Whether you like Scott Walker or not, there is no denying he is a leader and has joined the ranks of Republican superstars. What leadership lessons does he have that would benefit Obama and liberals?
1. Spend zero time trying to make your opponents love, like or even respect you. Walker realized from the beginning that winning opponents over was a waste of time. Obama continues to act like Washington is the same as the editorial board of the Harvard Law Review (if he just shows up, dresses well, studies hard, and asks respectful questions, surely they will like him and give him what he wants).
2. Don't endorse a solution that originated from the opposition camp. Walker's idea was simple from the beginning: crush government unions. He didn't ask government unions for their idea on a watered down version of this ideal. He simply started with the purest form of the ideal as it had been fantasized about by anti-union, conservative ideologues for the last 60 years. Democrats, for the most part, all wanted single-payer health care. Meanwhile, the Republican Heritage Foundation came up with the mandate-insurance company plan, since endorsed by most GOP politicians, that was ultimately embraced by Obama. Obama continues to play Charlie Brown to the Republicans' Lucy holding the football.
3. Don't ever compromise. See above.
4. Don't be deterred by initial polls showing the public doesn't like your policy. Keep hammering away until you change public opinion. Polls showed Walker's policies on taking away union power were unpopular. He hammered away at his message and turned some public opinion in his favor. Polls also showed, in 2009, that single-payer universal health care did not have a popular mandate (it certainly didn't in Congress). Little PR effort was spent trying to turn public opinion in favor of single-payer healthcare.
5. Put a stake in the ground that is considered outside the realm of the possible, but that is closer to the ideals of your supporters than what others have attempted. Walker went further than all other GOP governors in his attempt to destroy unions. Obama went almost as far as...Richard Nixon's health care plan.
6. Never express doubts about your position and never back down. Walker didn't go wobbly. Obama?
7. Never concede that your opponents have an intellectual or moral valid point. In Walker's worldview, all unions are corrupt and evil. Period. In Obama's worldview, all Republicans seem to be people of genuine good will who simply have a different vision of the country. When Obama isn't prattling on and on about how much he respects and admires his adversaries, he's actually mouthing their rhetoric on such things as the need for the government to act like a family and tighten its belt to cut spending, thus destroying his entire argument for his stimulus, unemployment benefits, etc.
8. Nationalize your cause. Cultivate a strong working relationship with everyone in the country who shares your ideological viewpoint. Every right-wing pundit, ideologue, gas bag, think tank, and PAC is totally, madly in love with Scott Walker. Does anyone know of a single prominent liberal or left winger who is particularly excited about Obama?
9. Position yourself as the purest and most forceful national leader on a particular policy area in order to generate enthusiasm and raise massive amounts of money and political support from interest groups across the country. By willing to lose everything, even the office itself, for a cause, Walker won big.
10. Heavily outspend your opponents on advertising. Make sure to demonize your opponents to make them seem as beyond the pale in the eyes of voters. OK, this last point is not as relevant for most Democrats--they simply aren't going to outspend Republican opponents. But Walker's win should be a healthy reminder to liberals who like to prattle on about "people power" and "grassroots support." If you can't outspend your opponent, you need to get fairly close to matching your opponent in ad dollars or you should prepare to lose.
www.tjwalker.com