May 19, 2013

Scott Walker's Inability to Think on His Feet May Doom Presidential Run

Scott Walker: Wait, wasn't protesting families, April rain caused job loss
I asked Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel political columnist Daniel Bice in an online Q and A in mid-April what he thinks about a Scott Walker run for president, in the face of a national press that likes to feast on dumb hicks from Wisconsin.

Replied Bice in part:

Gov. Walker is not an ideas guy like Mitch Daniels. You saw that during his recent Sunday morning TV appearance discussing gay marriage. Walker trotted out the idea of having [government] get out of the marriage business and leaving that to religions. Not a great idea for any number of reasons. A couple of errors like that during a presidential debate could earn him the distinction of being the Gov. Perry of the 2016 campaign.
Ideas are not Walker's strong suit. And answering straight questions with straight answers would be a first for Walker who is overestimated as a communicator.

Walker often makes inexplicable, uninformed and baffling statements, and he hasn't yet been called on it with what political experts refer to as 'follow-up questions.' Hence, Walker's refusal to appear outside of GOP radio and the like.

In front of the national media,Walker may look like a buffoonish, clumsy con man.

Frankly, Walker has been an embarrassment for the state of Wisconsin and you can almost hear the groans across the nation when he stumbles into the GOP primary debates.

He will not be looked upon with the suppressed smiles directed at a somewhat endearing foe's misspeaking—like with what happened with Rick Perry's "oops" moment when Perry forgot what three cabinet departments he so needed to cut—which could be looked at as stemming from the fatigue resulting from the many GOP debates.

Walker is not benign, nor will he provoke smiles from opponents.

I think the national political press is getting tired of the over-heated Walker, Ryan, Priebus Wisconsin-Koch show.

This is not to suggest that Republican presidential primary campaigns are phenomena intended to provoke thought from the candidates and the electorate. Quite the opposite.

But the 2012 GOP primary did demonstrate that coherent lies applied to policy, and appeals to racism and nativism are required in this neo-fascist fest, and I just don't think Walker has the chops to do that on a national stage.

I mean how does Walker handle the first question about his top aide and confidante, Tim Russell, who stands convicted of stealing from veterans used as props by Walker?

Let's see what comes out of Des Moines this-coming week.

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