I figured that Scotty Who Lies Without Consequence would stay in awhile longer thanks to the Kochs, but maaaaaaaaybe not:
Presidential candidate Scott Walker on Friday abruptly canceled his planned speech at the California Republican Party convention next weekend, according to someone involved with the event's planning who was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, had been a top draw to the state GOP gathering, and was due to speak at the Saturday night dinner in front of hundreds of delegates and guests in Anaheim.
This particular Friday news dump speaks volumes. More on this below the fold.
Remember, he wasn't just going to appear at the banquet, he was going to headline it.
That's what this hastily-yanked (but fortunately Google cached) California Republican Party webpage from September 10 states:
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The California Republican Party announced today that recently declared Republican Presidential candidate and Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, will headline the CRP 2015 Fall Convention Saturday dinner banquet on September 19 at the Anaheim Marriott.
“With years of experience in local and state government, fighting for sensible and sound reform, we are looking forward to having Governor Walker with us in Anaheim,” said California Republican Party Chairman Jim Brulte. “Governor Walker is sure to be an inspirational voice for California Republicans as we take time at convention to build on our foundation for a successful 2016.”
“Governor Walker is a leader among Republicans and we are excited that he has joined the field of Republican Presidential candidates, and that he will join us at the California Republican Party Convention in Anaheim,” said California Republican Party Vice Chairman Harmeet K. Dhillon.
“I’m looking forward to joining my fellow Republicans in California to talk more about the year ahead and how we can succeed in 2016 and keep Hillary Clinton out of the White House,” said Governor Scott Walker.
Currently serving in his second term as Governor, Walker first became interested in public service when he served as a representative to Boys Nation in Washington D.C. during his teen years. Governor Walker’s interest in public service followed him through college and into the work force, where he was first elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1993.
Governor Walker served four terms before leaving the Assembly to fill the role of Milwaukee County Executive. Throughout his time in the legislature, as county executive and most recently in the Governor’s office, Governor Walker has put a strong emphasis on making sensible reforms.
California might not be all that friendly vote-wise to Republican candidates, but it's a well-known ATM for them, particularly in the Inland Empire and Southern California.
For Scott Walker to suddenly bail on an event he was going to be headlining, to snub an event where thousands of oligarchs and rich actors like Bruce Willis would be attending with checkbooks at the ready, is not the move of a wise man - or a man with a healthy campaign.
So why would he do this? A possible hint appears in another bit of news - namely, his abysmal showings in the polls of the last two months:
Iowa is essentially irrelevant for the GOPe candidate and never part of any plan for Jeb Bush. The same was true in ’11/’12 for Romney who basically ignored the state rather than spend all the necessary schmooze time. (Santorum won in ’12) In recent elections Iowa has not been favorable for the establishment teams.
But for Scott Walker, Iowa is a regional necessity if he is to remain a viable candidate. Thus the latest Iowa poll displays a troubling reality.
In July Walker was pulling 12% in Iowa, that dropped to 8% weeks later in the Des Moines Register poll; a few days later Walker registered 7% in the Monmouth Univ. Poll; now he’s down to 3% in the latest Quinnipiac result. 12,.. 8,.. 7,.. 3,… well, you can see the problem.
Walker was expected to attend a California GOP convention next Saturday as the Keynote Speaker. According to recent reports he abruptly cancelled his plans:
[…] Walker had been scheduled to deliver the keynote at the GOP gathering next Saturday but abruptly withdrew, according to the paper.
Walker’s campaign did not respond to the paper’s request for comment. (link)
It would be reasonable to assume the Iowa polling has something to do with Walker reassessing his schedule.
Yeah, it would.
My guess is that he's already angling for a possible VP spot, and (if he knows what's good for him politically) seeing how many of his people can get jobs with other campaigns. (Then again, if he's content to end his political career with a governorship, he can just cut his people loose and not give a rip. That'd be more in character for him.)