Wisconsin Gov. Walker in line for speaking spot at Republican convention

Wisconsin Gov. Walker in line for speaking spot at Republican convention
By Josh Lederman - 06/06/12 08:45 PM ET

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s triumph in a Tuesday recall election has cemented his status among the GOP’s “bright, shining stars” and put him in line for a prime-time speaking slot at the national convention in August, Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus said Wednesday.

Priebus, who was born in Wisconsin and formerly ran the state GOP there, called Walker a close friend and suggested he would be exactly the kind of person the party seeks to highlight at the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

“I’m going to do what’s best for winning the presidency, and having a convention with bold leaders and great ideas is something that I intend to do,” Priebus said. “Scott Walker is in the category of bright, shining stars with big ideas in this country.”

Republicans across the country are crowing over Walker’s victory and vowing to replicate his success nationwide, calling it a referendum on GOP efforts to rein in public spending. The massive blow to unions could also deprive Democrats of one of their most effective and best-funded organizing forces.

Democrats insist that special-interest dollars from out of state fueled Walker’s win and that little should be surmised about its implications for the presidential race in the fall.

But Republicans are calling it a powerful omen that the momentum they had in 2010 has not dissipated.

“Democrats should be shaking in their boots,” said Charlie Black, an informal adviser to Mitt Romney and a GOP strategist. “They did a good job turning out their vote and they still lost big, so where do they go from there?”

Black added that the more than $10 million unions spent on their failed efforts to oust Walker would leave them with less in their coffers to disburse for President Obama in the fall.

For unions and the Democrats who rely on them, the losses on Tuesday were suffered on two fronts. The failure of their massive and costly campaign to recall Walker — which leading national Democrats called a dry run for November — dealt an undeniable blow to the party’s morale and self-confidence, which could have reverberating effects on fundraising and grassroots efforts.

Over the long term, the vote of confidence in GOP-led efforts to curb the power of unions could wreak havoc for Democrats if it leads to an emasculation of unions as potent political organizations.

Although the recall effort against Walker quickly devolved into a national proxy battle between the two parties, it was anti-union legislation championed by Walker that had incensed Democrats in the first place. Walker emphatically cut spending and stripped state workers of most of their rights to bargain collectively through their unions.

The move led the way for other Republican governors, including Chris Christie in New Jersey and John Kasich in Ohio, to launch their own attempts to curtail the bargaining rights of public-sector workers. Both faced heated opposition and massive public protests, but both prevailed — although voters later overturned Kasich’s bill.

Granted their first clear indication that voters are unlikely to punish Republicans for taking on unions, conservative leaders in other states might now feel more confident about pursuing their own efforts to defang unions, Republican operatives said.

“We can’t keep spending money that they don’t have and force people to pay union dues that get used for political purposes. It’s not very American, and that’s what labor has been able to get away with for a long time,” said Henry Barbour, an RNC committeeman and Romney backer.

Although Democrats are working to stop the bleeding by pointing to silver linings from Tuesday’s election — including a recall of a few GOP lawmakers that might have given Democrats control of the Wisconsin Senate — union operatives acknowledged that the repercussions of the GOP’s efforts could extend beyond this campaign cycle.

“There’s no question that this is not about just collective bargaining. This is a huge incentive to take out the funding for labor’s ground game,” said Andy Stern, former president of the Service Employees International Union.

Left unchecked, Stern said, the moves by Walker and others to limit labor could begin to eat into the unions’ turnout machine.

“This is not going to be a 2012 issue, but if this keeps going on, through 2014 and 2016, it will absolutely have an impact on labor’s ability to be successfully supporting their candidates in elections,” Stern said.

In Congress, Democrats pointed to the robust operation they built during the recall effort as a sign that not all had been lost, despite the inability to remove Walker from the governor’s mansion. They noted repeatedly that Democrats had been far outspent by GOP-aligned outside groups — a factor that will also likely be present in the fight between Obama and Romney.

“There’s no question there’s disappointment,” said Rep. Tammy Baldwin (Wis.), the Democratic nominee for Wisconsin’s open Senate seat. “On the flipside, there’s infrastructural organization like we’ve never seen it before.”

But Republicans insisted that the election’s deeper meaning portends electoral success for GOP candidates up and down the ballot — that when push comes to shove, voters from both parties will affirm that asking public workers to pay slightly more for healthcare and pensions is not only fair but fiscally necessary.

“We like to say pigs get fat and the hogs get slaughtered,” said Barbour. “And the hogs got slaughtered yesterday.”

So you are a retread? Booted before, and calling for others to be booted? Isn’t that rich....

Try and get me booted. Palin gets bashed quite a bit here sparky. Live with it. She is far from perfect. In many ways I agree with Astro, because she holds no office, seeks no office and her press narrative credentials aren’t strong outside of conservatives in general. Blame McCain and the msm for that.

Ping your posse to my post. Let us see how far ya get with aaalllll that sparky. You amuse with your pretend big britches.

I do not have a posse as you can see, just little old me. I do not want anybody booted, over reaction on my part at the heat of the moment, nor do I have the power.

I just made a innocent comment...my exact words on the news that Scott Walker ( am a huge fan of btw) was to be given a prominent speaking roll at convention...” Great news, I hope to hear that Gov Sarah Palin will also be given a speaking roll”

And then the trashing began of Gov Palin

Ok. Well, as I suggested early, a case can be made for Palin’s importance. I have no issues with that. Follow some of the old timers’ here and there is a lot of animosity towards Palin. Naturally this resides in the fact that she didn’t throw her hat in the mix for the nomination like so many wanted. I believe she is very instrumental in conservative ranks and still draws a large crowd and says many of the right things.

The focus should be on those that are carrying the water and energy that are currently elected, running for office, and have bright futures in changing the narrative and dynamics within the GOP. Scott Walker is one of those. He stood for something, did it, was scrutinized the likes which we have never seen and withstood it. He is a survivor on the highest order and never wavered on what he believed in. The results are in the pudding so to speak. Conservatives can win even in blue states by sticking to their guns. As an aside, look what Walker created now; read the story on what Mitch Daniels is saying about public unions - it’s huge........

Palin was destroyed by the same folks that tried to destroy Scott Walker. He came out on top by standing his ground. Palin isn’t in the unique position Scott was in; meaning she isn’t in office, isn’t running for office, and gives no indication of being anything other than a firebrand which fits her very nicely. She riles up the conservative voters and her endorsements are superb and generally very successful. Maybe we will see her run in 2016, 2020? I love what she has to say.

As far as seeing her speak at the convention, I am fine with that but I would rather see folks “winning” and inspiring all Republicans’ about conservative values and efforts economically. She is a polarizing figure even in the GOP ranks, and she would become the story and the narrative of the convention if she speaks. We will see all the same old tired jokes on the Letterman’s of the world, the same old tired stories about her family, the same old stories about her husband, about her Alaska efforts, her early departure from being governor, etc. I am sick of the Tina Fey’s and the continued misuse of comedy perpetuated as facts about her. She may very well become a distraction if you get my drift here.

One thing I do see is that the media and Hollywood still fear her in many ways, otherwise movies wouldn’t be made and stories wouldn’t still be told. It’s quite unfortunate because I believe she is one of the true conservatives in the spotlight. Again, it’s a case of ambivalence on my part with speaking at the convention. I see the up side and I see the downside. I do think the focus needs to be on the future though.

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