Unions and progressives can gloat, but Walker’s returning to finish the job he started
“You’re going to see a renewed Scott Walker in the Governor’s Office”
Wisconsin radio talk show host Charlie Sykes interviewed Scott Walker confidante John Hiller on Walker’s decision to end the campaign, and on Walker’s future.
The money quote emphasized at Syke’s website, RightWisconsin, was that Walker “Was At Peace With the Whole Thing“:
John Hiller, a closer confidant of Scott Walker, told Charlie Sykes that the governor was at peace after making his decision to leave the presidential race.
“He was at peace with the whole thing. He probably handled it better than anyone at the table,” said Hiller.
Hiller, along with Walker’s wife Tonette, was in the room with a handful of close friends and advisors when Walker made his decision. Hiller said that Donald Trump, the 24 hour news cycle, the inability to raise money, and some missteps were the reasons Walker believed he no longer had a path to victory.
“This is a very similar scenario to 2006,” said Hiller. “When you don’t have a clear path to victory, it’s in everybody’s best interest to get out.”
But the line which jumped out at me, coming at the end of the interview and which Sykes also quoted, was:
…
“He loves being governor. I think you’ll see a renewed Scott Walker in the governor’s office.”
It may be that Walker is more suited for a Governor’s role, and is more comfortable in that role. Certainly many of us who supported him felt that he just didn’t have the fire in the belly in this presidential race that he showed in his Wisconsin races.
I noted yesterday just before the press conference:
Like Rick Perry, Walker couldn’t make the transition from excellent conservative governor to excellent conservative national political candidate.
There is a ton of gloating on Twitter. Walker shouldn’t get mad. When Walker goes back to Wisconsin, Walker should get even by finishing the job he has started.
It sounds like that is what Walker has in mind.
Richard Trumpka shouldn’t gloat too long:
#ScottWalker is still a disgrace, just no longer national.
— Richard Trumka (@RichardTrumka) September 21, 2015
UPDATE: I think this analysis is correct. Walker got out of the race before it caused him long-term political damage. From Harry Entin at 538, Like Houseguests, The Worst Candidates Sometimes Stay The Longest:
Was Scott Walker a bad candidate?
Many people are treating his exit from the presidential race after only 70 days on the campaign trail — months before voting even begins — as prima facie proof that he was, and his departure certainly indicates that something went very wrong with his campaign. Yet, I agree with Vox’s Seth Masket: “Better candidates drop out early.” Said another way: It’s often the weakest candidates who stay in the primary the longest….
Those who stay in the race for the duration tend to be those who have nothing to lose rather than true presidential contenders. Most of the candidates listed above didn’t hold elected office when they were running and had little chance of appealing to the party actors to win a future presidential primary.
Walker had something to lose. He’s young, just 47 years old. He could try again. In fact, he dropped out of the 2006 Wisconsin gubernatorial GOP primary and ran again with broader party support in 2010. Don’t be surprised if Walker tries to do the same thing on the presidential level in 2020 if his party doesn’t win in 2016.
[Featured Image: Walker signing right to work legislation.]
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Comments
He’ll be back…
And he’ll be in a position that the Collective won’t like him being in. At. All.
I wish him the best of luck and hope he’s learned valuable lessons from the presidential campaign experience. I’ve had little but praise for him as a governor since he first emerged.
He’s only 47 years old.
He wouldn’t be old enough to make a good Democrat candidate for another 20 years.
There are many roles to play and positions to fill in order to recover our nation.
Good luck, Walker!
Secretary of Dept. Education (if we absolutely have to have said department)?
Gov. Walker’s a good man, a salt of the earth kind of guy.
Walker made another hard but sensible decision with the cards he was dealt.
Walker will go on to pick his fights and live to fight another day in Wisconsin.
Maybe now Gov. Walker could conference often with Bruce Rauner Gov. of Illinois and help Rauner turn this place around, too. (Wishful thinking on my part about Illinois, The Land of Liberal.)
Ronald Reagan’s favorite president was “silent” Calvin Coolidge.
Walker had (and has) a lot to say about being Governor. But he didn’t have all that much to say about the things one would be concerned about as President. And so he was often caught flat-footed when questions about such matters came up. Defense, immigration, international treaties & foreign relations, national fiscal policy … all things of vital importance on the national scene, but not things individual states are much concerned about.
But he has plenty of time to learn about these things, if he’s interested in doing so.
I expect we’ll see a lot more of Candidate Walker next time around.
Walker is still my hero. I’m disappointed that he wasn’t prepared for a presidential campaign and I think he did the right thing for his long-term prospects by cutting his losses. I don’t blame Trump or anyone else, for that matter. He should have methodically reviewed the issues of national importance and built his positions on those issues from a coherent philosophical perspective. He should have been careful in choosing the right staffers to help him win. I expect that, should he care to throw his hat in the ring in the future, it will be after reflecting on the lessons he learned in 2015.
^^ This ^^
I’m disappointed his presidential campaign didn’t do better (I blame CNN effectively shutting him out of the debate for part of that), but he’s still a fantastic governor and I’m glad he’s on our side. The people of Wisconsin are lucky to have him, and I can only hope some of his policies and ideas are mimicked in other states, including my own.
Walker left a trail of missteps and instead of acknowledging that, he tries to blame others. He was not prepared for national level politics.
He did not quit his campaign, his GOP donors fired him.
That all said, there are scant few who deserves more credit for slaying the public sector union dragons at the state level. I expect him back for a future go as a presidential candidate.
At least he had the dignity to NOT threaten his critics with a law suit.
Puuuuuuurrrr Baby Donald!
http://twitchy.com/2015/09/22/club-for-growth-answers-donald-trumps-cease-and-desist-letter-with-two-word-tweet-stop-whining/
Twitchy- sounds like a scheming gangster in a Dick Tracy cartoon.
Perfect source for a twitch to rely on.
We’ll see whose whining when Trump’s lawsuits start cascading through the courts. Club For Growth relies on contributions to exist. We’ll see how they like having to redirect those resources to million dollar legal fees, and not at moderate Republicans, who may find Trump more reasonable an alley then canabalistic Anti Republican Club For Growth conservatives who like to eat their own.
Sue Donald Sue!
Spoken like the Collectivist totalitarian thug you’ve so often revealed yourself to be.
Just think how much more effectively Duh Donald will be in silencing his critics if he gets control of real power, like the DOJ and IRS, if he’s willing to pervert the legal system this way!
And note what this reveals about the man’s pathologies…
But, DummyPierre, it’s the Club For Growth who are Conservative Collectivist totalitarian thugs. Or do’tcha know the real meaning of Collectivism?
It’s the empowerment of a minority of individuals that leads to further oppression of the majority of the population, in the name of some ideal.
The Club For Growth is a minority of ultra-conservatives, funded by hidden donors, whose purpose is to undermine Republican politicians legally elected by MAJORITY vote who don’t pass their ‘purity test’ for conservative legislation.
They are ultra-conservative cannibalistic creatures of intimidation who eat their own: RINOs — which means Republicans IN National Office. You know, politicians elected by a majority of voting citizens.
I know Conservative Collectivists like you don’t honor the democratic process when it doesn’t go your way. Too bad – that’s the way your cookie has been crumbling for decades.
America doesn’t like ultra-conservatives. They get their asses kicked at the national level. Or haven’t you noticed?
Got any slogans for that, dumbdumb?
Well, let’s try this, you lying SOS moron…
“Club For Growth relies on contributions to exist.”
Which, even YOU are bright enough to understand is a matter of free agency. There is not part of that that is “Collectivist”. Poor stupid thang.
“We’ll see how they like having to redirect those resources to million dollar legal fees, and not at moderate Republicans….”
By which you mean RINOs, which, again, even YOU are bright enough to understand are NOT popular here. OR perhaps not. Federal courts WILL award attorney fees for bad-faith litigation, so the costs will inure to the cry-baby T-rump.
“…who may find Trump more reasonable an alley then canabalistic Anti Republican Club For Growth conservatives who like to eat their own.”
Wul, duh, you stupid, lying SOS. RINOs WILL find T-rump (Collectivist BIG GOVERNMENT guy) just wonderful. Conservatives will not.
Although I WILL except to your “eating their own” bullshit. The CFG will, rightfully, criticize so-called “conservatives”. That does not constitute “eating their own”, because many people running as “conservatives” are simply…like you…liars.
See now, you idiot?
“The Club For Growth is a minority of ultra-conservatives, funded by hidden donors, whose purpose is to undermine Republican politicians legally elected by MAJORITY vote who don’t pass their ‘purity test’ for conservative legislation.”
Let’s fisk that, shall we…???
The Club For Growth is NOT “ultra-conservative”. They are main-stream conservatives who foster small government and free markets, both of which empower individuals, contra your Collective.
“…whose purpose is to undermine Republican politicians legally elected by MAJORITY…”
A simple lie. They are ONLY capable of persuasion, and REMINDING GOP politicians how they came to be elected by a MAJORITY (i.e., representing things they CLAIMED to believe in when they were running for election.)
“…who don’t pass their ‘purity test’ for conservative legislation.”
Yes. The “purity test” of acting in conformity with their representations when running. You may have noticed…even an idiot like you…that people here are ANGRY at being betrayed. Not by CFG. By a lack of “conservative legislation”.
You lying SOS.
Like you, they’re mostly bluster, whose contributions to conservatives are chicken feed.
Here’s what they gave to their candidates of choice last year, which doesn’t even match Trump’s barber bill:
Contributions to candidates: $3,373,871
Contributions to Leadership PACs: $0
Contributions to parties: $0
Contributions to 527 committees: $50,383
They’re pipsqueeks in the donation department. The Koch’s make them look like .25 cent tippers to the waitress at Denny’s (where undoubtedly they hold their quarterly financial meetings).
BTW, are the Koch Brothers going to ask for a refund from Scott Walker for all the do-ray-me they donated to him?
Spoken like the Collectivist totalitarian thug you’ve so often revealed yourself to be.
Just think how much more effectively Duh Donald will be in silencing his critics if he gets control of real power, like the DOJ and IRS, if he’s willing to pervert the legal system this way!
And note what this reveals about the man’s pathologies…
AND yours. You lying SOS.
He was at ZERO in the most recent poll.
He was only at 25% in his home state, where his personal approval had dropped to 39%.
15% of Wisconsin Republicans preferred Trump, who he continues to badmouth – good luck Governing there going forward.
His biggest mistake was the Trump Hex. Badmouthing the Donald will,continue to take its toll. Politics is not likely a continuing occupation. But he does have a winsome face. He’ll make an excellent lobbiyist should he need lucrative work down the road
“He did not quit his campaign, his GOP donors fired him.”
VF has this right. He was out of other peoples money. No more was coming.
He wasn’t ready for a national campaign. But he and others like Rubio and Cruz are young men with years of service ahead. Even Rand Paul might come around eventually (just kidding).
You about gave me a heart attack.