NH discovers Walker doesn't do town halls
[Updated, 10:27 p.m.] New Hampshire Republicans tried to get Scott Walker to schedule a town hall meeting when he drops into New England tomorrow.
Town halls by Walker? Seriously?
Where gaffes can fly, candidates might lie and campaigns could die?
No way. He's too intimidated.
Walker has always played it safe on the campaign trail, favoring set-piece appearances at controlled settings, like private business properties or fundraising banquets, to avoid authentic Q & A, and give-and-take, because that's where anything can happen.
So he would show up at a business, post a photo on Twitter, and there's your campaign:
And look what happened for cryin' out loud the last time they let a woman stand up and ask Walker a question in New Hampshire.
News broke out.
In fact, even worse - - late night TV show comedians got in on the fun - - when he had to punt before a live audience when a question about evolution snarled his brain.
He got snared as he walked off the stage in the friendly confines of a right-wing conference last winter when a seven-year-old boy wanted to talk about climate change. All Walker could was tell the kid to clean up his campsite.
It was the same event where he compared peaceful protesters in Madison to ISIS terrorists - - a completely unforced error.
He even stepped into it when Sean Hannity offered him some softballs on announcement Monday.
Walker without a cue card or a memorized talking point is a candidate at risk.
Imagine what could happen if he had to take questions from a town hall audience where they let anybody in the door, and his entire record - - from his Marquette years to secret emails to secret donations to contributions from state loan recipients - - is available on the Internet?
GOP rival Chris Christie is under fire for telling people to sit down and shut up.
But at least he took their questions, and has done plenty of town hall meetings in New Hampshire to date.
When Scott Walker’s campaign was sketching out his post-announcement swing through New Hampshire, talks between his camp and the Strafford County GOP hit a snag. Local organizers suggested something simple and familiar to most candidates: a town hall meeting.
But the Wisconsin governor’s camp, according to three people familiar with the conversations, wasn’t interested in taking questions. They simply wanted to deliver a speech and meet people afterwards
The event fell through.New Hampshire Republicans, have you no Google?
Town halls by Walker? Seriously?
Where gaffes can fly, candidates might lie and campaigns could die?
No way. He's too intimidated.
Walker has always played it safe on the campaign trail, favoring set-piece appearances at controlled settings, like private business properties or fundraising banquets, to avoid authentic Q & A, and give-and-take, because that's where anything can happen.
So he would show up at a business, post a photo on Twitter, and there's your campaign:
Ribbon cutting for new 250,000 sq ft facility in Germantown for AirGas:
News broke out.
In fact, even worse - - late night TV show comedians got in on the fun - - when he had to punt before a live audience when a question about evolution snarled his brain.
He got snared as he walked off the stage in the friendly confines of a right-wing conference last winter when a seven-year-old boy wanted to talk about climate change. All Walker could was tell the kid to clean up his campsite.
It was the same event where he compared peaceful protesters in Madison to ISIS terrorists - - a completely unforced error.
He even stepped into it when Sean Hannity offered him some softballs on announcement Monday.
Walker without a cue card or a memorized talking point is a candidate at risk.
Imagine what could happen if he had to take questions from a town hall audience where they let anybody in the door, and his entire record - - from his Marquette years to secret emails to secret donations to contributions from state loan recipients - - is available on the Internet?
GOP rival Chris Christie is under fire for telling people to sit down and shut up.
But at least he took their questions, and has done plenty of town hall meetings in New Hampshire to date.
11 comments:
"Everyman" somehow doesn't deign to mingle with the masses.
Walker can't rely on using his database of recall petition signers to screen attendees in New Hampshire!
Walker's staff can't tell people to leave a town hall meeting to protect their sheltered boss (as they did in Waukesha on Monday). They're going to try and completely control access to Walker for the entire campaign, but that will just make him look inadequate and intimidated when people realize the other candidates are able to face the people and discuss their positions like grown-ups.
"New Hampshire people want to be able to look you in the eye, shake your hand and ask you the question,” said Sharon Carson, a Republican state senator from Londonderry who is backing Fiorina. “And if you can’t do that, you’re not going to do well here.”
So do Wisconsin people. Yet very few here seem to notice that they can't.
Poor Scotty. His days when he can snuggle on Charlie Sykes or Mark Belling's lap and sing Kumbaya are OVER.
Thanks, I've been waiting hear what you wrote; waiting to see if he would actually talk to people as a group and answer questions. Guess not! No surprises there. It must be scripted or nothing. It won't work, but he will have to learn that the hard way. In any case, I hope this means he is done in politics especially in Wisconsin.
Since the press has been giving Hillary a hard time about not talking to them, will they also give Walker a hard time for not talking to them?
Top 10 list of why Walker doesn't do Town Halls:
10. Walker really only cares about Iowa right now.
9. Walker can't sell tickets in advance to a town hall.
8. Constituents who disagree with Walker could be accidentally let in.
7. Constituents may actually ask real questions.
6. Walker is scared of gotcha questions.
5. Walker can't defer answers to spokeswoman.
4. Walker will have to talk to people who might not vote for him.
3. Walker won't be allowed to punt.
2. Walker can't can his big, bold response.
1. Walker is too intimidated to answer off the cuff...
That's our Walker; Boldly avoiding the big questions!
Betsey is right.
Where's that "Big and Bold" now?
Now that Walker got his GOP controlled WI Supreme
Court to put John Doe to bed, watch as Walker gets right back to dark money, illegal coordination. Walker has released stories to all his righty news outlets to bolster his credibility and get people feeling sorry for him. Emotions are much more powerful than facts. Why hasn't the Democratic party figured out Walker's MO yet?? Figure out a way to neuter his emotional pandering messages and you've now got a race on facts, which Walker cannot win. Shut his emotional message down!!! Instead, focus on what makes Walker's base most angry and BLAST TV, radio & print with facts of Walker's policies and bills that violate his core constituencies beliefs. Now, do that over and over again. Beat Walker at his own game, played the way HE plays it.
Maybe Walker thinks New Hampshire is elitest? You know how he acts when he knows he is out of his league.
How come no one has discussed how Walker's lack of willingness to discuss issues and answer questions on friendly soil makes one wonder how he could or would handle himself on unfriendly soil? Walker's reluctance to answer questions makes him look untrustworthy and incapable of diplomacy.
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