Walker 2016: Well, That Didn’t Take Long

MADISON, Wis. — Despite telling Wisconsin voters prior to the November 4 election that if elected his plan was to, “serve as governor for the next four years,” Gov. Scott Walker made a national television appearance on Sunday, a mere five days after election day, in which he very clearly touted himself as 2016 presidential timber. One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross noted that Walker’s weekend presidential posturing follows his election night speech in which he made mention of “Washington” as frequently as “Wisconsin.”

“Gov. Walker is a career politician willing to say anything to get elected and always with an eye on his next election,” said Ross. “This latest episode perfectly encapsulates the willingness and ease with which Gov. Walker misleads to serve his self interest.”

Based on his comments in a Sunday morning appearance on the national political affairs program Meet the Press, Gov. Walker appears to feel no need to hide his ambition for higher office now that he has survived the November 4 election. According to reports of his performance on the program Walker opined that the Republican Party must nominate a governor in 2016 to be successful and he, “ … care(s) deeply about not only my state but my country, and we’ll see what the future holds.”

A column from Walker is also featured in the national publication Politico in which he advises the Republican Congressional majority, including his purported close political friend (and potential 2016 rival) Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan to, “put up or shut up.”

One Wisconsin Now earlier noted that Walker’s eleven-minute speech election night speech, in which he mentioned Wisconsin ten times, Washington nine times and America twelve times, was a stunning display that Wisconsin’s Governor has already moved on to his next electoral objective.

Analyses of how Gov. Walker spent his first term, based on travel records and calendars, revealed he spent an unprecedented amount of time campaigning for himself. Ross noted that over the same time, Wisconsin lagged most of the nation and was last in the Midwest in job creation and now faces a budget deficit that could exceed $4 billion.

He concluded, “Scott Walker is politics incarnate, everything he does is focused on positioning himself for the next election and higher office. We’ve already seen how his singular focus on his re-election left us lagging on job growth and with an administration rife with cronyism, corruption and incompetence. One can only wonder what Wisconsin will be subjected to now as he eyes the 2016 Republican nomination for President.”