海角大神

Scott Walker: Conservative views on social issues won't harm GOP's prospects

At a Monitor-sponsored breakfast, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said it would be a mistake for Republican candidates for the White House to change their 'fundamental, core principles.'

Monitor Breakfast

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker isn鈥檛 going to light up the stage with a big personality, like, say, Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey.

But don鈥檛 let that mild-mannered Upper Midwestern-ness fool you.

Governor Walker is showing all the tell-tale signs of a budding presidential candidate 鈥� the new book, the speeches and media appearances outside Wisconsin focused on his record, the obligatory assertions that he鈥檚 focused on winning reelection next year, not on 2016.

But if Republicans are determined to nominate a governor for president next time around 鈥� as many say they want 鈥� then Walker deserves a close look.

Like Governor Christie, he has muscled through a Republican fiscal and social agenda in a Democratic-leaning state. Last year, he became the first governor ever to survive a recall election, which was called over new limits he authorized on collective bargaining rights for state employees.

And he is adamant that the party鈥檚 conservative stands on social issues 鈥� foremost, gay marriage and abortion 鈥� won鈥檛 harm the GOP鈥檚 chances at retaking the White House.

Walker rattles off a list of states carried by President Obama last year that have Republican governors 鈥� Wisconsin, Iowa, New Mexico, Nevada, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

鈥淎s governors we focus on the things that matter most to people, and those are economic and fiscal issues,鈥� Walker told hosted by 海角大神. 鈥淚 am pro-life like most Republican governors are pro-life. I don鈥檛 apologize for that but I don鈥檛 focus on that, I don鈥檛 obsess with it.鈥�

Persuadable, moderate, middle-of-the-road voters 鈥� the ones who decide elections 鈥� don鈥檛 have litmus tests for candidates, he says. And it would be a mistake for any candidate to change his 鈥渇undamental, core principles,鈥� such as opposition to abortion. If anything, he says, bending one鈥檚 views will cost votes.

Not that Walker has completely ignored the issue as governor. In July, he signed legislation requiring a woman to have an ultrasound before having an abortion, a requirement that abortion-rights advocates view as obtrusive and unnecessary.

鈥淚鈥檝e found plenty of people have no problem voting for me even though they don鈥檛 share my belief on [abortion],鈥� Walker says, 鈥渂ecause they appreciate the fact that the things I focus in on are economic and fiscal issues in my state, and that is what they feel they hired me to do.鈥�

Last March, the Republican National Committee put out an 鈥渁utopsy鈥� on the 2012 election, addressing in particular the party鈥檚 demographic challenges with women, youth, and minorities. That document 鈥� called the Growth and Opportunity Project 鈥� skirts social issues, while addressing issues of 鈥減rocess鈥� that ended up placing outsized focus on social issues in the 20-plus debates held before and during the primaries.

鈥淲hat happens with that many debates is you start trying to find very narrow issues that define minute differences, and those take a disproportionately larger part of the debate,鈥� Walker says.

The party鈥檚 鈥渂read and butter鈥� issues 鈥� fiscal and economic policy 鈥� need to be in the forefront, he says.聽And that means having fewer debates.

鈥淥f all the things the RNC has been talking about doing, [that] is probably one of the most significant for the future,鈥� he says.

On the matter of improving the Republican 鈥渂rand鈥� nationally, which is at historic lows in opinion polls, Walker again points to the party鈥檚 economic message.

鈥淲e want to have a recovery, and we don鈥檛 want to leave anybody behind,鈥� he says, when asked in particular about the GOP鈥檚 efforts to retake the Senate.

鈥淲e cannot be viewed as the party of 鈥榥o,鈥� which in the states where we are successful, that is exactly what has happened. We are not the party of 鈥榥o.鈥� We are optimistic, we are speaking in terms that are relevant, we are showing we have the courage to act on those convictions.鈥�

As it happens, the large press corps assembled at the St. Regis Hotel kept coming back Friday to most Republicans鈥� conservative positions on abortion and gay marriage, which have alienated some voters from the Republican brand.

By the end of the hour, Walker even took a very mild-mannered slap at the press: 鈥淭he media seems to be more obsessed with social issues than do average voters.鈥�