Just a hunch, but after reading this interesting Politico.com profile which fleshes out Walker's heightened commitment to campaigning, and understanding that his major primary rival Jeb Bush can put in as many hours a day campaigning as he wants, I wouldn't be surprised to see Walker announce he'd heard the Calling and resigns after his all-in/deeply-reactionary/scorched-earth budget is signed.
Then he can go flat-out on the campaign trail, be anywhere and everywhere his jets can take him, freed from any responsibility or distraction or potential fund-raising conflict in or about the governorship of the State of Wisconsin.
Then he can go flat-out on the campaign trail, be anywhere and everywhere his jets can take him, freed from any responsibility or distraction or potential fund-raising conflict in or about the governorship of the State of Wisconsin.
So, are you saying he will resign and we'll be stuck with a former reporter for governor, or that he will just continue being an absentee governor. If he is not going to be actively fulfilling his duties as governor do we have to still pay him his salary and provide all the other perks he's been taking advantage of at taxpayers expense?
ReplyDeleteI argued this a few weeks ago when I saw Walker at 43% approval. The longer he stays as "governor", the more people despise him in Wisconsin, and the more his failures come back to reflecting on how lousy a candidate he is.
ReplyDeleteGame theory would indicate that resigning would be the best way to handling both of these concerns, and that it lets him cash in as a Palin-like contributor on Fox or a stink tank once his 2016 campaign goes up in flames.
And yes, I think Walker's got so little class that he would do this.
He won't step aside, why should he? He apparently has the voters' permission to run. Anyone with any perception at all knew when they voted for him last time that he was going to run and do it on the taxpayer's dime.
ReplyDeleteHe, as always, is enjoying the best of both worlds.
I would like to see him gone and that would put his Republican legislators clearly in the cross -hairs as the budget would be theirs and they would be out on the end of the proverbial branch to either serve the people of Wisconsin or to continue to serve Walker's ideology and policies and face the consequences in the 2016 elections. Without Walker's mouth and money covering their back they would be standing by themselves in front of Wisconsin's electorate.
ReplyDeleteFOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, Jake, I agree with you. After the casino veto and then RTW, Walker has no chance of ever being re-elected in Wisconsin. This is the most under-covered story in the national press. In fact, his re-electability should be the focus of a new Marquette poll.. The question of the survey would be easy, "If Scott Walker were to run for re-election as Governor today, would you vote for him or another candidate?"
ReplyDeleteIt's hard for me to believe Scott Wanker would leave a good position unless he either had a better position to move to (elected or appointed), or had to go due to trouble (as when he quit Marquette).
ReplyDeleteWalker will resign so he doesn't answer questions about the lousy job losses in Jan and Feb. If he doesn't get the VP nomination, he can get Ron Johnson to resign from the senate and then run for that seat. He is the only Republican who might have a chance to beat Feingold.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous 11:25 :
ReplyDeleteIf Ron Johnson resigns, leaving the seat vacant long enough before the election, Scott Walker could resign as Governor and have new Governor Rebecca Keefisch appoint him the replacement Senator for the remainder of that term, so Walker would be running for RE-election as Senator....
I'm not sure what would be the advantage for Walker other than running away from the state; a Governor is more powerful than a Senator.