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Monday, May 17, 2010

If Only Scott Walker Read This Blog

Late last week Republican candidate for governor Scott Walker indicated he had serious concerns about Arizona's immigration law. A stance that was very surprising since the Walker campaign appears to be centered on reflecting the views of Wisconsin Republicans rather than shaping them.

For a moment there it looked like we might be witnessing one of those moments when popular notions about a politician are so entrenched he is able to stake out unpopular positions without incurring a political cost.

Alas, it was not to be.

Walker quickly shifted his position once the unpopularity of his first stance became clear. If only someone from the Walker campaign read this blog, they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble over the last few days. From Tuesday, 5/11:
candidates just about everywhere should be warned that comprehensive immigration reform is a campaign killer. The ONLY thing you should say when asked about immigration is that we need to secure the border. The ONLY thing you should say when asked about Arizona's new immigration law is that we need to secure the border. Period.
Instead, Walker has become the latest member of the "against it before I was for it club", and it couldn't have come at a worse time, right before the state party convention. The site of which will now be witness to the Walker camp reassuring suddenly jittery party activists rather than the triumphant sendoff they may have been envisioning just a few short days ago.

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