Well, it’s official. I mean, maybe it’s kind of official. Scott Walker is running for President. This should come as a surprise to no one who has been paying attention to the Governor over the past few months, whose rhetoric and travel schedule has been littered with higher office hopes. Today’s news begs a question, though: can he do it? Does he have the political power to become the Republican nominee? Short answer: absolutely he does.
Here’s a list of reasons why. One: he’s an incredible politician. Walker is a talented speaker (mostly) who knows what babies to kiss and what hands to shake. This should shock no one. After all, he’s been in public office virtually his entire adult life. Some would say that this could hurt him, as he will inevitably be hit with the “career politician” jab multiple times throughout his campaign. In my opinion, however, this insult will probably prove ineffective as the Republican base would put up with much worse if they were excited about his policy preferences. This leads me to reason two: the Republican base will be excited about his policy preferences. The man’s record speaks for itself. He took down the unions for God’s sake! Beyond this, his other budgetary moves have positioned him nicely for a run. The most recent being his huge cuts to education and, more specifically, the UW System. For some reason, conservatives love making cuts to education. This makes total sense. Who needs school, right? Certainly not Walker. Which brings me to my third and final point: Scott Walker does not have a college degree. This is not to say he did not go to college, he did, but I’m sure that won’t be in the stump speech. A lot of you might be confused by this. Shouldn’t this be a detriment? Not right now. Right now, a lot of conservatives, including some who went to college, are painting universities as places full of haughty elites. Walker certainly won’t say this, as he has children currently in college, but he should have no problem preaching his down home, small town values.
There are reasons Scott Walker has a legitimate shot at the Presidency. Let me just ask you this: do you want the first President from the state of Wisconsin to be Scott Walker? So far, the state’s only connection to national political office is Dick Cheney, who was a graduate student here in Madison in the late 1960s. I know what you’re saying: can’t get much worse, right? Let’s not find out.
I’ll leave you with this. Say what you want about Walker, I certainly have, but don’t underestimate him. The man has made a living in recent years shattering expectations. Don’t shrug him off as a noncontender, because he’s running, and he’s for real.
Max is currently a junior majoring in political science and pursuing a certificate in educational policy studies. Do you agree with his take? Can Scott Walker win the Republican nomination? If so, would his political acumen make him the right person for the job? We want to know what you think. Please send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com
