CPAC 2019 - Scott Walker

Walker Wasn't It

Sunday morning I was watching the talking heads predicting that Scott Walker would be dropping out of the presidential race very soon. It turns out they were right.

Short of support and cash, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, saying he had been “called to lead by helping to clear the field,” announced Monday that he was suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.

In a brief news conference in Madison, Mr. Walker referred sharply to Donald J. Trump’s influence on the primary contest, saying he hoped his exit would make it possible for “a positive conservative message” to take hold in the crowded race.

“I encourage other Republican presidential candidates to consider doing the same, so that the voters can focus on a limited number of candidates who can offer a positive conservative alternative to the current front-runner,” Mr. Walker said in the short appearance, at which he took no questions. “This is fundamentally important to the future of the party and, more importantly, to the future of our country.”

Scott Walker was a good candidate before the race got started. He had fight. He had principles. He had grit, and common sense. What happened? He didn't stand out and he turned out to be just too bland to transition (or translate) from a champion at a Wisconsin level to the same at a national level.

And that's all it takes. Bobby Jindal take heed, you might be next. Being a bright conservative, being a principled conservative isn't enough. Being successful isn't enough. You need pizzazz. You need the sizzle with the steak. And maybe, you need to be an outsider. I mean a real outsider. Being a governor isn't necessarily enough outside the beltway. You might need to be a not-politician. In turn we've seen surges from Trump, Carson and Fiorina. All are not professional politicians.

What's notable in Walker's talking points above, is he sounds more like a politician, and an establishment one to boot, than a Harley riding guy he portrays himself as being. The jab at Trump may be a hurt pride thing, but it comes across as plying ball. Note to Republican establishment,in 2008 the only thing that excited conservatives was a Palin VP slot. In 2012 they didn't even have that.

Learn or perish. the ultimate lesson may extend outside of the current election cycle - you need to be a person of the people, not a politician. Reagan even, was clearly a politician, but he was able to transcend that by connecting with voters on a visceral, gut level. He did it simply by having the right message for the time. That made him a man of the people. As I said, learn, or perish.

Scott Walker going "Me too" on policy?

This was probably the guy I felt had the best shot at being the Not Bush nominee.  But after a lackluster debate performance, Scott Walker seems to already be on panic mode.  Rumor has it he's thinking about a staff shakeup.

And then there's this 'me too' policy positioning.

Via Hot Air;

Now here’s Walker, who spent the first few months of the year desperately trying to atone for his previous squishiness on immigration as a pol in Wisconsin by taking the hardest line in the GOP field on amnesty, including heavy hints that he might reduce legal immigration as president to protect American workers. Two months after Trump got into the race talking about Mexican rapists and a day after he finally revealed his immigration plan, Walker’s reduced to telling reporters that Trump’s plan is a lot like his own and that, like Trump, he too would eliminate birthright citizenship for children born to illegals inside the U.S. That’s a controversial position, one possibly further to the right than even Walker would have been willing to go had Trump not joined the race. But that’s the power of Trumpmania: It’s capable of moving the entire field towards a stronger conservative stance, at least on select issues.

While the policy shift towards legal immigration and strictness on illegals, and then some, is a shift towards America first conservatism and away from his former wishy-washy stance, it's still painful to watch a candidate so well versed in fighting liberals, looking for an angle and seeming sheepish about it. It's not pleasant to watch.

Debate Night GOP style

And here I am without popcorn.  From the sound of it Carly Fiorina won the first (undercard) debate.  I don't know, I missed it because I was on my way home from work.  That's why it was an undercard debate.  But frrom the commentary I'm seeing and hearing, I expect she'll be in the prime time slot next time around. 

In Brief

Here's my prediction for tonight - Scott Walker will win.  Why? Trump may consolidate his numbers but he is not likely to expand on them - not at this point.  Despite the appeal of his bull in a China shop approach, he really does need to acquire some polish.  That's going to take more time if it is even possible.

Jeb Bush will do well, but he will probably not impress anyone other than more big donors.  That leaves Scott Walker with the biggest opportunity.  I expect him to nail it.  We'll know soon enough.

GOP Candidate Info - Scott Walker Edition

Scott Walker at CPAC 2015.

Scott Walker getting it on immigration?

Scott Walker, possible presidential candidate, says he has changed his mind on immigration.  Let me be clear - I think Walker would make an excellent president, but this just seems like straightforward primary positioning.  He's doing what he needs to do if he wants a better chance to win in the primaries. That's what he gets. Is it really possible he's changed his mind? Of course it is, but it would not be my first guess as to why he made those statements.

One additional note, this does a terrific job of changing the conversation from the faux Rudy Giuliani controversy.

Digging the Scott Walker

I'm digging the Scott Walker.  Dark Horse for president?  I hope so. 

 

Over at Hot Air, Ed Morrissey calls out a Scott Walker interview on Morning Joe and points out the real message behind Walker's discussion points: the GOP isn't effective at messaging and communication. I've been arguing this since 2008. Being right is not enough. The message needs to get out there and it needs to be clear, simple, relatable to everyday lives. Anything else will get lost on voters, and twisted in the liberal media.

It isn't enough that Walker is doing the right things, he's winning the war of ideas because he knows how to fight it. He's got governor experience, he's won battles against dug-in political opposition more than once. Right now, I'd take him as a candidate over Chris Christie (for the right ideas), Ted Cruz (for experience), Bobby Jindal (for presence) and Rand Paul (for electability) or Marco Rubio (for consistency). It's not that I can't find things to like about the other candidates I've mentioned (in fact a lot in some cases), but Walker has both a good track record of accomplishment as well as an understanding of the electorate and their perceptions.

 

It's no longer enough to complain about the media distorting the message - that's a recipe for continued failure. It's not enough to be right about the issues and still lose. Now the GOP must formulate a message that connects with voters and explains their position. Here's the interview Morrissey brings to light;

As Ed points out,

As The Hill points out, Walker’s criticism echoes the more abrasive comment last week from Newt Gingrich that Republicans on Capitol Hill have “zero” alternatives to ObamaCare. Some in the GOP balked at that comment, pointing to a number of proposals Republicans on Capitol Hill have floated over the last four years to the ACA. Walker gets closer to the mark in noting that while Capitol Hill Republicans know this, they haven’t done a very good job in communicating either the specifics of the plans, or the principles of the party.

Success demands that.

 

It's early and way too early to line up with an individual candidate for president.  But for right now I am digging the Scott Walker.

Quick-Grading the Convention Speeches

Winning speech.                                       Photo: Via ABC

Scott Walker's speech seemed to wake up the convention. B+

Rick Santorum's speech was dry and unexciting. C-

John Kasich's speech was energetic and insightful but not highly inspiring. B-

Artur Davis' speech was quite good, focused on the right target but unfortunately under-received by the crowd. A-

Nikki Haley's speech was good and had some excellent of examples of Obama as a roadblock. B

Anne Romney's speech started weak but grew in strength as it went along.  It was well received. But did it make a dent in women's opinions of Romney?  Maybe a little.  B

Chris Christie. The keynote speech, was funny, passionate, forthright and well-spoken. A

Walker, Wisconsin Ranger

Wisconsin governor Scott Walker has survived his recall election in style, with a significant cushion in his lead versus his original election.  The governor's gutsy refusal to back down in the face of over-the-top protests from the pro-union crowd has vindicated him, and elevated his stature in the conservative pantheon.  It may have put Wisconsin in play for the general election.  It certainly has helped the GOP with it's ground game in Wisconsin this fall, and probably puts the Obama campaign in a position to have to spend some time and treasure in a state it didn't think it would need to do so, come fall. 

It may also represent an inflection point with respect to government unions beyond just Wisconsin.  It certainly represents a win from a Tea Party perspective and strikes a blow for fiscal sanity.

The positives just keep compounding.  Kudos to Walker for sticking to in Chuck Norris fashion.

Is the nature of perception anathema to fiscal conservatism?

Wisconsin, where perception matters.

Today in the WSJ, there was an article talking about vindication for Wisconsin governor Scott Walker vis a vis the budget conflict he had had with teachers and their misguided students last year. The WSJ argues that the resulting recall election effort isn't going to work because Walker's budget has led to a decrease in property taxes that will cause voters to appreciate the Walker belt tightening effort in the state. Lower property taxes are indeed a rarity in Wisconsin.

“The public employee unions and other liberals are confident that Wisconsin voters will turn out Governor Scott Walker in a recall election later this year, but not so fast. That may turn out to be as wrong as some of their other predictions as Badger State taxpayers start to see tangible benefits from Mr. Walker's reforms—such as the first decline in statewide property taxes in a dozen years.

On Monday Mr. Walker's office released new data that show the property tax bill for the median home fell by 0.4% in 2011, as reported by Wisconsin's municipalities. Property taxes, which are the state's largest revenue source and mainly fund K-12 schools, have risen every year since 1998—by 43% overall. The state budget office estimates that the typical homeowner's bill would be some $700 higher without Mr. Walker's collective-bargaining overhaul and budget cuts.”

Prosser wins! Prosser wins!

Prosser wins the election for the seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court.  Or it appears, he has won, thanks to a dramatic vote counting error that has now been fixed.  I don't know why this has a feel of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team win over the Russians.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that it's a stunning upset in the face of an all out union assault on the campaign in order to support  of the union-friendly candidate Kloppenburg.  Given that massive effort and the not-so-surprising tightening of the race where bit by bit Kloppenburg came from behind to overtake a 700 vote lead by the more conservative Prosser to get a 200+ vote lead, this really feels like a last minute win for Prosser and a stunning upset of Olympic proportions.  Now watch the media spin this as a questionable result.  That is if it doesn't get lost in the government shutdown talk.

Nikki Hayley: Tea Parties Alive and Well

South Carolina's new governor has some positive words for Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. She also says the Tea Parties are alive and well.  Oh, and Mr. President, she suggests you give the states free rein on handling Medicaid costs. All in all, a great clip.

Civil Discourse for Thee, But Not for Me.

And some Democrat double take to go with the Obama double take.  Let's see...Bush = Hitler,  Christie = Gaddafi ,  Walker  = Mubarak,  Conservatives can STFU and violence is okay if it supports Hamas (or the SEIU).  But conservatives are the crazed radicals? Conservatives are the ones not using civil discourse? Civil discourse for thee but not for me indeed.

We all know Democrats are full of double standards and hypocrisy.  But while they get away with it less and less, it doesn't stop them from trying. 

Conservatives are getting gamed - again.

Conservatives are getting gamed. Democrats are once again proving that strategically, they are outsmarting us because we are busy focusing on the fine print instead of the big picture.  It doesn't mean Democrats, liberals, progressives, unions and special interests are right.  It doesn't even mean that they are necessarily being effective. What it does mean is that they are playing the game to win in 2012, while conservatives are focused on doing what we think is right for the economy and for America, right now.  Conservatives often forget that doing what is right for America requires political victory too.  Democrats know that to enact their agenda, they have to score political gains and that is what we are witnessing them attempting to do in Wisconsin and elsewhere. Why conservatives and even those in the Republican party can't see the bigger picture is astounding.