Thursday, April 9, 2015

Walker: I Want To Be Ronald Reagan When I Grow Up

A couple of days ago, President Barack Obama put Scott Walker in check by suggesting that Walker needs to "bone up" on foreign affairs before shooting his mouth off.

Still stinging from this rebuke, Walker mewled back at Obama:
On Wednesday, Walker responded to the president by pointing to Ronald Reagan, the former president and governor of California, as evidence that governors could capably step from their roles as domestic leaders into the arena of international affairs.

"The best president in my lifetime when it comes to foreign affairs was a guy who was governor of California. Arguably one of the most challenged was a first-term senator from Illinois," Walker said, returning the president's jab. "So I think people, a lot of people agree with — including a good number of United States senators — agree with my sentiment about Iran."
So, what the hell does that mean? If Walker gets elected president, he's going to enter into illegal arms deals with Iran?

Anyway, Aaron David Miller, a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., thinks that Walker is getting a bit carried away with his Reagan fetish:
But Miller said that comparisons between Walker and Reagan break down both because of the differences between the two men and the world itself, which has changed radically between 1980 and 2015.

"There are very few Ronald Reagans," Miller said. "There's only one, actually."

In 1980, the United States faced its principal opposition from the Soviet Union and could bring its full resources as a superpower to bear on that challenge. Today, the nation is grappling with international terrorist groups that cross borders and evade easy targeting by the country's formidable military.

A presidential candidate now must grasp both the necessities and limits of American action, Miller said.
Miller isn't the only one that thinks Walker is a bit goofy with these self-comparisons to St. Ronnie.

With a hat tip to Jeff Simpson, we learn that Reagan biographer Lou Cannon is less than impressed with Walker's grandiose statements:
But the New York Times talked to at least one Reagan biographer who ain’t buying it. Lou Cannon told the Times that Walker’s continued comparisons of his policies to Reagan was based on a “caricature”:
Reality was more complicated, he said: As governor of California, Reagan signed tax increases and an abortion-rights bill. As president, he found common ground with the Soviet Union and did not relish firing the air traffic controllers, Mr. Cannon said.
“He never made his bones on trying to break the back of labor the way Walker has,” Mr. Cannon said. “Walker is borrowing from Reagan’s mystique more than any other Republican eyeing the presidency, but Ronald Reagan he ain’t.”
Ouch! That's going to leave a mark.

I would suggest that Walker set his aim on a more reasonable goal. Instead of being like Reagan, which he won't ever be able to do, he could try to be the next Bonzo.

5 comments:

  1. Walker is a natural as the New Nixon.

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  2. Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeit! Nixon has nothing on this guy!

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    1. Except an undergraduate degree, a law degree, Navy service, terms in the House, Senate and Vice Presidency, a gift for strategy and some ability when it came to foreign policy. Plus he had economic common sense and was more interested in building the middle class than undermining it for the benefit of the wealthy (who he mainly resented anyway). Wisconsin would be in a lot better shape if we'd had a Governor Nixon for the last four years instead of Governor Walker.

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    2. My God, Man! You are Mad!!!

      But you are also correct.

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    3. I am tempted to go on to say how much Ronald Reagan also has on our dear Scottie — as he regaled his guests at the White House (including the Prime Minister of Israel), Reagan filmed the release of prisoners from Nazi death camps, was able to recite verbatim the last words of flyers who went down with their war planes, and witnessed many other great actions in battle during WWII... despite history recording that he spent those war years in Hollywood making movies.

      Come to think of it, perhaps our Scottie has a great deal in common with Ronald Reagan, after all....

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