Scott Walker to tea partiers: Let’s focus on taking out Democrats, not our fellow Republicans

[Valin]

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Allahpundit

 

Some righties are grumbling about this, but cmon. No one expects a Republican governor whos up for reelection in a blue state to lead the throw the RINOs out! movement. Besides, this makes strategic sense if Im right about Walkers niche in the 2016 field. I see him as an establishment/tea party hybrid candidate wholl challenge Christie from the right (especially on social issues) and whoever emerges as the tea-party favorite from the center (especially on immigration). His war with the left over collective bargaining reform in Wisconsin is already so legendary that theres practically nothing he could do to ruin his conservative cred before the primaries. Hell be acceptable to tea partiers. His task now is to make sure hes acceptable to establishmentarians too before they settle on Christie and one obvious way to do that is to discourage tea partiers from challenging Republican incumbents. He opposed the shutdown for similar reasons, I assume, saying at the time, I support limited government. But I want the government left to work. That might well be his 2016 campaign slogan and Christies too. Christie will simply have a harder time selling it to righties than Walker will. There may well be a new debt-ceiling standoff next month over ObamaCare (or maybe not). How do you suppose Walker will come down on that one?

Is this true, though?

 

[G]o and help in those elections [against vulnerable Democrats] and elect new Republicans because a year from now things will be much different if Republicans hold the United States Senate.

 

How? Obama might have to use his veto a lot more next year, but thats fine by him. Hes a lame duck. At best, forcing a lightning rod like O to play goalie against GOP initiatives instead of leaving it to Harry Reid will free up a few centrist Democrats like Joe Manchin to vote with Republicans on hot-button issues knowing that they have no chance of becoming law. And this assumes, of course, that Republicans build on Reids precedent and nuke whats left of the filibuster so that they can pass bills through the Senate with a simple majority. Im not sure they will. They gain nothing politically from it given the reality of Os veto and theyll take a predictable beating for it from lefty hacks in the media (all of whom cheered Reid for nuking the filibuster vis-a-vis executive appointments). Worse, Democrats will be primed to exploit the new rule in 2017: Its the GOP thatll be defending the lions share of vulnerable seats in the 2016 election, which is bound to have higher Democratic turnout than usual because its a presidential election year. Its worth nuking the rest of the filibuster if/when Republicans once again control the Senate and the White House. Before then, why?

[Valin]

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