Posted on 08/17/2015 2:04:02 PM PDT by VinL
Since his emergence as a top-tier contender in January, Scott Walker has moved closer and closer to Ted Cruz’s end of the GOP-spectrum, and as he tries to gain traction in Iowa, to throw off the holding pattern created by Trump’s rise, and to break through the scrum, there may be fewer and fewer issues that differentiate the two. T
Take, for example, how the two are approaching the candidacy of Donald Trump. Cruz has lavished praise on The Donald; this morning, Walker told Fox News that his position on immigration is similar to that of Trump’s (the most notable aspect of which, of course, is to build a wall and make the Mexicans pay for it, though I can’t imagine that’s what Walker was referring to).
Then, the Wisconsin governor took a page from the Cruz playbook, telling Glenn Back that Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell is part of the problem in Washington. “We were told if Republicans got the majority in the United States Senate, there would be a bill on the president’s desk to repeal Obamacare,” Walker said. “It is August. Where is that bill? Where was that vote?”
But Walker made the biggest splash today when he said he is in favor of ending birthright citizenship. Walker’s campaign followed up with the following clarification: “We have to enforce the laws, keep people from coming here, enforce e-verify to stop the jobs magnet, and by addressing the root problems we will end the birthright citizenship problem.”
That doesn’t do much to clarify what the governor said; in fact, it confuses the issue further. I asked the Walker campaign if the governor thinks enforcing the laws and e-verify — addressing the “root problems — would sufficiently curb illegal immigration and, as a result, that there wouldn’t be many children born to illegals and granted birthright citizenship, or whether the governor meant something different.
A spokeswoman for Walker tells me that “by addressing the root problems we will the birthright citizenship problem.” Walker, of course, is in Iowa today, a state he has to win, or come very close to winning, if he has a path to the nomination. He’s drifted downward in the polls there as a result of Donald Trump’s rise, and, while the particular numbers don’t matter so much, it’s a trend that’s surely worrisome to the campaign.
It remains to be seen whether a drift toward Cruz territory will re-ignite the passions of voters in the Hawkeye State.
Only because Walker is being ‘hand carried’ to sound like Cruz....
Walker is the on-the-job-training and me-too candidate. Not promising points after Obama. How about we stick with the grown ups like Trump and maybe Cruz?
Yup Walker is no Cruz, he’s an RINO open borders turd that threw in with the megyn kelly PC feminist brigade. His wife also supports gay marriage. No deal never voting for him.
Walker is just another GOPe wind checker. See McCain/Perry...ad nauseum.
RINO Walker means more disgusting
George Will and his wife.
No way. Go away, Walker.
I won't speak as to the "me-too" candidate, but to call him an "on the job training" candidate is simply wrong. Of all of the candidates, he is the only one with executive experience who has taken on left-wing democrat sacred cows and won. I have not problem supporting Walker based on his actual record.
Having said that, I will also support Cruz, and they are on a very short list. But the unfounded character assassination of qualified candidates on this forum needs to stop.
According to CW, Walker was going to be the ‘conservative’ establishment candidate who could bridge the GOP base and the GOP establishment... Yada yada.
Wrong again.
Core beliefs somehow magically change when you run for President it seems.
Ditto
>>But the unfounded character assassination of qualified candidates on this forum needs to stop.<<
You’re a funny guy....
Me-Too-Walker will NEVER be like Cruz...it’s just not in him.
Walkers faking is starting to remind me of my first wife.
Walker had better UP HIS GAME.... or Trump and Cruz will ride over him like a Speed bump..
As Cruz terms it, Walker is the consummate “campaign conservative”.
He and Priebus and Ryan are, however, as GOPe as they come—and deceptively so.
I’m with you VinL!
I think it’s because Cruz is following the True Light of the world!
Thanks.
Both Walker and Cruz are smart politicians. It’s not surprising that they’ve both chosen to position themselves to be appealing to Trump supporters should Trump begin to falter, as he likely will.
I’ll say this though. Trump can apparently say anything he wants and his supporters will suck it up and find a way to agree with him. I thought his Planned Parenthood remarks would cut a little deeper into his support than they did, for instance. Conservatives across the states are defunding PP, but Trump says cut the 3% that funds abortions and leave the rest untouched and his supporters dutifully explain why that’s just fine with them.
Scott Walker has peaked - it’s downhill all the way for him.
Respectfully, I don’t know of any position that Sen. Cruz has altered to appeal to voters currently supporting Trump.
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