Looking to 2016, Iowa GOP gets jazzed about Scott Walker of Wisconsin

Washington Examiner ^ | 05/31/2013 | Byron York

[SeekAndFind]

When Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker visited Iowa recently to speak at a well-attended Republican dinner, only one national political reporter (NBC's Alex Moe) showed up. That just proves you don't need national press attention to make a strong start in the 2016 Republican presidential race.

There's a Walker boom, or at least a boomlet, going on in the nation's first voting state. When you hear speculation about the '16 GOP field -- Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Bobby Jindal and others -- it's rare to hear Walker's name included in the group. But keep an eye on him; politically-savvy Republicans certainly are.

Here's one way to test Walker's appeal. Talk to Iowa politicos who supported Mitt Romney last time around, and then talk to politicos who supported anybody but Romney, and ask what they think about Walker. You'll hear a lot of positive things from both groups.

"He's the guy to beat in Iowa as it stands right now," says David Kochel, who ran Romney's 2012 campaign in the state. In an email exchange Thursday, Kochel, who is not working for any candidate at the moment, ran down the list of Walker's strengths. The Wisconsin governor is "a full-spectrum conservative who's comfortable with and speaks the language of Iowa social conservatives." His showdown with public-sector unions won him great admiration and a substantial fundraising base among Republicans. He's a favorite of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. And he has "real Tea Party credibility." Put it all together, and it's a pretty strong resume. "I think Walker's ability to reach across coalitions could be unmatched," said Kochel.

[Jim Robinson]

Woo hoo!! Go Walker!!

FUMR!!

[toddausauras]

He certainly walked the walk against the unions.

[Jane Long]

Walker, I like. I don’t like ANYONE who worked on Romney’s campaign muddying the water for the good guys.

[musicman]

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[Perdogg]

If elected, he would be the be first President to have not graduated from college since Truman.

Which may be a good thing.

[cripplecreek]

So did Rick Snyder (even more so) but that doesn’t make him a conservative by any stretch of imagination.

[SeekAndFind]

The nine American Presidents who didn’t attend or graduate college:

George Washington,

Andrew Jackson,

Martin Van Buren,

Zachary Taylor,

Millard Fillmore,

Abraham Lincoln,

Andrew Johnson,

Grover Cleveland,

Harry Truman.

[US Navy Vet]

Sounds promising unless the RINO/GOP-es in the Iowa “GOPe” SWIVE(look it up) it up like they did in 2008,2012!

[Jean S]

Ping

[SeekAndFind]

BTW, Does anybody know what Obama did in college?

[toddausauras]

I know the left hates his guts, that’s a good start.

[Perdogg]

No one has any memory of Obama at Columbia.

[fwdude]

Walker is fantastic! ..... for Wisconsin.

Sorry, Walker fans, but I don't want him for a national leader. He fought hard for Wisconsin - let he keep his hard-fought win. (Note: I contributed to his campaign extensively.)

I want someone a little more conservative. SOUTHERN conservative.

[cripplecreek]

I know the left hates his guts, that’s a good start.

Maybe for American Idle voters but I need real info. The left hates lots of liberal republicans.

[Dr. Sivana]

SWIVE(look it up)

The Wikipedia entry for this is NSFW (Not Safe for Work).

It basically means to perform an act properly reserved for marriage.

[US Navy Vet]

Yes but by the time you(or anyone else) have taken to time to look it up I can/will be LONG GONE!

[Mike Darancette]

Walker/Cruz 2016?????

[LibLieSlayer]

I truly like the guy but can anyone tell me what his Second Amendment stance is?

[Dr. Sivana]

I want someone a little more conservative. SOUTHERN conservative.

Look, we've got a pretty good roster this time around. I work in Wisconsin, and will be moving there soon.

On what issue is Walker not conservative enough? Besides the labor reform, he has gotten voter ID passed, slashed long-term institutional debt and is about to accept a compromise on his aggressive school voucher program.

I work in Madison. The Gates of Hell were released on Scott Walker, and he kept his cool and got the job done.

I'm not against a southerner, but who? Huckabee? Jindal? Rubio? Jeb? (If you count FL as southern)? Perry? Nikki Haley? DeMint? McDonnell? Corker? Alexander? Rand Paul?

Except for DeMint, there is not a one more full-spectrum conservative than Walker in that list. It is true that Walker doesn't breathe fire on the stump. That can be a plus if you have the rest of the package. He does.

Worried about vetting? Walker would probably be runner-up to St. John the Baptist in the squeaky clean department. If there was something there, even a RUMOR of something there, the Madison State Journal would have exagerrated it and put it on the front page above the fold, and Isthmus would have run a 19 part series.

Frankly, the southern crop is weak against the rest of the country this time around. Besides Walker, we have Sarah Palin, Ron Johnson and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence who can go toe to toe with most any elected southerner on values. Some would also include Paul Ryan (I don't due to his recent flip on homo adoption).

Anyway, as log aswe are not talking a Christie or Romney type, I can get behind most of the upcoming roster. Most of us couldn't say that in '08.

Walker would put the great lakes region in play. Not a single southerner on the list can do that as well. I would like a conservative to win, and not by a Rove-W. Bush style squeaker. Scott Walker can win by 6%. Perry and DeMint cannot.