Scott Walker, Not Paul Ryan, Could Be the GOP's Cleveland Surprise

[Liberal_in_LA]

The buzz sur­round­ing Paul Ry­an as a GOP pres­id­en­tial nom­in­ee hit a fever pitch this week, after Politico’s Mike Al­len floatedthe pos­sib­il­ity of the House speak­er emer­ging at a con­tested con­ven­tion. But in real­ity, the Re­pub­lic­an more likely to pre­vail in such a scen­ario is an­oth­er Wis­con­sin­ite: Gov. Scott Walk­er.

Ry­an brings sev­er­al un­deni­able as­sets to the con­ven­tion as a pos­sible sleep­er nom­in­ee: He’s well-known na­tion­ally, has the abil­ity to quickly raise funds for a gen­er­al elec­tion, comes from a work­ing-class back­ground, and has ties to both the es­tab­lish­ment and the con­ser­vat­ive grass­roots. But for all his tal­ents, Ry­an has sev­er­al ma­jor vul­ner­ab­il­it­ies as a com­prom­ise nom­in­ee.

For bet­ter or worse, he’s an out­spoken ad­voc­ate of the elite Re­pub­lic­an agenda of en­ti­tle­ment re­form, free trade, and tax-code over­hauls that many Don­ald Trump sup­port­ers have re­jec­ted throughout the primary pro­cess. Turn­ing to a re­spec­ted Hill in­sider like Ry­an will hardly pla­cate the Trump sup­port­ers; it’s more likely to in­furi­ate them. And if you take Ry­an at his word, he doesn’t even want to be pres­id­ent. “I think you need to run for pres­id­ent if you’re go­ing to be pres­id­ent, and I’m not run­ning for pres­id­ent,” Ry­an told talk show host Hugh He­witt on Monday.

Walk­er, by con­trast, openly har­bors na­tion­al am­bi­tions. As Politico’s Scott Bland re­por­ted, the gov­ernor has con­tin­ued to raise money and travel through the 527 or­gan­iz­a­tion used for his pres­id­en­tial cam­paign. He’s main­tained a busy sched­ule out­side of Wis­con­sin, rais­ing money for the party and re­cruit­ing fu­ture gubernat­ori­al pro­spects as vice chair­man of the Re­pub­lic­an Gov­ernors As­so­ci­ation.

http://www.govexec.com/management/2016/04/scott-walker-could-be-gop-cleveland-surprise/127268/

[RufusTFirefly]

1. Mark my words: Not gonna happen

That Walker has successfully weathered several Wisconsin political storms is indisputable, but he's already dramatically demonstrated a remarkable inability to survive in a national climate.

[malthaussen]

2. I consider that improbable.

Mr Walker has already demonstrated that he is useless as a candidate during the free-for-all of the opening months of the campaign. As well select Mr Bush.

-- Mal

[2naSalit]

3. He probably

has more puppetmaster friends than Ryan though...

I can hardly wait to see who the next repub loser will be.

[Scuba]

4. I wish both of them would leave Wisconsin, and leave Wisconsin alone.

[Worried senior]

10. You aren't alone

but I want them to take a few others with them.

[whatthehey]

5. They could nominate Jesus Christ with Reagan's ghost as VP.

It would still be too late. Trump's mammoth ego won't let him go back to what I remain convinced was plan A - to run a pace car campaign, then cash in with celebrity grifts, showing Palin how a real pro con-man does it. He actually thinks he appeals to the masses and that their lizard brain beta male response is a genuine reflection of his worth. Living in the Republican primary bubble where angry parochial white men are a definite plurality if not majority, he has the idea that this represents the world and that the overall population loves nothing more than half-formed blustery nonsense and will grant him the biggest grift of all, a post-presidential gravy train.

Sure the convention could, and will certainly try to, yank the nomination away from him either with the slimeball pseudo-revivalist or a deus ex machina savior to be named later, but even if that was today, let alone June, he will with certainty launch an indy run even with write in campaigns in early registration states, and while his brownshirts are nowhere near the ratio of the electorate he apparently thinks, loyal and obdurate they certainly are, and far far more numerous than any potential Republican margin of victory in swing states that would deny the Dem (any Dem, we really could nominate a yellow dog if any were over 35 and citizens) the WH. When OH and PA are likely to be close to 50-50, even a 5% Trump protest vote, taking at least 4 of those 5 from the GOP, guarantees a win for the good guys, and Trump's likely take especially in rust belt states is going to be far bigger than 5%. Hell his wedge wouldn't just hit the swingers. Some reliable red states instead of going 58 red 42 blue coould very easily go 40-42-18 instead. He won't win a single EC vote, except perhaps the rural end of NE's split, but he'll stop Walker or Ryan or whomever from winning bunches.

[KamaAina]

7. I demand to see Jesus' long-form birth certificate!

[whatthehey]

13. Well he's certainly over 35 (albeit not in the flesh)

and the GOP firmly believe the US is God's country, so I suspect he's qualified. Never know though with pubbies.

[KamaAina]

14. But who's listed as the father?

[flamingdem]

22. If Trump runs like that it's bad for us since 2x the number of Repubs

will truck to the polls and vote the downticket Republicans in.

If it's just Trump they'll stay home in larger numbers. Thus, fingers crossed for Trump to get the Nom

[whatthehey]

24. That's only true if you think Trump created new Republicans

It's plausible he really did, but I doubt how many to swing elections. I suspect most of his support is a subset of existing Rs. You also have to remember how spiteful and thin skinned he is. He's not going to be shy about blaming the party if they deny him the nom. and I wouldn't be surprised if he outright tries to do them harm downticket out of payback.

[Reter]

37. I thought Reagan was already Jesus' Vice President in Heaven

[KamaAina]

6. More like the GOP's Cleveland Steamer

[yortsed snacilbuper]

8. Someone that believes in invisible sky daddy?

[Worried senior]

12. I find this fake and insulting.

[whatthehey]

15. Yep such grandstanding against Matt 6:5 has potential to be both

[HughBeaumont]

9. LIEBERTURD 2016!!

"Yes, you CAN thank me for the last Republican presidency. No, really!"

[MisterP]

17. "NOT from a Jedi"

[H2O Man]

11. Recommended.

Either one could be the republican establishment's choice.

Note: It will NOT be Jeb Bush. (grin)

[BlueStater]

16. Yeah, right.

He was the second loser to drop out. He's a joke.

[Javaman]

18. or as I would like to call him...

a cleveland steamer.

[kentuck]

19. They do love their union busters.

That is a good possibility if Trump is not successful. I cannot see Cruz getting the rubber stamp from the establishment. His only purpose is to keep Trump from getting 1237.

[Xolodno]

20. I don't think there will be a Cleaveland Surprise.

The real question the GOP is asking, how do you minimize the damage and prevent this from happening again.

With either Cruz or Trump you lose the GE and a choice of neither will alienate GOP voters from both camps and cause you to lose the GE. So its a question, of who do you want to alienate and realize for a few cycles, you won't get those voters.

If the GOP leaders are smart, they put Cruz up and just face facts that the racists of their party just need to go and find ways to win without them.

Trump will run a write in and with Cruz, go down in flames. The loss will embarrass Cruz in the Senate so badly (they'll even blame him for some of the GOP Senate losses) and he'll probably run for Governor or something afterwards.

They'll be rid of both problems at once.

[flamingdem]

23. With Trump and Cruz running that's bad for the downticket

Too many Republicans will vote. Best to have Trump alone and they stay home.

[Initech]

21. Ayn Rand / Koch Brothers 2016

[Greybnk48]

25. Listen to Walker talk for 5 minutes and you will know

that this will NEVER happen. He's an uneducated hick and an idiot, a complete embarrassment to our state who rode in on the Tea bagger wave. Our elections are rigged by dark money ads, a right wing media, cronyism and Jim Crow laws so he will here forever.

[Kalidurga]

27. I am so sorry

Wisconsin is my favorite state. I live in Minnesota, but I wish things turned out differently and I lived in Wisconsin. Now I am relieved I don't live in Wisconsin. I am sad about what happened with Walker there though.

[LiberalElite]

26. This morning on Good Morning America they reported

that Walker has said "thanks but no thanks".

[gratuitous]

28. The GOP is full of Cleveland Schemers

I'm hoping for a Thunderdome scenario.

[LarryNM]

29. Ryan is Waiting for 2020 imho. n/t

[napi21]

30. GOOD! Make their choice Wallker and the Dems have s guaranteed win!

Most people KNOW Scott Walker because of all the publicity over his impeachment and his destruction of the Unions in his State. All that know him hate him, and he learned EARLY IN HIS CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT he saw the handwriting on the wall; and dropped out!

[Monk06]

31. The GOP are like starving sailors lost at sea, casting votes to see who gets eaten next.

The last man dying mad from thirst and hunger

[Blanks]

32. That's why Kasich is staying in...

He will get more support from 'normal' republicans when more people realize Cruz isn't any more likely to win than Trump.

Kasich is the one to be concerned about there isn't anyone bad-mouthing him, and he comes across as sane in interviews. Positive even.

If people like Ryan really believe that someone who's running should get the nomination, that's probably what he's talking about.

With all of the crazy that's gone on, regular republicans (if there is such a thing) have to believe that whoever is on the ticket is a sacrificial lamb.

Either that or Ryan is looking for a job in the cabinet.

[dembotoz]

33. walker has a strange appeal in wisconsin

defies logic but he is beloved by his gop fools
trump underestimated it and it cost him the state

[UTUSN]

34. From the beginning of this thread I thought it was about exSenator Treasure Trail (Scott BROWN) n/t

[Blue Owl]

35. The Cleveland Steamer

n/t

[stevenleser]

36. 0% chance of Walker. He looked awful on the national stage. It will be...

Kasich or Rubio if the convention goes brokered.

Walker showed all the Charisma of a saturated dish rag.