Scott Walker Wows At CPAC, Complaints That He Compared Protesters To ISIS Follow
[guest post by Dana]
Scott Walker gave one barn-burner of a speech today at CPAC. One portion of his speech, however, is causing quite a stir:
At one point, he was asked about how he would handle the threat posed by the Islamic State group were he president. He responded by saying that the country needs a commander in chief who will do anything in their power to stop “radical Islamic terrorists.”
He wrapped up by saying: “If I can take on 100,000 protesters, I can do the same across the world.”
Further:
The likely 2016 presidential candidate said the nation needs “someone who leads” and who will “send a message, not only that we’ll protect American soil, but do not take this upon freedom-loving people anywhere else in the world. We need a leader with that kind of confidence.”
Not just the left groaned at his comments:
You know, I have a lot of beefs with these people, but they're Americans, not comparable to ISIS. pic.twitter.com/DLzglNYM74
— jimgeraghty (@jimgeraghty) February 26, 2015
Walker clarified his statement later:
“Let me be perfectly clear, I’m just pointing out the closest thing I have to handling this difficult situation is the 100,000 protesters I had to deal with,” Walker said.
The governor said he did not regret the comment.
“You all will misconstrue things the way you see fit,” he said. “That’s the closest thing I have in terms of handling a difficult situation, not that there’s any parallel between the two.”
If Walker sought to present himself as a commander-in-chief who would be up to the challenge of the evil that is ISIS as well as show his determination and intention as a leader not to shrink in the face of radical Islamist terrorism, then he did just that.
And, as has been pointed out, just how offended were these same people when Wisconsin protesters were busy comparing Walker to Hitler? But none of this is a surprise, of course. It’s to be expected.
Walker’s speech is well worth watching in its entirety. He addresses everything from Israel, to ISIS, to net neutrality and everything in between. The Q&A session that follows his speech provides a little more insight into the politician as he elaborates on his views. What Walker lacks in charisma, he more than makes up for with his solid conservative principles. He strikes me as a genuine, straightforward man whose hope is to see America remain the greatest nation on earth. There is no loftiness about him, no airs, no soaring rhetoric, and most certainly he doesn’t walk on water, can’t slow the rise of the oceans or heal the planet, but instead, what you get is a very smart and shrewd politician who has no illusions about Washington and its abuse of power, and is compelled to serve this country he loves so much. And if that means by leading it, then he’s all in. It’s early in the game, but he’s got my attention.
“We celebrate our independence from government, not our dependence on it…”
–Dana
Hello.
Dana (86e864) — 2/26/2015 @ 7:15 pmScott Walker is the first candidate I’ve been actually enthusiastic about for a long time. Nothing he says strikes me as disingenuous, and for whatever reason it just feels like he’s really just speaking his actual views and not reading the script that tested well across what some aide thinks is a key voting bloc. I don’t often get at all worked up over the treatment of politicians by the media, but watching the coverage he gets (and your coverage of his coverage) it’s hard to deny the level of attacks that have been aimed at him and the sheer ridiculous contortions that people go through to try to read something terrible into his every statement.
I can’t say I’m terribly informed on the platform and policies he intends to run on, but I have followed his governorship and I expect to be pleasantly surprised as I we get closer to when this really matters and we all learn more.
John S. (2e4b48) — 2/26/2015 @ 7:29 pmI fully expect “true conservatives’ to gut poor Governor Walker. It’s the circular firing squad the Right sets up each election…trying to do the Left’s job for them. We got lucky last election. I hope that the luck holds.
Simon Jester (1c719a) — 2/26/2015 @ 7:53 pmThat ended weak.
steveg (794291) — 2/26/2015 @ 7:55 pmNo way around it.
But he has plenty of time to tune his message
not only that we’ll protect American soil, but do not take this upon freedom-loving people anywhere else in the world.
That sort of policeman-to-the-world activism is to the right what big-mommy international activism (eg, Michelle Obama holding up a placard proclaiming “Bring back our girls”) is to the left.
If only for economic reasons — because the US otherwise can’t afford to go on as it has done for 60 years or more — I’d say principled isolationism is now the route to take.
Mark (c160ec) — 2/26/2015 @ 8:53 pmBS, Simon. He is more likely to be pilloried by the establishment electability crowd than the alleged true conservative crowd.
JD (86a5eb) — 2/26/2015 @ 9:37 pmJohn @ 2,
I agree, but it’s very early on still. He has yet to really expound on foreign policy, the economy, etc. However, a couple things are sure in his favor: he’s already been publicly vetted and he is clearly savvy to the machinations of the media and the minefield he is going to have to navigate to get the nomination.
Dana (86e864) — 2/26/2015 @ 9:57 pmI see. America needs a leader who will lead. With confidence. That clears up a lot.
Northener (162df5) — 2/27/2015 @ 12:56 amYou get the idea that he doesn’t have the ability to see things from another perspective than his domestic political disagreements.
sing (bbbfe8) — 2/27/2015 @ 1:03 ami like him but this CPAC outfit is a bunch of hateful socially backwards losers
happyfeet (831175) — 2/27/2015 @ 1:34 amWhat Walker lacks in charisma, he more than makes up for with his solid conservative principles. He strikes me as a genuine, straightforward man whose hope is to see America remain the greatest nation on earth. There is no loftiness about him, no airs, no soaring rhetoric, and most certainly he doesn’t walk on water, can’t slow the rise of the oceans or heal the planet, but instead, what you get is a very smart and shrewd politician who has no illusions about Washington and its abuse of power, and is compelled to serve this country he loves so much. And if that means by leading it, then he’s all in. It’s early in the game, but he’s got my attention.
mg (31009b) — 2/27/2015 @ 3:43 amWish I could write like you.
thanks Dana.
happyfeet- lieawatha is needs you.
mg (31009b) — 2/27/2015 @ 4:14 amno is.
mg (31009b) — 2/27/2015 @ 4:15 ambest I can do for her is i can pee pee on her head
happyfeet (831175) — 2/27/2015 @ 4:32 am11. I’d be proud of that effort, FWTW.
Romany might have declined in deference to Rubes, but its beginning to look like a walkover by authenticity over the elites.
DNF (16dbd0) — 2/27/2015 @ 5:07 am3, 6. Be forewarned, children, against devoting too much of one’s talent and intellect to a speciality.
Banality can result.
DNF (16dbd0) — 2/27/2015 @ 5:18 amHe was simply trying to say that he has dealt with pressure in his face before, and he can do it again.
I think it is not the best comment as it does lend itself to the criticism that he’s comparing protestors to ISIS;
but if you ask what presents the most pressure to an executive,
Walker’s statehouse packed with protestors
or
ISIS running wild in the ME to Obama,
I think Walker had more political pressure on him.
Many would say President Obama really isn’t bothered that much by ISIS except as a domestic political liability, which is why he has given a token gesture of military intervention and nothing more.
What Walker has a history of, from what I have read, is the ability to stay on point while his opponents get themselves worked up to foaming at the mouth.
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 2/27/2015 @ 6:22 am@ MD,
I think it was a clumsily worded comment, and he should have been a bit more careful, however, I read somewhere that perhaps he was making a dig at the Wisconsin protesters. I don’t think he did that, though, because he does not strike me as being vindictive or caustic. Certainly there was plenty of opportunity for him to get in his digs after his victories in WI.
Further, if one is seeking to bring him to heel, then the default go-to reaction is, of course, going to be negative. He could say he likes his coffee with a lot of cream and be accused of racism. Everything the man says will become ammo to use against him and the GOP. All it will take is a bit of twisting and tweaking based on the premise that he is a bad person, so I’m less concerned about the trashing of him and more concerned with how skillfully he reacts to it. I think of Palin and how inexperienced she was with being able to react to the horrible onslaught of attack and how without the necessary skill (and support)she was in deflecting. Of course, the more she showed her belly to the enemy, the more viciously they attacked. This is where Walker’s experience as a fighter in one heck of a state battle will serve him well. Poor Palin, just didn’t have the skills and experience necessary to stay on top of things.
It’s one thing to fight the good old boys, it’s an entirely different animal to fight ta partisan media machine and the Dems at once.
Dana (86e864) — 2/27/2015 @ 6:50 amObama got away with saying that he had administrative experience because he managed his campaign. A laughable lie, and laughable even if true. The MFM are Scribes and Pharisees when it comes to Republicans and will always put the worst spin on anything Walker says.
BTW, did you see that they did a chattel mortgage search on Columba Bush to find out that she had bought jewelry on store credit? Good lord!
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2015 @ 6:56 amhe can’t do any worse against ISIS than food stamp has
happyfeet (a037ad) — 2/27/2015 @ 6:57 amtoo many backstabbing weasels, the Benedict Arnolds if you will, to use her revolutionary war analogy, they still give her short shrift even on a site like this:
http://therightscoop.com/watch-sarah-palins-full-cpac-speech/
not only did the Democrats try to overturn the will of the people in Wisconsin, but they sought to corrupt justice, we the Prosser recall,
narciso (ee1f88) — 2/27/2015 @ 6:57 ami wanna skip straight to the part where she brags about she tilted the race towards Orrin Hatch when he was having a really tough time of it
good ole Sarah
she just can’t stop adding value
happyfeet (a037ad) — 2/27/2015 @ 6:59 amhad she not picked walker when he was a little known county executive, been the critical endorser of Cruz, and been a supporter of Rand,
narciso (ee1f88) — 2/27/2015 @ 7:02 amI like her because she’s a hottie and could pass for a Greek girl. A hot Greek girl. Actually, a Greek girl not half as hot as her, passed for her with the help of lots of makeup and soft focus camera work.
nk (dbc370) — 2/27/2015 @ 7:14 amyes the Huntress, a transliteration from Russian, is all that, and more, people who couldn’t tell the difference between her and the dopey girl from Upper Darby were truly myopic,
narciso (ee1f88) — 2/27/2015 @ 7:18 amto be honest i’m in no mood to discuss this further
CPAC is a magnet for the Sarah Palins of the whirl and I suppose one must be grateful these people have a place to go and be among their own kind
happyfeet (a037ad) — 2/27/2015 @ 7:18 amFor a time, Madison was Helm’s Deep, or the battle of Agincourt, figuratively and sometimes not,
narciso (ee1f88) — 2/27/2015 @ 7:24 ama leading GOP candidate for Missouri Governorship commits suicide
seeRpea (188f90) — 2/27/2015 @ 7:45 amIt seems some Republican and/or conservative types are finally learning the lesson:
The media will not give you a fair shake, so don’t bother treating with them. They’re the enemy as much as Dingy Harry or President Bumbletron.
Toastrider (4c0340) — 2/27/2015 @ 9:20 amnote the narrative in that piece, 24/7 they will not let the truth get in the way,
narciso (ee1f88) — 2/27/2015 @ 9:25 amI see that Walker’s comment (ISIS/protester) was labelled a “gaffe” on the Today show this morning This tells me that the guy is a viable candidate who will give the Dems trouble in 2016, so they have to start peeling away his charm.
They also tried to say his “clarification” was a walk-back… but in spite of their selective editing, it didn’t sound that way. They did omit the line where he stood by his comment.
Sometimes the messenger is as important as the message.
Gramps, the original (9e1415) — 2/27/2015 @ 9:30 amSo, the group of people who peppered Walker with death threats and compared him to Hitler are offended that he thinks that dealing with them has given him experience with handling a gang of lunatics? How terribly unreasonable of him.
M. Scott Eiland (725705) — 2/27/2015 @ 12:10 pmThe Wisconsin protesters are much worse than ISIS. They can’t be lawfully shot no matter how much they richly deserve it.
luagha (e5bf64) — 2/27/2015 @ 1:53 pmGood points:
Gramps, the original (9e1415) — 2/27/2015 @ 9:30 am
M. Scott Eiland (725705) — 2/27/2015 @ 12:10 pm
Good analogy
MD in Philly (f9371b) — 2/27/2015 @ 3:13 pmMadison was Helm’s Deep,