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Politics Foreign Affairs Culture Fellows Program

The Gutless Wonder Rides Again

Walker's latest statement suggests that he has very little respect for voters or their intelligence.
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Michael Brendan Dougherty had more to say about Scott Walker’s pandering problem:

Walker’s unwillingness to defend his own hire will give other consultants and policy experts jitters before joining the team. It totally undercuts his reputation as a tough-minded fighter who stands on principle. And it may contribute to an alternate interpretation of Walker as a ‘fraidy cat. Earlier this month, Walker caved to Iowa ethanol interests by reversing his position on the federal mandate.

The problem, in other words, wasn’t the tweets of a single staffer, but the way Iowa’s parochial concerns act like kryptonite on Walker’s convictions and reputation.

Walker has gone on to defend the decision to dump Mair as proof that his nascent campaign “respects voters,” but the fact that he would attempt to defend the move in these terms suggests that he has very little respect for voters or their intelligence. Walker said this:

“One of my clear rules is, if you’re going to be on our team, whether on the paid staff or a volunteer, what I always say is you need to respect the voters,” he said. “Because really if you think about campaigns, it’s not about the candidate or the staff. It’s about the voter. It’s about how to help people’s lives be better.

“One of the things I’ve stressed … in the last few days as I’ve looked at the possibility of running is you have my firm commitment that I’m going to focus on making sure that the people on my team, should we go forward, are people who respect voters.”

That’s a nice sentiment, but it also has absolutely nothing to do with what happened this week. Walker didn’t toss a staffer overboard out of his deep respect for voters in Iowa or anywhere else. He did it out of fear that he would suffer some political damage in the caucuses, which tells us that he has a fairly low opinion of Iowan caucus-goers. It also tells us that he is far too ready to defer to the demands of Iowan politicians, no matter how unreasonable they may be. Caving to the demands of a few activist and politicians over the hiring of a staffer doesn’t reflect respect for voters, but rather implies that you think voters are so dim-witted that they can’t distinguish between your views and those of one of your staffers. It also conveys a certain contempt for any voter that happens to agree with the staffer’s views, and it tells all voters that you are extremely easy to pressure when the people applying the pressure come from within your own party. It is especially ridiculous that the “author” of a book called Unintimidated can scare so easily.

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