I have no doubt his comment was self serving, and I also generally agree with the other points you raised. That being said, in judging Walker’s effectiveness as a leader in Wisconsin who is able to push through his agenda, I think one of the main factors in his favor is just how many liberal he has been able to piss off!
I agree with you on Walker specifically, but I disagree with Walker on the governor v Senator thing. Or, at least, I think there are exceptions to it.
But certainly Walker’s ability to tick off liberals and more to the point, defeat unions politically, is impressive.