwaukee would like to secede (taking the rest of Dane and all of Rock Counties with them), we in Illinois would gladly take them in, just as we granted WI’s Democratic legislators temporary asylum.
9
So Wisconsin's wonder boy, according to Wisconsin press, is now getting a crash course in "foreign policy" which is supposed to help him in his present galavant everywhere else but Wisconsin "I want to be president and I'll do anything and say anything to get there."
It's laughable about Walker, he probably needs the course though. When he signs a note to a Jewish leader in WI "molotov" instead of "mazeltov" (which also was inappropriate, but a little more Jewish) to taking care of a world of ISIS terrorists right outside the capitol, that is, union protestors for collective bargaining rights, it might indicate he lacks a little foreign "stuff".
We in Wisconsin can tell you one thing for sure - what he says pre-election and what he does post election are two different things, from union smashing, women's rights, voting rights, environmental concerns, and so much more. When Scott Walker says the word "distraction" as his latest right to work agenda, or uses the words "divide and conquer" - perk up - he's got something up his sleeve. Unfortunately, those that voted for him in yes, an off presidential election years seem to be more interested in his words "bold, brave, unintimidated" because they sound so leader-like.
Here's how brave Walker is - his body guards who are now "securing" him in his worldly and nation wide travels to toot his own horn - just got a $4 an hour raise - while many here haven't seen a penny more in years.
Want a nice raise? Guard Scott Walker.
It's laughable about Walker, he probably needs the course though. When he signs a note to a Jewish leader in WI "molotov" instead of "mazeltov" (which also was inappropriate, but a little more Jewish) to taking care of a world of ISIS terrorists right outside the capitol, that is, union protestors for collective bargaining rights, it might indicate he lacks a little foreign "stuff".
We in Wisconsin can tell you one thing for sure - what he says pre-election and what he does post election are two different things, from union smashing, women's rights, voting rights, environmental concerns, and so much more. When Scott Walker says the word "distraction" as his latest right to work agenda, or uses the words "divide and conquer" - perk up - he's got something up his sleeve. Unfortunately, those that voted for him in yes, an off presidential election years seem to be more interested in his words "bold, brave, unintimidated" because they sound so leader-like.
Here's how brave Walker is - his body guards who are now "securing" him in his worldly and nation wide travels to toot his own horn - just got a $4 an hour raise - while many here haven't seen a penny more in years.
Want a nice raise? Guard Scott Walker.
18
Walker is smart enough to be very guarded in what he says for fear of revealing himself as just another empty suit. As with most Republicans he doesn't really believe in leadership, more so in ruling. And like most Republicans he has few ideas to advance the country in any meaningful way. Once you get past cutting taxes and privatizing government there is nothing left in the way of ideas. No vision thing. And that is because most other ideas he could promote are limited by lobbyists who have him bought off. So there won't be any talk of improving or safeguarding the environment or our food supply. No talk of promoting alternate sources of energy or conservation. No talk of promoting peace in international politics. No talk of modernizing our infrastructure. No talk of undoing the unequal distribution of wealth problem in this country.
No, we won't hear about any of these things. And that speaks volumes about what kind of president he would be. For an example of what his presidency would look like, study the reign of Chris Christie in New Jersey. Cut taxes, cut the public workforce, watch the economy disintegrate and then go hide.
No, we won't hear about any of these things. And that speaks volumes about what kind of president he would be. For an example of what his presidency would look like, study the reign of Chris Christie in New Jersey. Cut taxes, cut the public workforce, watch the economy disintegrate and then go hide.
18
all eyes on any possible thing that is even slightly negative in Scott Walkers life! and heaven forbid we would not have an academia type as leader. funny two months ago someone said oh Michigan is such a beautiful blue state! all i could think is what decades of blue leadership did to Detroit and how it looks like a burned out war zone! the people there were sold a bill of goods. and what about Chicago and State of Illinois??? When the music stops there at some point it will be ugly and they could not tax people enough to pay for this mess! how is it nothing is hardly ever written in Illinois? in the end we must all realize what is sustainable and what is not!
1
If I take take Mark's logic one step further: poverty, early death and food stamps seem to characterize the deep south. These are all GOP voters and have been for 30 years.
10
Remember Nate Cohn predicting that the dems would hold the Senate? It's obvious from the non stop barrage of media attacks on Governor Walker that liberals see a threat. The democrats have poured everything they have into dislodging him and have failed three times in four years. He is battle tested and hardened like no other candidate. Now compare HRC's ultra stage managed and protected campaign and yet she easily she gets flustered in softball interviews with Terri Gross and Diane Sawyer...
3
The comments from non-Wisconsinites about the fatuousness of college drop-out Scottie Walker gives me hope for America. Why is it that Americans would even consider uneducated people like Walker and Palin to be our leaders? It simply boggles the mind!
25
I don't care that they don't have degrees. I know a lot of very sharp people who don't. I do care that they are ignorant.
13
indeed, book learning without practical experience is not good. Palin is an example that the lack of both is very bad. But she and her clan are doing well thanks to the T Party and Fox "news".
1
There is a fairly simple reason that the pensions of public employees resonates with voters: "I'm paying for these people to have great pensions and I don't get one myself?" The elimination of defined benefit pensions for most Americans created a shift of interests as people were abandoned by the traditional system to fend on their own. It's not unreasonable to ask: why are public employees different? Why should they get so much more?
Another important element is the fact that public pensions have, in many jurisdictions, gotten too rich with benefits. Police and firefighters, (exempted from the ban on negotiating in Wisconsin) are able to retire in their late 40s or early 50s in many cases, enabling second careers while drawing pay. A cushy pension for other public employees looks increasingly questionable to other workers who have to rely on a fluctuating 401(k) plan.
Politicians in pro-union states have consistently given into public employee union demands, in part, because it was easier than fighting and risk losing all those eager voters. So, Walker picked an issue that was ripe for picking, one that a moderate Democrat could, with some courage, have ridden to election victories as well.
Walker is no giant killer. He seems to be a politician of moderate skills and modest potential. Anti-union movements have been greatly successful at the state level, but wearing that label seeking the presidency raises the potential of a huge backlash.
http://terryreport.com
Another important element is the fact that public pensions have, in many jurisdictions, gotten too rich with benefits. Police and firefighters, (exempted from the ban on negotiating in Wisconsin) are able to retire in their late 40s or early 50s in many cases, enabling second careers while drawing pay. A cushy pension for other public employees looks increasingly questionable to other workers who have to rely on a fluctuating 401(k) plan.
Politicians in pro-union states have consistently given into public employee union demands, in part, because it was easier than fighting and risk losing all those eager voters. So, Walker picked an issue that was ripe for picking, one that a moderate Democrat could, with some courage, have ridden to election victories as well.
Walker is no giant killer. He seems to be a politician of moderate skills and modest potential. Anti-union movements have been greatly successful at the state level, but wearing that label seeking the presidency raises the potential of a huge backlash.
http://terryreport.com
12
I am so tired of seeing policemen, firemen, teachers and union workers driving their Bentleys around town, lighting their cigars with twenty dollar bills. It's about time they start to live like the rest of us.
My, my, my. So you don't have a defined benefit pension. Who's fault is that. You denigrate working people who have mortgages, pay rent, put food on their families' table, send their children to university, care for Grandma & Grandpa and perhaps enjoy a a modest vacation or two. So what you're saying is misery loves company. How about going after the 1%ers who stole those pensions from you.
36
Hey, you could have joined the Army at 18 and retired at 50% of your base pay at age 38, or 75% at age 48. Just because the private sector cast aside their pensions, doesn't mean no one can still have them. My friend is a Teamster who retired at 54.
7
ny times -can you please try harder to make your graphs understandable
11
I wonder if there will be a discussion about what Scott Walker and his Republican buddies have done to create a police state in Madison. Police in the capitol now carry guns and arrest people for what used to be free speech. Carrying a sign in the capitol building is now a crime. I never thought i would see the day when hard-working people who took a whole day off their jobs to testify on legislation at committee hearings would be denied the right to speak (too many lobbyists wanting to talk to be bothered with the taxpayers) or those who get frustrated at not being allowed to talk would be dragged out of committee hearings by the cops. People have even been arrested for silent protest--sitting in the galleries with tape over their mouths. The Fuehrer is not amused!
Then, there's legislative process. It used to be that legislation would be thoughtfully considered...now it is just rammed through before anyone can object.
Then, there's legislative process. It used to be that legislation would be thoughtfully considered...now it is just rammed through before anyone can object.
44
In addition to the police state comment--Walker and gang passed a law that states that no more than 4 people can congregate in a group around the state capitol, without a state permit. How's that for freedom??
23
We should all be reading Sinclair Lewis's anti-fascist novel of the 1930s - It Can't Happen Here. Scott Walker and his ilk show up there. It can happen here; it is happening here.
42
A quote relevant to this piece and others of similar ilk:
"By their fruits you shall know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles." (Matthew 7:6)
And I do not refer to Governor Walker. Who has been honored similarly previously, in such a perverse way, as have many if not all Republicans who threaten to rise to confront the Dems. (Cf. e.g. the many articles archived in the NYT "reporting"-piously-about how Romney's Mormon faith will put off all Evangelicans-as well as any unbiased liberal Dem.) This joins another example-of not a few- that has appeared prominently in other publications: The horrifying revelation that Governor Walker withdrew from college in his senior year-to get a good responsible job followed by a successful political career in a blue state. (This last point being the main-albeit unspoken-greatest horror of all. Exacerbated further as it does that he may succeed on the National stage.)
This will of course never see the light of day on this site.
"By their fruits you shall know them. Do you gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles." (Matthew 7:6)
And I do not refer to Governor Walker. Who has been honored similarly previously, in such a perverse way, as have many if not all Republicans who threaten to rise to confront the Dems. (Cf. e.g. the many articles archived in the NYT "reporting"-piously-about how Romney's Mormon faith will put off all Evangelicans-as well as any unbiased liberal Dem.) This joins another example-of not a few- that has appeared prominently in other publications: The horrifying revelation that Governor Walker withdrew from college in his senior year-to get a good responsible job followed by a successful political career in a blue state. (This last point being the main-albeit unspoken-greatest horror of all. Exacerbated further as it does that he may succeed on the National stage.)
This will of course never see the light of day on this site.
But there seems to be a question that Walker was asked to withdraw from college because of questionable ethics in running for student government. So the spin on looking for work seems to a cover up for possible ethics violations.
38
The press does need to look into Walker's withdrawal from Marquette. There's so much more to the story than "He doesn't have a college degree." It seems to me that there might be a revelation about Walker's temperament, making him a very poor potential presidential candidate.
5
It seems to have had an early start, but the NY Times Republican bashing season is in full swing. Hillary breaks long established rules of doing public business on government email? Oh, it is a prestige thing. Huh? Senator Diane Feinstein engineers a nation-wide exclusive listing for all surplus postal service properties at an unheard of six percent (6%) commission for her real estate broker husband (a billion dollar spiff) and the NY Times cannot find the space to report on it or it ramifications.
The endless Bush-Cheney bashing goes on unabated six plus years after Obama took office. How about living in the present for a change?
As for alleged union bashing, I have been a member of three different Teamster locals, the UAW when I was assembling Chevy's while putting myself through undergraduate school, and finally as a member of the
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association during my NYPD days. Unions have been, and continue to be, a good thing for many workers. Still, there is so
much corruption and obstructionism through antiquated work rules. A good
friend was a fireman on the LIRR for years. Hello, firemen used to shovel coal into the boilers of steam locomotives. When did you last see one?
Enough drama, let's talk about what is truly important to our country.
The endless Bush-Cheney bashing goes on unabated six plus years after Obama took office. How about living in the present for a change?
As for alleged union bashing, I have been a member of three different Teamster locals, the UAW when I was assembling Chevy's while putting myself through undergraduate school, and finally as a member of the
Patrolmen's Benevolent Association during my NYPD days. Unions have been, and continue to be, a good thing for many workers. Still, there is so
much corruption and obstructionism through antiquated work rules. A good
friend was a fireman on the LIRR for years. Hello, firemen used to shovel coal into the boilers of steam locomotives. When did you last see one?
Enough drama, let's talk about what is truly important to our country.
1
You do realize that it was the NY Times that broke the personal email HRC story in the first place, right?
6
What law was it she broke?
2
Scott Walker might end up as the Sarah Palin of 2016, on the bottom half of the presidential ticket under somebody with more experience. But he's probably even less qualified to be president -- after all, you can't even see Russia from Milwaukee. Maybe he's hoping to lay the foundation for a long career as another Fox News firebrand.
30
Note the consistent theme in all these elections: they ran against the unions. When I voted for a Republican governor last year, my first Republican vote in decades, it was his opposition to public sector unions that clinched the deal.
Public sector unions are a blight on American society. They use their signifiant political power to elect politicians who pass out tax dollars with no consideration of the consequences. It is a win, win situation until the taxes run out, as they have in many states.
The difference between private and public unions is dispositive. A private corporation is a zero sum operation. It can exist only if it produces a profit in a competitive market place. Unions must confine their exactions to reasonable limits determined by that market place.
Public unions, however, are limited by whatever they can exhort from the politicians they put into office. States don't compete with other states, so there is no constraint on what the unions can demand, and the source of their funding, the taxpayers, is not at the negotiating table. Moreover, states are constrained to employ workers regardless of the cost. Private corporations can shut down unprofitable operations, but a state can't eliminate schools or highways.
So more and more taxpayers are discovering that these largesses are bankrupting their states. With no steeply graduated income tax, to increase the income, the only solution is to limit the outgo. And that is the Republican party's job.
Public sector unions are a blight on American society. They use their signifiant political power to elect politicians who pass out tax dollars with no consideration of the consequences. It is a win, win situation until the taxes run out, as they have in many states.
The difference between private and public unions is dispositive. A private corporation is a zero sum operation. It can exist only if it produces a profit in a competitive market place. Unions must confine their exactions to reasonable limits determined by that market place.
Public unions, however, are limited by whatever they can exhort from the politicians they put into office. States don't compete with other states, so there is no constraint on what the unions can demand, and the source of their funding, the taxpayers, is not at the negotiating table. Moreover, states are constrained to employ workers regardless of the cost. Private corporations can shut down unprofitable operations, but a state can't eliminate schools or highways.
So more and more taxpayers are discovering that these largesses are bankrupting their states. With no steeply graduated income tax, to increase the income, the only solution is to limit the outgo. And that is the Republican party's job.
2
You fell for it.
30
Yes, limit the outgo on health care, education, as well limiting the right to collective bargaining with right to work legislation. What have the Republicans done for the working poor or the middle class since their majority in Congress; answer, nothing.
27
Yes, those darn unions. Let's get rid of them so people like Jack Welch, Jamie Dimon, and the Kochs can run the country without any other voice to distract from their agenda.
52
Walker will be taken out by his fellow Republican opponents. If his scandals don't take him out this summer, his first debate in August in Cleveland will.
I will bet anything his handlers have their hands full. God put these thoughts in his head while he was still in grade school (see Unintimidated, his hard bound campaign lit) which makes him omniscient. Or delusional.
I will bet anything his handlers have their hands full. God put these thoughts in his head while he was still in grade school (see Unintimidated, his hard bound campaign lit) which makes him omniscient. Or delusional.
35
Perhaps Walker will just punt on the debates.
15
Never get between Walker and a camera.
4
Walker is acceptable to Republicans because he has done everything the Kochs have asked him to do beyond union bashing to allowing corporations to pollute. Now he doesnt believe in evolution because of the evangelical base. All you have to do be acceptable to Republicans is do what Koch, Adelson, the NRA, and evangelicals want and Karl Rove will try to make it work.
65
These statistics don't matter; he just needs to make the public case that he has a strong election record and most will believe him.
7
In 2010, Walker campaigned as a moderate. As soon as he was elected he began slashing taxes, eliminating collective bargaining rights claiming the state was in a fiscal crisis, among other things he did not campaign on. Furthermore, it was all done behind closed doors in secret which in-part led to the recall in the first place.
Insofar as winning the recall election, it is hardly surprising given the 3 factors that played into his success: 1) endless campaigning 2) a flood of dark money 3) the election was not about keeping Walker in office as it was about the recall itself, which is supported exit polling showing 60% of the voters said a recall election should only be used for official misconduct - 68% (of the 60% ) voted against the recall.
If union busting, deregulation, massive tax cuts for corporations & the very rich, austerity measures, repealing healthcare, defunding education, secrecy, privatizing government services, selling off publicly-owned assets for pennies on the dollar, etc. are your cup of tea, (i.e., implemented on the national level) then Walker, accurately described as the best frontman (Koch) money can buy, is your man.
Insofar as winning the recall election, it is hardly surprising given the 3 factors that played into his success: 1) endless campaigning 2) a flood of dark money 3) the election was not about keeping Walker in office as it was about the recall itself, which is supported exit polling showing 60% of the voters said a recall election should only be used for official misconduct - 68% (of the 60% ) voted against the recall.
If union busting, deregulation, massive tax cuts for corporations & the very rich, austerity measures, repealing healthcare, defunding education, secrecy, privatizing government services, selling off publicly-owned assets for pennies on the dollar, etc. are your cup of tea, (i.e., implemented on the national level) then Walker, accurately described as the best frontman (Koch) money can buy, is your man.
83
One aspect of Walker's record that has not received a lot of attention is how he has polarized the state. Under Walker, Wisconsin has been transformed into the most divided state in the country, and the two sides hate each other. Hate, I tell you. Friends, family members, co-workers, people who used to get along well have had cutting, bitter arguments. The social upheaval this governor has caused, on a personal scale, is staggering.
I don't think that is what the national electorate is looking for. We want someone who will unite us, not divide us.
I don't think that is what the national electorate is looking for. We want someone who will unite us, not divide us.
103
The greatest divider I have ever seen is President Obama. He slices and dices demographics and tries to get them to hate each other. He won the 2012 totally on dividing. He was so successful that he continues to divide along gender, ethnic, social, and any other divide that will benefit his political agenda.
How exactly does Obama divide the country? You supply no actual evidence to support your accusation.
5
I see you are from Texas, I live here in Wisconsin, and I can tell you first hand my comment is true. My family, and my co-workers had horrible, hurtful arguments over Walker's policies. For independent proof you could look at the coverage of the Madison protests or look at the polling in this state. More republicans voted for Walker, and more democrats voted against him than in any other state in the country.
9
Whatever the perceived attributes of Mr. Walker, the bottom line is that he is an enemy of the working man and woman and a supplicant at the altar of the Kochs and those like them. If you see any benefit to you having him as President, I suggest that you are either a person of extreme wealth or a self-hating masochist.
85
It seems like the life mission of the media to discredit Scott Walker, and he seems to be very resilient. I just wish they put the same scrutiny on our current president. The leaders which are vetted and not anointed seem to be the ones with the ability to truly make a difference. They make decisions on principal and not on political expediency.
2
Our current president is not running for office.
27
Well, Scott has certainly made a difference. The Kochs are very happy. Can't say the same for the working people, but then who cares?
24
It's morbidly funny to see somebody claiming that Walker's rightwar shift--coming as it does after years if his swearing up and down that he wouldn't do half the things he's done--has nothing, no nothing whatsoever, to do with his entering primaries dominated by far-right crazy people.
9
And to the east of Wisconsin, the Republican didn't have a chance. What makes us the outlier? Maybe like Lake Woebegone, we Minnesotans are all above average.
25
To the east of Wisconsin is a large lake (Michigan, not Woebegon). I think you're a bit confused about Minnesota's location relative to Wisconsin.
3
Isn't MN to the West of Wisconsin? You are above average, the question is, "In what?" Not Geography.
6
Be nice, guys. Even the Times has occasionally gotten East and West mixed up.
5
As if this sputtering lightweight really won on the strength of his ideas or personal charisma. (As Jon Stewart points out, at least someone like Mitt Romney 'looked' like the part, a cyborg assembled in a lab of perfect presidential exteriors).
This article points out the obvious: Walker won reelection because he plays to an intellectually vacant notion that, for the good of society, capital should always dominate labor. This ideology has been decades in the making, and, if there's one good thing you could say about Walker, it's that he knows how to slavishly appeal to popular delusion. But make no mistake: it is a delusion. And Walker is doing his best to follow it blindly, even as this fairy tale is being disrupted on a daily basis by facts, evidence, and truth.
This article points out the obvious: Walker won reelection because he plays to an intellectually vacant notion that, for the good of society, capital should always dominate labor. This ideology has been decades in the making, and, if there's one good thing you could say about Walker, it's that he knows how to slavishly appeal to popular delusion. But make no mistake: it is a delusion. And Walker is doing his best to follow it blindly, even as this fairy tale is being disrupted on a daily basis by facts, evidence, and truth.
89
He's a cheaper cut of Paul Ryan - benefited from investments the public made, now wanting to disenfranchise the public. Wisconsin had a major scandal when a former Assembly speaker blew up their caucus system, and it's been a mess since; the mess put Walker in. The state had to become aggressively Progressive because it and Minnesota to its west were havens for fascism and the John Birch Society early and mid-20th century. James Blaine's anti democratic anti immigrant philosophies left a deep mark in these states - a town that's now dominated by right wing evangelicals was even named for him.
12
Scott Walker's sense of timing is very good. He is a very astute local politician and nothing more. As the saying goes he is a mile wide and an inch deep.
44
"Mr. Walker might well prove to be a stronger general election candidate than Mitt Romney. That’s not a very high bar." I don't know, it seems higher than most think. By most if not all accounts of the 2012 race, Romney delivered an average performance, neither good nor bad. He earned precisely the share of the two-party vote we would expect based on long-observed fundamentals. Romney lost by about four. Making any kind of comparison is just about impossible, however, because in 2016 the GOP will benefit from the eight-year itch while he will also be hurt by a better economic outlook, which will favor the Democrat. This will make 2016 possibly quite different than 2012 in two ways. In order to win the 2016 election, Walker would have to win at minimum three more states (FL, OH, PA; or FL, OH, VA, CO), two of which Romney lost by three points or more. That's a tall order and there are serious questions as to whether the GOP's present national brand is strong enough to win a presidential election absent a recessionary economy (or unpopular war) in a Dem administration. It went from -7 to -4 in four years, going from -4 to +1 would require a significant change in the landscape, for any GOP nominee.
3
I'm a Democrat, but I must admit I admire many of the positions my Republican governor has taken in Michigan. I detest Governor Walker. When the national spotlight shines on him long enough and people find out what he is really like, he won't be a serious presidential candidate for the Republicans.
32
Without Waukesha County, Scott Walker wouldn't have won a single election.
49
Actually that is not true - Walker's vote margin statewide was larger than his margin in Waukesha in each of his three elections. He would have won even without Waukesha. What does it matter anyway? You could take out Milwaukee or Dane County and it would have the same effect in the opposite direction. Both parties have their strong areas.
1
Betty,
In Waukesha County Walker won about 72% of the vote in each election. Statewide he won about 52%.
In Waukesha County Walker won about 72% of the vote in each election. Statewide he won about 52%.
14
Yes, he does spend a lot of time in Waukesha Co. He had already screwed up Milwaukee Co. as county exec, so, not much support here.
6
Any opinion that diminishes Scott Walker, be it statistical or reasoned by a commentator with intellectual heft, is welcome. The sooner this aberrant candidate is removed from the pool of possible presidential contenders, the better.
59
Regardless, this unimpressive mean-spirited college drop-out is a failure as a Governor and a dangerous idealogue.
97
The fact that Walker outspent his 2012 opponent by $30 million to $4 million, with most of the $30 million coming from out-of-state sources (including $8 million from the Kochs) may have had something to do with the outcome
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-record-amount-of-money-spent-on-wisconsin-...
And It might have helped Walker's Democratic opponent if Obama had come to campaign for him but Obama was afraid his corporate masters wouldn't approve of him campaigning against an anti-union candidate.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-record-amount-of-money-spent-on-wisconsin-...
And It might have helped Walker's Democratic opponent if Obama had come to campaign for him but Obama was afraid his corporate masters wouldn't approve of him campaigning against an anti-union candidate.
41
Tom Barrett had plenty of money spent on his behalf. Obama didn't campaign for him because 1) Walker's likely win would embarrass him and 2) Obama's support has virtually never helped anyone win a close election. Obama's been the kiss of death for other candidates. His own wins were against horrible candidates (McCain & Romney).
2
It's good to see that the the Right and the Left can unite in ridiculousness.
Nice graph, but Scott Walker won in 2012 by 7 pts at the same time that Obama won the state by 7 pts. That's impressive by any reasonable standard. Comparing him to the longest serving governor in Iowa history is ridiculous. And who is the GOP alternative - Bush, whose last election was in 2002 and who is hated by half of the party? The fact that in the GOP 2016 primary fewer of the delegates will be awarded on a winner-take-all basis than in prior nominating battles means it's likely that no one will have an outright majority on the first ballot in Cleveland. Walker is acceptable to almost all Republicans, so he'll win on the 2nd ballot if he hasn't already won on the first.
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He is still wrong, on every single issue.
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Walker may be acceptable to most Republicans but he is a very bad governor and he will not be acceptable to the rest of us.
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You are correct Mark. Scott Walker has been an exceedingly poor governor for most Wi. taxpayers thus far, and I've seen a few in the past 40 years. He was appointed by the Koch Bros.
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1) Democrats don't empower their core constituency, organized labor, respite the fact that they depend on labor to get out the vote for them. Democrats are too unorganized and lazy to understand that you can't win without a political "machine," yet they try to avoid appearing too pro-union when courting pro-corporate elites.
2) Democrats concede too many geographical areas to the GOP. Democrats in Wisconsin, for example, have no presence in most of the state, meaning that voters never hear an alternative to the propaganda of the GOP, which controls most of the state's media.
3) Unions themselves are divided. Most private sector unionists in Wisconsin did not support public sector unions when they were emasculated by Walker's infamous Act 10. Now they themselves are being emasculated by Walker and the GOP's "Right to Work" agenda. It is doubtful that Walker would have won election in 2010 if so many unionists (especially white males) had not viewed him as the champion of whites, guns, God and patriotism. It is still common for many unionists to have solidarity only for the members of their own unions and despise any solidarity with organized labor as a whole. This is especially true for the trades and law enforcement unions. The prison guards used to be very pro-Republican until Act 10 rendered them impotent and unable to bargain over safety issues in very unsafe workplaces.