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2016 Republican Primary Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 20, 2015 28 Comments
Liz Mair resigned or was effectively fired by Scott Walker's SuperPAC from her role as communications strategist after some controversial tweets came to light in which she trashed the Iowa caucus process and arguably Iowans. That her policy positions also were more liberal than Walker's factored into the mix. I wrote about this yesterday in explaining why I was Not outraged over Scott Walker and Liz Mair. The reaction from much of the conservative media to Mair's apparent firing was a full-blown freak out stoked, in part, by personal and professional friendships with Mair. Hot Air's Quotes of the Day yesterday is a compilation of conservative media trashing Walker over Mair, with some gloating by liberal media over the in-fighting. Twitchy has more reaction under the headline, Conservatives react to Liz Mair resignation: Is Scott Walker ‘ready for prime time’? There is a consistent theme -- that Walker has shown he is untrustworthy because he didn't stand by Mair, that Walker is tough on the opposition but weak in defending friends, and that Walker has irreparably damaged his presidential candidate credentials in the process. The concern trolling is intense, like this at Mediaite:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 19, 2015 35 Comments
I don't know Liz Mair. I had heard her name before, and apparently she is friends with a lot of conservative bloggers who speak highly of her. Mair was hired by Scott Walker's nascent presidential PAC to handle communications. Then it came out that Mair trashed the Iowa caucuses and arguably some Iowa Republicans on Twitter. Then some people in the Iowa Republican Party started to make a stink about that, and it was written up in The Des Moines Register, and all of the sudden, Mair was a campaign issue. At the same time, Mair came under attack because of her more liberal policy preferences, particularly on immigration. Matt Boyle at Breitbart.com took it one step further, and questioned Mair's dual citizenship, a true WTF line of inquiry. As someone handling communications for a campaign, it's never good when you are the campaign issue because of what you have communicated, or for your own personal policy preferences. Mair resigned, it being unclear at this writing if she was effectively fired or if she recognized that her primary role had been compromised by her own actions and took the step herself:
Veteran Republican strategist Liz Mair told The Associated Press that she was leaving Walker's team just a day after she had been tapped to lead his online communication efforts, citing the distraction created by a series of recent Twitter posts about Iowa's presidential caucuses. "The tone of some of my tweets concerning Iowa was at odds with that which Gov. Walker has always encouraged in political discourse," Mair said in a statement announcing her immediate resignation. "I wish Gov. Walker and his team all the best."

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 07, 2015 24 Comments
From my point of view, the single best moment of the 2008 election season was Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican Party convention: Palin was so genuine, so impassioned, and so appealing -- despite lacking cherished Beltway connections and credentials -- that she instantly became a target. One of the most ridiculous attacks centered on her personal beauty, and terms such as "naughty librarian" were launched in a nuclear-scale War on One Woman. That Scott Walker has similar appeal is proven by the various attacks already being made, despite the fact that the first caucus vote has not been cast. However, the attack on good looks can't truly be launched against him directly. So, call the latest progressive response "naughty librarian by proxy".

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 05, 2015 46 Comments
The Daily Beast has an article on how Scott Walker's rivals plan on taking him down. Not his Democratic rivals. We know what they do. KOCH. JOHN DOE. KOCH. KOCH. RIGHT-WING. HATES TEACHERS. KOCH. NOT HAHVAHD. KOCH. WOULD KILL YOUR PUPPY IF COULD. KOCH. No, his Republican rivals, How the Other Candidates Plan to Kill Scott Walker's Candidacy:
The Daily Beast spoke with strategists working with each of Walker’s top rivals to the Republican nomination, granting those who requested it anonymity in order to speak freely about how they are sizing up the field’s first leader.... “The question for him is, ‘Is he ready for prime time,’ ” said a top strategist to one Walker rival. “He has always been a little cocky, and you are starting to see that being governor of Wisconsin doesn’t necessarily prepare you for storm of a national campaign.” But much to his rivals consternation, Walker’s poll numbers rose among Republicans in the days after those miscues, as they brought him both name recognition and a sense among Republican primary voters that the liberal media was out to get him. Republican operatives say they are just beginning to pour over his record from a decade in the State Assembly, eight years as county executive of the relatively liberal Milwaukee county executive and four runs for governor, including an aborted attempt in 2005 and a failed recall attempt in 2012... “This is a guy who has literally been in elective office his entire adult life,” said a strategist for one rival campaign. “He has made his living off the government sector, the taxpayer. He has never really, to my knowledge, had any kind of serious existence outside of the public sector.”
Blah. Blah. Blah. Walker survived Wisconsin's long, strange trip:

Posted by Amy Miller on March 05, 2015 3 Comments
A new Quinnipiac national poll shows that Republican and Republican-leaning voters may not be as committed to Bush partie trois as many conservative talking heads fear. The poll, conducted from February 26 to March 2, shows that registered voters nationwide who also tend to vote Republican are taking a long look at what a Scott Walker presidency would look like. Walker's 18% get in the poll beats fellow probable candidate Jeb Bush by 2%. Christie and Huckabee come in next at 8% each, with the rest of the field skidding in in the single digits. Here's the breakdown: Q presidential poll mar 2015 These results contrast sharply with the results of the recent CPAC straw poll, which saw Rand Paul winning handily over the rest of his colleagues; however, the straw poll---which was taken by around 3000 activists---also showed a surge in Walker's numbers, so the two sets of data may not be that far apart in terms of an overall trend amongst voters.

Posted by Amy Miller on March 02, 2015 35 Comments
Probable presidential candidate Scott Walker changed his mind on immigration, and it became major news. This is ridiculous. Via Fox News:
“My view has changed,” Walker said in a “Fox News Sunday” interview taped Friday. “I’m flat out saying it.” Walker in 2013 said a plan in which illegal immigrants can become United States citizens by first paying penalties and enduring a waiting period “makes sense.” However, he is now saying such a plan is tantamount to amnesty, amid criticism that he has flip-flopped on that issue and others -- including right-to-work legislation in his home state. “I don’t believe in amnesty,” said Walker, who finished second Saturday in the Conservative Political Action Conference’s straw poll for potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates. “We need to secure the border. We ultimately need to put in place a system that works -- a legal immigration system that works.”
Here's the video: Obviously, the left piled on:

Posted by Amy Miller on February 26, 2015 4 Comments
Whether you're tea party, libertarian, establishment, or something in between, chances are you've heard about the Conservative Political Action Conference. CPAC serves as a rallying point for activists, a networking event for up and comers, and most importantly, a springboard for our deep bench of potential 2016 presidential candidates. Every year, conservatives who exist "in the bubble" of the news cycle have the same debate---is CPAC still relevant? We can argue about the ins and outs of panels and parties all day long, but if you're looking for a way to get our most high-profile faces in one place, CPAC is your best bet. If you're curious about what our field of candidates has to say about controversial issues like immigration, the war on terror, and government transparency, check out the live stream embedded below. Have a question about something you hear? Post a comment on the Tip Line and we'll do our best to do some digging and find some answers. Happy CPAC, everyone! Watch the live stream below the fold:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on February 22, 2015 30 Comments
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. The Washington Post's Robert Costa and Dan Balz interviewed Scott Walker yesterday. Of everything they had opportunity to ask, they chose to ask Walker whether he thought Obama was a Christian. How Walker's opinion on the matter is remotely relevant or newsworthy is unclear to normal people, who expect the press to do that whole "truth to power" thing. Walker, seemingly unamused by the obscure religion question, responded appropriately, saying he "didn't know."
Wisconsin Gov. Scott K. Walker, a prospective Republican presidential contender, said Saturday he does not know whether President Obama is a Christian. “I don’t know,” Walker said in an interview at the JW Marriott hotel in Washington, where he was attending the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. Told that Obama has frequently spoken publicly about his Christian faith, Walker maintained that he was not aware of the president’s religion. “I’ve actually never talked about it or I haven’t read about that,” Walker said, his voice calm and firm. “I’ve never asked him that,” he added. “You’ve asked me to make statements about people that I haven’t had a conversation with about that. How [could] I say if I know either of you are a Christian?”

Posted by Amy Miller on February 18, 2015 62 Comments
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker never finished college. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is teetering on the edge of a presidential run. Do we have a problem here? Howard Dean thinks so:
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker didn't graduate from college, and Howard Dean says it would be a problem if the Republican ran for president. He's one of the few. “The issue is, how well educated is this guy?” said Dean, a former Vermont governor who ran for the Democratic nomination in 2004, on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Feb. 12, amid a surge in polls for Walker. “I worry about people being president of the United States not knowing much about the world and not knowing much about science.”
Dean's comments were met with almost instant backlash from both the left and the right. Snobbery. Elitism. Distance and disown! And yet... And yet. I'm not the only one wondering who will be the first to de-glove on the issue of academic gravitas vs. real life experience, and it's a real concern for Walker, who by all accounts has more than earned the right to throw his hat in the ring. Recently, a fan by the name of Kyle Smith asked "Dirty Jobs" star Mike Rowe about his thoughts on college as a prerequisite for higher office; Rowe's response was epic. He told the story of his first TV audition---he was tasked with creating an 8 minute cold pitch for a Ticonderoga #2 pencil. He had no experience as a professional actor, but 8 minutes of pressure mixed with raw talent got him a job on QVC and helped him launch his career. The tie-in? Don't "confuse qualifications with competency."

Posted by Amy Miller on February 13, 2015 28 Comments
Rick Perry may be polling in the single digits, but that hasn't stopped the former Texas governor from pushing ahead with a messaging strategy that emphasizes experience over rhetoric, and results over flash. Via the AP:
Perry, who is considering a second run for president, wrapped up a two-day trip to New Hampshire with a speech at the Strafford County Republican Committee's Lincoln Day Dinner. While he repeated his warning that GOP voters shouldn't nominate a "critic in chief," he had plenty of criticism for President Barack Obama, saying his lack of executive experience before becoming president has hurt him and that he hasn't picked up many management skills on the job. The nation is ready, he said, to move beyond "eight years of this years of this young, very attractive, amazing orator, junior U.S. senator." "I don't think they're going to go there," Perry said. "They're going to go to a tested, results-oriented executive who has a record of accomplishment."
This isn't the first time Perry has thrown shade at his younger potential opponents. During his interview last week with the Texas Tribune, Perry emphasized his own experience over that of other, untested candidates:
Asked about what separates him from Cruz, Perry never mentioned his potential rival by name. Instead, he downplayed Senate experience and alluded to the fact that Cruz’s tenure in office is the same as then-Sen. Barack Obama's when he ran for president in 2008. “It’s one of the selling points, if you will, to the American people as they decide who’s going to follow Barack Obama,” he said. “I think they’re going to make a rather radical shift, away from a young, untested United States senator whose policies have really failed.”
Ba-zing---because it's true.

Posted by Mike LaChance on February 12, 2015 87 Comments
The same mainstream media that refused to demand Obama's (still undisclosed) Columbia University records in 2008 (while reassuring us that he was brilliant) has taken a keen interest in the academic pedigree of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Professor Jacobson repeatedly reminds us that the MSM always tries to kill Republican candidacies in the cradle. The Washington Post did it with Rick Perry's hunting property rock. Jeb Bush's high school antics are fair game, as were Mitt Romney's. Now they're trying to play the same game with Scott Walker's unfinished college degree. David A. Fahrenthold of the Washington Post wrote this yesterday:
As Scott Walker mulls White House bid, questions linger over college exit Scott Walker was gone. Dropped out. And in the spring of his senior year. In 1990, that news stunned his friends at Marquette University. Walker, the campus’s suit-wearing, Reagan-loving politico — who enjoyed the place so much that he had run for student body president — had left without graduating. To most of the Class of 1990 — and, later, to Wisconsin’s political establishment — Walker’s decision to quit college has been a lingering mystery. Not even his friends at Marquette were entirely sure why he never finished. Some had heard that a parent had fallen ill, or maybe there was some financial strain. Others thought he had simply had enough of school. Walker clearly liked college politics more than college itself. He had managed to line up 47 campaign endorsements, including ones from the ski team and the varsity chorus, but he had trouble showing up on time for French. And, after four years, he had faltered on both fronts. He’d lost an ugly race for president. And he apparently had far too few credits to graduate.
Allahpundit of Hot Air notes that journalists are already playing the requisite "gotcha" games with Scott Walker from which Democrats are always exempt.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 09, 2015 12 Comments
The Republican primary race is neck-and-neck; Jeb Bush is still on top, but other top picks for the nomination are closing in. A new Bloomberg Politics poll out of New Hampshire shows that, although Jeb Bush is leading (for now,) those numbers don't necessarily translate to confidence and overall popularity with primary voters.
Even if Bush should overcome those doubts to prevail in what is shaping up as one of the most wide-open Republican primaries in the state's recent history, the poll suggests that he is deeply unpopular with likely general-election voters. It's a worrisome sign for his campaign in a battleground state that both parties have targeted during the past several presidential elections.
Of course, Hillary is on top in her race:
The poll also shows former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dominating her potential Democratic rivals. Clinton, who won the state’s presidential primary in 2008, is the first choice of 56 percent of Democratic primary voters. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who has said she isn't running, is second at 15 percent, while Vice President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont both have 8 percent.
This poll is the first run since Mitt Romney dropped out of the race for good. Even with Bush on top, some analysts are wondering why he hasn't pulled further ahead of the other candidates based on his superior name recognition. Should Bush be worried? Fox News contributor and former Reagan campaign manager Ed Rollins says "no," and explains why, at this point, it's still a "wait and see" game for top tier candidates:

Posted by Amy Miller on February 02, 2015 18 Comments
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) came out of nowhere last week with the announcement that he's formed a presidential exploratory committee. Dubbed "Security Through Strength," the committee will allow Graham to "test the waters" in an already crowded presidential primary field More from WaPo:
"I’m going to take a look at the presidential primary on the Republican side. We’ll have an organization up and running today," Graham told Fox News. "This organization will allow people to donate money and their time and resources to see if there is a pathway forward for me." “The committee will fund the infrastructure and operations allowing Graham to travel the country, listen to Americans, and gauge support for a potential presidential candidacy,” reads a description on the organization’s website. Graham has previously indicated his interested in a presidential run and announced several weeks ago that he intended to launch a formal committee. His most vocal backer has been Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), a close friend who has openly encouraged him to make a bid.
However you may feel about Senator Graham threatening us with a presidential run, he's at least living up to the name of his committee by hawking out on issues relating to national security. In a recent interview on the Mike Gallagher Show, Graham lashed out against the Administration's decision to release Gitmo prisoners, and gave us a teaser of what wartime under President Graham might look like. You can listen to the interview here, via Mediaite.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 02, 2015 9 Comments
Yesterday was Andrew Breitbart's birthday. It's amazing to me to see how that man's legacy has lived on, even as the conservative movement has changed so much over the past few years. I listen to the stories and wild career paths of activists and bloggers who were inspired by him, and I can't help but wonder where we would all be had Andrew not made the conscious decision to be brave in the face of what sometimes seems like insurmountable bias and recriminations from the media and the institutional left. I wrote yesterday about Scott Walker's ridiculous interview with Martha Raddatz, and while I was writing, I slid down the 2008/2012 rabbit hole remembering the disparate treatment of the conservative candidates who dared to challenge Barack Obama and paid for it with chunks of their reputations. Obviously, we're in for more of the same as the race to 2016 heats up, and it's important to remember that the same sort of bias we saw in previous cycles has already begun. Walker's Radditz-ing was just the start. Progressives are freaking out over his breakout performance---wasn't he supposed to be the boring midwestern governor that would never break out of the middle of the pack? But strong candidates like Walker, and creative firebrands like Rand Paul, are already causing trouble for an increasingly desperate Democrat narrative.

Posted by Amy Miller on February 01, 2015 23 Comments
Let the circus begin. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker brought down the house at the Iowa Freedom Summit last week; and ever since then, everyone from grassroots activists, to the mainstream media, have upped the chatter regarding his chances to move to and stay at the front of the field and seize the GOP nomination. According to Public Policy Polling, Walker has for the first time burst though into double digits (although those numbers include the possibility of a Romney candidacy). He's not on top yet, but he's getting there:
He's reached that level of support despite having the lowest name recognition of any candidate we tested, which is a pretty good indication that when voters get to know him they're coming to like him. Walker's near 3:1 favorability rating among those who have heard of him is second only to Carson. Things are headed in the right direction for Walker.
On ABC 'This Week,' Martha Raddatz did her best to make Walker say something stupid about Marco Rubio, Syria, immigration, football (BREAKING: he likes it,) and his own breakout performance:
World News Videos | ABC World News Was he perfect? No, but you can see what Raddatz was doing. Bam-Bam-Bam goes the hard-hitting interviewer!
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