Courtesy of NY Times Posted on 03/01/2015 11:41:41 PM PST by dignitasnews
February was crucial month for Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, but in surviving his national baptism by fire he has solidified his place as a force to be reckoned with for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination. In being thrust in the spotlight by a less-than-friendly media, his detractors on both the right and left hoped he would prove to be "not ready for prime-time" and be chased from the race before it really began. As we head into March, Walker is not only still on his feet, but may be building a wave of momentum that can carry him not only to the podium in Cleveland next summer, but onto Pennsylvania Avenue in January of 2017.
As he returns to his home state following his strong showing in the CPAC 2015 straw poll, a close second to Kentucky GOP Senator Rand Paul, Scott Walker has established himself as a legitimate "bridge candidate" between the moderate wing of the Republican Party and it's more conservative activist base, including the Tea Party. More importantly he survived a barrage of attacks from left-leaning media sources, ending the month in a much stronger position than he began and possibly exhausting the most potent ammunition potential GOP and Democratic Party rivals have at their disposal.
In the past two weeks alone, both the New York Times and the Daily Beast were forced to retract claims in articles critical to Walker which not only left these publications embarrassed but enhanced his bona fides with conservatives leery of mainstream media attacks against Republican hopefuls. In her February 13 piece entitled Scott Walker Needs an Eraser, NY Times columnist Gail Collins took the Wisconsin Governor to task for cutting aid to the state's education budget, blaming this for a mass layoff of public school teachers. The problem for Collins and the Times, however, was that these layoffs occurred in 2010 during the Administration of Democratic Governor Jim Doyle, a year before Walker took office.
Following this, Walker's camp was further bolstered by an admission by the Daily Beast that its story claiming that the Republican Governor's budget would cut out funding for the reporting of sexual assault crimes in the state's university system. To its credit, the Daily Beast ran a full retraction (as opposed to the NY Times obscure correction notice) on February 27th, Walker Unfairly Attacked on College Rape. They originally cited a story in the left-wing website Jezebel which was refuted by the University of Wisconsin, who clarified that it was the university system itself that requested Walker remove the redundancy from the state budget, as they are already bound to report such incident as a result of the Cleary Act. UW System Spokesman Alex Hummel made it clear in a statement via email last week, "Student education and mandatory reporting are important practices built-in." He went on to add, "We are not lessening our commitment here or at our institutions one iota."
Courtesy of NY Times
While there is still a (very) long way to go in the run up to the 2016 nominating convention and Presidential election, Walker's successful February should serve as notice to his opponents in both the Republican and Democratic Party fields. For a man who has already faced intense attacks by Union forces in his home state, including a failed recall effort, dealing with media hit-pieces must seem like child's play. His detractors in the press have unwittingly thrust him into the role of martyr and through their own sophomoric lack of detail have allowed Scott Walker to survive his national baptism by fire and solidified his place as a major player for 2016.
Commentary by Paul M Winters Managing Editor, Dignitas News Service
Sources:
NYTimes DailyBeast Jezebel USAToday
Ill say this much, nobody in the GOP 2016 field is as battle tested as Walker. Rand Paul won the CPAC straw poll, but Walker came out of the weekend the big winner I believe.
“Ill say this much, nobody in the GOP 2016 field is as battle tested as Walker. Rand Paul won the CPAC straw poll, but Walker came out of the weekend the big winner I believe.”
I always try to make a game on figuring out the GOP prez plants/stooges on FR but at least make it hard for us ya know...
Hey, Im watching this play out and handicapping like everyone else. Personally, Jindal is a favorite of mine, but he better make some traction soon or risk getting too many lengths behind. Ill take anyone who is conservative and can beat Hillary, barring of course the Democrats are actually insane enough to nominate Warren. That said, I stand by my comment on Walker....the Unions went after him and lost, tried to recall him and lost, and the media took their best shot at knocking him out early...and he is standing stronger than ever. One would have to have their own bias (or be a plant/stooge) not to acknowledge that......
What do you figure this means?
U.S. Union Busting: Who’s Scarier, Scott Walker or ‘Jihadi John’?
No prob’. I’ll just make fun of the Jeb fanboys on the other forums then..
“I’ll say this much, nobody in the GOP 2016 field is as battle tested as Walker.”
I completely agree. Nobody in the GOP has been so targeted, attacked and toughened. I saw the interview with Chris Wallace yesterday and came away with an even stronger impression this guy’s the real deal. He handled the line of questioning with an easy, articulate poise. The one comment about changing his mind since 2010 about “paths to citizenship” for illegals isn’t worrisome. It reflects a better understanding of the issue in a national scope... and personally I’m happy to see he changed it to the more conservative position.
Walker has the left and GOPe - land very nervous. The ammo has essentially been spent on Walker. His adversaries and the “media” are reduced to hoping he trips up on his own. Based on how well he parried Wallace yesterday, that’s not likely.
If some person doesn't change their mind about a subject when presented with better info, they might not be a "flipper", but they're certainly morons.
So now supporting Walker on FR makes a person a plant and stooge? That’s hysterical...
I completely agree. And as I mentioned, the fact Walker adjusted his position in the right direction after better understanding of it is meaningful.
We're not going to get the "perfect" candidate elected, but Walker is a proven leader who will fight strongly against the leftist hordes seeking to damage this country. Contrary to what some FReepers might believe, we're not looking at the second coming of Mitt Romney here.
Yes, we must bow down to the “Prince of Free Republic,” Ted Cruz. I like Ted Cruz where he is or for a cabinet position where he can use his legal expertise. No more elite Ivy Leaguers for me.
Like Obama. He was against homo marriage when the polls said most people were against it. Even though he was probably always for it. The the polls shifted, and then King Barack was the big champion of homo marriage.
Again flipping isn't the crime, hypocrisy is the crime.
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