While I was attempting to catch up on my ever-expanding backlog of reading, I came across an article in The New Republic by senior editor Alec MacGillis called “The Unelectable Whiteness of Scott Walker: A journey through the poisonous, racially divided world that produced a Republican star.” With a headline like that, you can be sure the portrait of Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, was far from flattering. If anything, it was a broad view of a descriptive timeline of a supposed up-and-coming politico who’s two parts Marjoe Gortner for every one part Larry “Lonesome” Rhodes. Throw in a dash of an overzealous, way-too-serious collegiate student government headache, and you have yourself the ideologue who fancies himself a potential national contender in 2016.
For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Walker, you may more easily identify him by his recent political feats. Shortly after taking on the role of governor, he introduced legislation to almost completely eradicate collective bargaining in the state of Wisconsin. With the exception of firefighters and police officers, the workplace was set to dramatically shift for all public employees, and there was very little the Democratic members of the Wisconsin Legislature could do to fend off the ignoble endeavor.
This led to the fleeing of 14 Democratic state senators from the state. By ignoring orders to attend the vote, they managed to temporarily block the passage of a massive anti-union bill. Walker, however, succeeded in dealing one of the largest blows to labor unions (most notably to public school teachers) and thus sparked enormous, ongoing protests that ultimately led to a recall election between himself and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. Walker raised over $30 million during the recall effort — most of which came from out of state — and received more votes during the Republican primary for the election recall than the entirety of all the Democratic primary candidates. He ultimately won the election, making his mark as the first incumbent to survive one of only three gubernatorial recalls in American history.
So, what is it about the state of Wisconsin that insulates such a controversial political figure? The answer may very well lie in the state’s significant racial divide.
MacGill’s article highlights the geographical political complexities of the state:
“According to studies by the Brookings Institution and Brown University, the Milwaukee metro area is one of the top two most racially segregated regions in the country. The WOW (Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington) counties were voting Republican at levels unseen in other Northern suburbs; one needed to look as far as the white suburbs around Atlanta and Birmingham for similar numbers.” This area has record-high voter turnout that is largely Republican and is dominated by powerful conservative talk radio. It is over 90 percent white and has been the beneficiary of many policies supported by the Walker administration to the detriment of the more racially diverse Milwaukee.
Now, it appears that Walker may be among the frontrunners seeking the GOP’s nomination for president. To me, this would be a massive mistake. Walker is, again, an ideologue who lives in a very conservative bubble that he has learned to appease well. However, nothing in his short history of governance suggests he is ready for the national spotlight. Yes, he refused to implement the Affordable Care Act in his state. Yes, he pursued highly restrictive voter I.D. laws. But what about any of that high-profile, far-right conservatism suggests he’s ready for something larger? With each passing day, the Affordable Care Act is showing its strength and may very well serve as a strong campaign point for Democrats in time. The public is also understanding the true motivations behind restrictive voting policies.
While Walker may serve as the golden egg for the far-right today, he would have to lose some of that shine in order to appeal to the larger conservative base in our country. Unfortunately for him, the only way to accomplish that would be to move away from his aggressive conservative tactics, thus revealing himself to be little more than a political charlatan who has profited from the continued polarization of his home state.
Jessica DeLoach Sabin appears on Political Plays on KARK on Friday mornings.