Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker did the right thing. He walked away from and bowed out of his floundering and failing presidential bid to return to his home state to devote his efforts to continue to do what he does best and that is running a very blue state to fiscal solvency and increased economic growth. No one could seriously argue that Walker was not an accomplished state governor. He turned around the fiscal fortunes of Wisconsin and to a lesser degree the state economy, all the while having to fight the liberal left, especially in the form of state public employee unions.
Walker didn't destroy the state public employee unions, but he did manage to bring some sanity to the state public employee union structure and its corrupting influence on Wisconsin politics. Wisconsin public employee unions, like many, if not all, state public employee unions across America, were in bed with Democrat state politicians. The legal term for this incestuous process is called a "quid pro quo" or "something for something else". The Wisconsin unions donated heavily to Democrat legislators and in return got very favorable legislation increasing union leverage to unbelievable levels, all to the detriment of the taxpayers that had to foot the bills for these outrageous state contracts handed out to unions like candy favors.
Walker faced three elections in almost as many years, one of which was a vicious recall election funded by state public labor unions, principally the teachers union. Walker fought like a junk yard dog and defeated the overwhelming union money thrown against him. In the process, Walker managed to get Wisconsin back into fiscal balance from mounting deficits, to a surplus situation. Walker knew what it would take to bring Wisconsin back from the fiscal abyss and he accomplished that. Of course Walker did not manage to meet all his goals in terms of decreasing unemployment, but the forces beyond Wisconsin contributed to that shortfall in Walker's promises kept.
So why did Walker withdraw from his presidential bid? Walker's campaign was running on empty or close to it. So, is that the reason Walker withdrew? No, but it was a lesser contributing factor to be sure.
Walker's withdrawal was due to his lack of knowledge and experience in the process of developing and understanding foreign policy and national security. That is not to denigrate Walker, since he has had his hands full just trying to get Wisconsin back on the right fiscal track. But the truth is that Walker's shortfall in foreign policy and national security knowledge became apparent in the months since he announced his candidacy. When out stumping on the campaign trail, Walker's shortcomings in foreign policy and national security areas became quite apparent to voters and financial supporters alike. Too many vague and confusing responses to specifics queries are what doomed Scott Walker's campaign bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
In the end Walker became a victim of his own resume embellished by hopeful supporters to levels that he simply was not prepared to meet at this time in his political career. Walker is young, 49, and he still has a bright political future ahead of him, which can only broaden and expand his knowledge and experience in those areas which he has shown a deficiency in this presidential election cycle. Walker maintained an ethical campaign and demonstrated a midwestern decency in dealing with opponents, who sadly cannot say the same thing in their opposition actions to Governor Walker.
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