Scott Walker says Marco Rubio could be his VP. Trolling?
Scott Walker thinks he and Marco Rubio might make a pretty good team.
The Wisconsin governor hasn鈥檛 actually entered the presidential race yet, but he鈥檚 already talking up Senator Rubio as the potential vice-presidential half of a Walker-Rubio ticket.
鈥淚鈥檝e actually had quite a few people, grass-roots supporters, donors, and others, who have made that suggestion,鈥� when asked about pairing with Rubio as his VP.
鈥淔or now, you know, Marco is a quality candidate. He鈥檚 going to be formidable in this race as things progress,鈥� Walker told Bloomberg鈥檚 John McCormick and Mark Halperin. 鈥淎nd if we were to get in, we鈥檇 be as well, and we鈥檒l see where things take us.鈥�
Is there a subtext in this comment? We鈥檇 say there is. But first, we鈥檇 like to congratulate Walker on his use of the plural 鈥渨e鈥� for a singular personal reference. We鈥檇 say that鈥檚 a mark of rhetorical distinction.
Back to the subtext: At the moment, Walker鈥檚 star is not ascending. He鈥檚 kind of at a point of stasis: GOP insiders and the punditocracy still think he鈥檚 a formidable potential contender and a possible nominee, but he鈥檚 no longer the hot take of the moment. That would be Rubio, who鈥檚 been gaining momentum as fellow Floridian Jeb Bush flounders. Rubio鈥檚 also been hit by some over-the-top New York Times stories this week, which is always good for your standing among conservatives.
If you don鈥檛 believe us, maybe you鈥檒l believe The Washington Post: puts Rubio at No. 1 in its most recent GOP hopeful power rankings.
鈥淩ubio鈥檚 charisma, personal story and youth have combined to make him the 鈥榠t鈥� candidate for the GOP at the moment,鈥� write Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake of "The Fix."
That might gall Walker. He is older, has more executive experience, and faced down the public-sector unions in Wisconsin, darn it. Yet he鈥檚 only No. 3, according to "The Fix."
At the very least, he and his campaign team would like to blunt Rubio鈥檚 rise. Why not suggest the obvious: the young Rubio might make a good VP choice? Slap him into the back end of the Walker-Rubio ticket, and you鈥檙e implicitly pointing out that Walker has senior standing.
Don鈥檛 think politics is that ... overt? You鈥檝e never heard a room of professional consultants cackle over their moves. And if it were us, Rubio would respond. Asked whether he鈥檇 run as Walker鈥檚 second banana, Rubio should say: 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 in the White House, Scott Walker will be a crucial part of my team. I pledge I鈥檒l appoint him my secretary of Labor.鈥�
