Althouse: "There is no way to know whether Mr. Walker will have the appeal and discipline necessary to win a presidential primary."

January 14, 2015

"There is no way to know whether Mr. Walker will have the appeal and discipline necessary to win a presidential primary."

"But he has won three contested elections in a blue state, even while running and governing as a conservative. He naturally speaks the language of cultural conservatives, frequently invoking faith and God, which is crucial in the Iowa caucuses. In 2012, evangelical Christians represented 57 percent of Iowa caucus-goers, according to entrance polls. It is not at all obvious that Mr. Walker’s Midwestern persona, which may strike some as lacking sizzle, is a negative on the prairies of Iowa. In the end, Mr. Walker will have to capitalize on his opportunity, and prove as compelling on the campaign trail and in debates as he is on paper. If he does, he would be a far more serious contender for the presidential nomination than many of the candidates who have received substantially more news media attention over the last few years."

The New York Times takes Scott Walker seriously and treats him with respect.

This is is a significant breakthrough for Walker.

51 comments:

Mark said...: His State of the State made it clear he is running. Heavy on grandstanding and blaming Obama, light on actual ideas for Wisconsin.

It's why Walker is running away from Right to Work so fast.

Bald spot not even a CC degree man might do ok in the primaries, but a few ads about 2011 and no one will elect a divider as President. We might not believe hope and change, but no one wants to elect someone who causes more division.; 1/14/15, 6:13 AM
paminwi said...: Mark, I agree, but we did not elect him so he can be a pussy on right to work so he can run for President, which he will not succeed at.

He should show he is willing to address the issues that over 60% of the Wisconsin population agrees on. Is he also going to tell our new Attorney General not to deal with voter id even though we have passed a law and a great majority of our state supports it? (I know the US Supreme Court has a hold on it but I am guessing that there may be other legal issues that are going to come up with it); 1/14/15, 6:21 AM
Jaq said...: Bitter Madisonites have a veto on who Americans elect as president. Who knew?; 1/14/15, 6:25 AM
Jaq said...: "Causing division"?

When did America come under one party rule?

When did alternate points of view become forbidden?

When was Mark anointed as the man who decided what all true Americans think and believe?

I am just trying to get my head around this idea that a democratically elected leader, who later gets re-elected, could be guilty of "causing more division" but those pushing the minority position, against that leader, are not guilty of the same?; 1/14/15, 6:29 AM
Oso Negro said...: A Republican candidate acceptable to the New York Times is NOT acceptable to me. If I knew nothing else about Scott Walker, this is the electoral equivalent of putting him in the fishing boat next to Fredo. This means that the NYT editorial staff feels that he is imminently beatable by the likely Democratic candidates or acceptable to them if by miracle he should win the general election.; 1/14/15, 6:30 AM
Jaq said...: I guess "unity" means that the taxpayers buy their own K-Y and bend over for public employees unions and just pay up and shut up.

That would be lack of "division."; 1/14/15, 6:32 AM
iowan2 said...: So the NYT realizes that Walker has performed.
But, In America, lofty oratory is more important that actual performance.

Explains Obama.; 1/14/15, 6:35 AM
Mark said...: He is running so fast away from right to work because it is divisive.

Even Walker knows that is his weakness.

He has the weakest agenda of his time as Gov.

Have the Legislature pass a bill saying Common Core is not required for school districts? The law already says that!

Coming out for Charlie Hebdo and free speech after 435 tickets for singing in the Rotunda.

If this is your brightest light at least you could light a candle so we can see.; 1/14/15, 6:40 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "... and no one will elect a divider as President."

Like a guy who's say "I won" and slam us with legislation a majority of Americans are objecting to?

Noted.; 1/14/15, 6:44 AM
Jaq said...: The butt hurt is strong with Mark.; 1/14/15, 6:49 AM
Mark said...: "Scott Walker sits on a throne of skulls from his enemies"

The Federalist, Red State, many others all triumphantly used this phrasing last November.

What a wonderful image that you associated with him. I'm sure that will sell to the same people who elected Hope and Change twice.

Good luck running Joffrey Baratheon for President, lol.; 1/14/15, 6:58 AM
Jaq said...: Opposition to good union jobs in energy extraction, pipeline building, lower gas prices in general, has to be enormously popular with working households.; 1/14/15, 6:59 AM
Brando said...: I don't see much news about Walker (outside of this blog's mentions) but he could be a dark horse consensus candidate for the GOP. Conservative record, blue state governor, and mainstream enough to please the party's moderates.

Right now the DC buzz seems to be that Jeb is the front runner, which means everyone else will be trying to tear him down. When it happened to Romney, the alternatives were "Oops", "9-9-9", "Don't Google Me Santorum" and Gingrich, so the party stuck with Mitt. If a few viable alternatives are around when Jeb starts taking hits, they just might pull it off.

I have yet to see Walker speak, so who knows what sort of campaigner he'd be.; 1/14/15, 7:08 AM
Mark said...: Yes Tim. Gas will not go under $2 unless we build Keystone.

Enjoy your next gas fill up.; 1/14/15, 7:08 AM
Jaq said...: Yes Mark, gas prices are permanently low and there is no need to put structural changes in place to secure it.

If you are so certain about the permanence of low prices, why not make a fortune in the futures market?

Are all of your ideas so deep?; 1/14/15, 7:13 AM
Mark said...: Brandon, he is a great retail politician, good in front of small groups. Loves shaking hands and all the schmoozing.

One cannot shake 200 million hands, though. What works in WI does not always translate nationally or on TV.; 1/14/15, 7:14 AM
Jaq said...: Then I take it Mark, that you are against the union jobs building Keystone. Got it.

Had we drilled in ANWR, the collapse of OPEC would have come much sooner. Who knows how much that would have helped our economy? Look at the GDP growth since oil prices collapsed.

Yet Democrats assured us repeatedly that increasing supply would not affect the price. Here they are, proven utterly and completely wrong one more time, and here Democrats go again making assurances to Americans that increasing supply will not affect prices.; 1/14/15, 7:17 AM
rhhardin said...: Going Christian will elect a Democrat.

The social liberal fiscal conservatives will stay home, and that's 50% of the Republican voters.; 1/14/15, 7:29 AM
Rusty said...: I think Walker frightens Mark.; 1/14/15, 7:35 AM
DKWalser said...: This is is a significant breakthrough for Walker.

I think it is more likely that the NYT would prefer to see Walker win the nomination over some of the other potential Republican candidates. I don't think that's because the NYT thinks Walker would have the best chance of beating Ms. Clinton or Ms. Warren in the general election.; 1/14/15, 7:46 AM
Anonymous said...: Mark you are wrong when you write that "Gas will not go under $2 unless we build Keystone." I paid $1.66 in Locust Grove, Virginia (about 60 miles south of DC) last night. Think how low it would go if Keystone were built.; 1/14/15, 7:49 AM
Mark said...: Yes Tim. Gas will not go under $2 unless we build Keystone.

The Left (including the Obama Administration) has been fighting the domestic oil boom tooth and nail. "Fracking" has become the new F word.

Barack Obama warned us under his plans, “electricity rates will necessary skyrocket…. Coal-powered plants, natural gas plants, you name it, whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, they would have to retrofit their operations, that will cost money, that they will pass that money on to consumers.”

If helping the working class and the poor were a real concern of Democrats, cheap energy policies would always be a priority. In reality they never are. Peddle your revisionist history in your favorite coffee shop.

Mark the Libertarian; 1/14/15, 7:50 AM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Nothing matters until and unless my Koch brothers say it does.

Nothing, no force or group of people or group of forces ever imagined anywhere by anyone or anything, can go up against David and Charles and survive.

But talk your talk, talk your talk, walk your walk.; 1/14/15, 7:51 AM
Curious George said...: LOL the DPW and the "Divide and Conquer", which o course was regarding the Public Unions and the Democratic party.

Yes, stopping this cabal from continued ass raping of the taxpayers of WI is so "divisive".

Mark is an idiot.; 1/14/15, 7:56 AM
Ann Althouse said...: Yo, Mark. I just put up another Walker post. You might want to get over there. It needs pooping on.; 1/14/15, 8:03 AM
Leslie Graves said...: This could be interpreted as the NYT saying to the various outside-the-party groups that do oppo research, "Don't forget to have an extremely detailed opposition research file on SKW, do some focus groups and polls and figure out the 2-3 focus-group and poll-tested vulnerabilities he has that would be most likely to shave support away from him if he gets the nomination. You need to be ready to hammer on those points sooner rather than later."; 1/14/15, 8:03 AM
chickelit said...: Ann Althouse said...Yo, Mark. I just put up another Walker post. You might want to get over there. It needs pooping on.

That sounds like a job for garage mahal.; 1/14/15, 8:34 AM
Anonymous said...: This is a significant breakthrough for the NYT. It might or might not matter to Walker.; 1/14/15, 8:45 AM
Mark said...: Yo Althouse, sorry that the truth hurts.
That speech was craps and you know it.; 1/14/15, 9:00 AM
Sebastian said...: "This is is a significant breakthrough for Walker."

Breakthrough, yes. Significant, no. Temporary deviation from NYT rule, probably. Challenger most likely to weaken frontrunner may get some good press before normal coverage returns.; 1/14/15, 9:14 AM
Marc in Eugene said...: Thanks, Mark, for thé morning's first chuckle: Scott Walker as King Joffrey.; 1/14/15, 9:15 AM
Drago said...: Marc Puckett: "Thanks, Mark, for thé morning's first chuckle: Scott Walker as King Joffrey."

The left has already tried the Hitler thing and that didn't work out. The left did the voldemort/darth things with Bush and Cheney and that didn't work out.

Joffrey is just the latest twist.; 1/14/15, 9:32 AM
Mark said...: Your guys started with the throne of skulls imagery.

And please, go on with telling us how the right never demonizes Obama.; 1/14/15, 9:44 AM
Titus said...: I don't mind Walker...unless he goes all Huckabee in Iowa...but I guess they all have to if that is like 57% of the republican electorate in Iowa...but what happens after that like in New Hampshire-which is practically godless.; 1/14/15, 10:19 AM
Anonymous said...: "may strike some as lacking sizzle"

Ah, after eight years of "sizzle" and brilliance from the most smartestestest man in the world, we need a lacking-sizzle break.; 1/14/15, 10:19 AM
Anonymous said...: Mark said...
And please, go on with telling us how the right never demonizes Obama.

Obama lives up to the right's expectation. Ergo the right never demonized Obama, they foretold Obama's actions before Obama acted. The Left, however, are blinded by Dear Leader's "brilliance".; 1/14/15, 10:29 AM
campy said...: "There is no way to know whether Mr. Walker will have the appeal and discipline necessary to win a presidential primary."

We already know he does not have the party affiliation necessary to win a presidential election.; 1/14/15, 10:35 AM
Insufficiently Sensitive said...: The New York Times takes Scott Walker seriously and treats him with respect.

Hmmm... back when the Capitol in Madison was 'occupied' and all the union stalwarts from other states were eagerly joining in the yowling, the Times gave those guys the favorable publicity.

Strong horse.; 1/14/15, 11:02 AM
Revenant said...: The main problem Walker will face is that his nomination would energize the Democrats a lot more than the Republicans.; 1/14/15, 12:57 PM
Balfegor said...: Every time Walker comes up I comment on how he reminds me of Gomer Pyle. It's not that he has a weak chin so much as that he looks like he has a weak chin. His mouth looks kind of goofy a lot of the time (at least in still images).

I think he should grow a beard. A good, thick, 19th century beard such as Grant, Hayes, or Garfield wore. That is the ticket.; 1/14/15, 1:59 PM
Balfegor said...: See how much more distinguished he would look with a beard?

I mean, it's not like it would work miracles or anything, but it makes a real difference!; 1/14/15, 2:27 PM
Mark said...: Balfegor, you need to add a jaunty hipster-hat to really complete that look.; 1/14/15, 2:44 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: "Your guys started with the throne of skulls imagery."

The Iron Throne is a throne of swords. C'mon, cracka!; 1/14/15, 5:26 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Given that he'll be running against the increasingly enfeebled Hillary, I don't think Walker needs to worry about not being physically imposing enough. It may even be to his advantage to not appear too alpha.; 1/14/15, 5:31 PM
Johanna Lapp said...: All Walker brings to the race is humility, brutal honesty, battling corruption and no college degree.

He's going down like Truman in 1948.; 1/14/15, 7:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Yo Althouse, sorry that the truth hurts

She can't tolerate anything bad being said about her Dear Leader, even when it is truthful.

Actually, "especially" when it is truthful. Do you remember her meltdown when it was pointed out Walker lied about political endorsements he said he received?; 1/14/15, 8:17 PM
Anonymous said...: What a wonderful image that you associated with him.

His very own election staff (many of whom were working on his campaign while being paid for their county jobs) referred to themselves as "The Dark Side", so a "Throne of Skulls" isn't going to phase them one bit.

They love the violent imagery and associations with evil, because it is who they are.; 1/14/15, 8:21 PM
Known Unknown said...: Think how low it would go if Keystone were built.

You don't want it too low or domestic and Western sources of oil extraction and production will lose any profitability, get out of the business, lose jobs, and in turn result in less supply, which does something to prices ...; 1/14/15, 9:49 PM
Known Unknown said...: I should've continued. That said, I support the construction of Keystone, not for pricing, but for the associated benefits.; 1/14/15, 9:49 PM
Known Unknown said...: Joffrey has (had) better hair.; 1/14/15, 9:51 PM
mikee said...: The Times respects but hates Walker.; 1/15/15, 11:51 AM