Discussion: Watch Out: Scott Walker Just May Shrug His Way Into The White House

Discussion for article #233566

I understand the authorā€™s point here - having no firm opinions absolves Walker from attacks for his positions. However, I just canā€™t believe that ā€œI donā€™t knowā€ would win a national election.

19 Likes

I guess his MO is to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. Thatā€™s certainly a strategy to win the GOP nomination. However, if Jeb Bush pretty much sews up the plutocrat primary well in advance of an actual primary campaign, Iā€™m not sure how much good that approach is going to do Mr. Walker. After a point his only hope will be to out-crazy Bush and hope that the right-wing base turns out to propel him past the ā€œfront runner.ā€

4 Likes

We know heā€™s already got the ClueLess wing sewn upā€¦

1 Like

There is nothing new in Repugs communicating in code. For example ā€œVALUESā€ has always been code for RACE. Walker hopes that he has been such a jerk as governor that he can wink, nod and shrug his way past any questions just like George Bush Jr. did.

6 Likes

Lets just say thats theres a lot of people handling Walker through his walk into the primary. The handlers have to spin his shit record as gov of wisconsin, his koch bros connections and his being kicked out of college for cheating.

3 Likes

The Iowa caucuses are 11 months away, so a lot of things can still happen, but at the moment Iā€™m picking Walker to win them. Heā€™s from a neighboring state, so heā€™s already well known to Republicans in Iowa and they like what they see. It also makes it easier for him to open and control offices to run his campaign. He has the midwestern cred that will appeal to Iowans better than someone like Bush or Christie (is he even still in the race?). A win in Iowa can set him up as a serious candidate and help propel him to win the nomination, even though Bush is the establishment candidate with the money.

Best example of this happening before: Illinoisan Barack Obama vs. Hillary Clinton.

Walker is an idiot and despicable, but donā€™t count him out.

11 Likes

Scott Walker for President.

11 Likes

In a sane world, Iā€™d say the college dropout candidate really isnā€™t going to profit over the long haul by racking up a huge lists of things he says he doesnā€™t know.

But we donā€™t live in a sane world. We live in a world where the political reporters of the MSM are soooooo bored with all this sober, sensible, prudent effective governance and, in particular, a president who regularly commits the unforgivable sin of not even pretending like he thinks theyā€™re smarter than he is. (God, they fucking hate that!)

That very attitude gave us the systematic campaign of slander that was their coverage of the Gore campaign. And just look how very exciting and news-filled and fun the years that followed were!

18 Likes

When people ask me why Iā€™m an Obama supporter, my answer is direct, and it is true:

Because he bores me.

16 Likes

I agree, it could work in the primaries especially with such a nice complaint media that will feel its rude to press him to hard. If this was a Democratic candidate the press would be outraged and in his face, mostly because not to be would cause them to be called out as liberalistas.You see it all the time when the press gets a hand job answer and follows up, after the second hand job they just accept it and give up, they never persist. Walker knows this, its the one thing he learned in college after he learned were the forms were to drop out.

2 Likes

Itā€™s no slam to call him No Drama Obama.

8 Likes

Iā€™m glad you wrote this, Amanda. As a Wisconsinite, I can tell you this is exactly how he has been elected twice and survived a recall. Itā€™s why heā€™s dangerous. He never fully clarifies, never fully answersā€¦and he hopes people assume that he is a moderate and an all around normal guy. He has never been challenged on his answers here in the local press (if you can call it press) and he gets through debates by never looking at his opponent and just repeating things over and over, to make it sound like they are believableā€¦and we are the idiots for believing otherwise.

Just like he said he was not going to push ā€œRight to Workā€ this sessionā€¦and didnā€™t see it as a pressing issue for WI. Instead, it will get pushed through our legislature in an emergency session this Fridayā€¦and Walker has said he will sign it.

It is the same thing he did with Act 10, womenā€™s health issues, education, etc. He never qualifies what he will doā€¦and if he does qualify, he denies heā€™ll do it because ā€œpeople in Wisconsin arenā€™t talking about thisā€ā€¦and thus, the people are always lulled into believing him.

I beg the press not to underestimate his smarminess and underhandedness and really be prepared to ask him the tough questionsā€¦like how 6 of his closest staff went to jail, Or why he took out the Wisconsin Ideal out of the UW charter, or why he is kicking 100 million dollars of loan payments down the road. He needs to be challenged by serious journalists who are ready with follow up questions.

22 Likes

Didnā€™t Tim Pawlenty try this strategy in 2012?

It will be interesting on how he behaves during the debates. He canā€™t come off as weak and unsure then while the rest of the field is sharpening their knives.

3 Likes

Alfred E. Newman was not mendacious. He was not cruel.

Take that back, GoET!

4 Likes

Tim Pawlenty never gained traction back in 2012 because GOP primary voters were waiting for ā€˜The Oneā€™, that would surely be among those candidates that had not declare as early as Pawlenty.

Thereā€™s a desperation to the early popularity of Walker. GOP primary voters see the Clown SUV a-coming down the road and heā€™s the only prospect with no clear deficiencies - so far.

3 Likes

Walker is not a national figure. The more voters find out about him and his connections to those Midwestern billionaires, the less he will be relevant nationally. Income inequality is going to blow him out of contention.

1 Like

Another smirker, like the smirking chimp we had from 2001-2009. You know, the one that let Al Qaeda attack us, lied us into a war with Iraq, and crashed the economy. Scottie has messed up Wisconsin so badly they have twice Minnesotaā€™s unemployment rate. So, yes, Murricans, vote for this tool and youā€™ll get what you deserve.

10 Likes

Beware the Koch whore.

4 Likes

The headline says ā€œinto the White House,ā€ but the actual piece only talks about how he may appeal to GOP primary voters. This strategy may work to get through the primaries, but itā€™s a much tougher sell to a broad presidential electorate.

Paul Waldman had a piece today arguing that Walkerā€™s extremism wonā€™t hurt him even on a national stageā€¦ that ā€œswing votersā€ donā€™t really care, though he acknowledges minorities will. But if those ā€œswing votersā€ who wonā€™t care decide national elections, why was Obama elected twice? Waldman also argues that a Republicanā€™s craziness hasnā€™t been a general election factor since 1964ā€¦ but I disagree. Palin clearly dragged down McCain, and increased the margin of Obamaā€™s '08 victoryā€¦ and that was from the no. 2 spot.

He canā€™t just shrug his way through a national campaign and never define himself. And he canā€™t be his true crazy self without consequences. I do see him potentially getting the nomination. But I also seem him as very, very beatable. Liberal pundits basically declaring ā€œItā€™s all over. He canā€™t be stopped. No one will care heā€™s a lunatic,ā€ are to my mind neither helpful nor accurate.

4 Likes