— Gregg Keller (@RGreggKeller) August 4, 2015
Scott Walker's Populist Appeal Shines at New Hampshire Forum
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's biggest selling point as a presidential candidate has been his blue-collar populist appeal, and it's something that clearly shined through on the stage at a forum of GOP presidential candidates in Manchester, New Hampshire, at Saint Anselm College on Monday night.
After Walker and moderator Jack Heath discussed how Walker's state budget in Wisconsin went from starting, when he took office away from Democratic control, in a deficit of $3.6 billion to now having a surplus that he's used to cut taxes and grow his state's economy, Walker and Heath discussed Walker's battle against special interest labor unions.
"You've nationally been known as someone who took on the unions," Heath asked Walker. "Are you anti-union or anti-worker?"
"No," Walker responded plainly. "I'm pro-worker and pro-taxpayer. We gave workers the freedom to choose. We made Wisconsin a right-to-work state. We gave workers the freedom to choose whether they want to be in a labor union or not. Many chose to keep that money that they used to use to pay for union dues to pay for their kids' college education or other things they have for their family. We're pro-taxpayer. Before, all the power was concentrated in Wisconsin in the hands of the elite union bosses, we instead redistributed that back to the hardworking taxpayers and the people they duly elect. So, for example, in our schools, we no longer have seniority or tenure, we can hire and fire based on merit, we can pay based on performance. That means we can put the best and brightest in our classrooms."
Graduation rates and test scores are on the rise after Walker did this, he noted next.
"If it can work in a blue state like Wisconsin - if it wasn't too late for Wisconsin, it's not too late for America," Walker said.
Later, in the second round, Walker pitched himself as a "new fresh face" in politics and said he'd be thrilled to run against either former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton or Vice President Joe Biden in a general election.
"I've won three elections in four years, the last two of which I won after a lot of people were upset on the Democratic side of things," Walker said. "We did it by making big, bold actions and got results because of that. In the end, I'd love to go against whether it's Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, I'm a new fresh face versus a name from the past. I'm someone from outside of Washington with a proven track record and most of all I've gotten things done in a blue state."
In his 30 seconds to close his argument, Walker noted that what makes him different from other candidates, it's that "I fought and I won."
"I didn't just win three elections in four years in a blue state running for governor," Walker said. "We actually won on the big issues. We balanced our budget. We cut taxes. We defunded Planned Parenthood long before these videos came out. And we did so and went forward in a way that took on the big government special interests and put the power back in the hands of the people. If we could do it in Wisconsin - it's not too late there, and it's certainly not too late for America. I ask for your vote."Also read:
Scott Walker has a Question for the Fox News Debate Slate
2010 Flashback: Scott Walker is poised to cash in on his frugality in the Wisconsin governor's race
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