The key to Walker’s success was his performance among middle- and lower-income voters. Walker won those earning more than $100,000 by 20 points, just as Mitt Romney had in 2012. But he won voters earning between $50,000 and $100,000 by 17 points; Romney only won them by 1. Those earning less than $50,000 Walker lost by 9 points—whereas Romney lost them by 25. As reporter Molly Ball pointed out in the Atlantic earlier this year about that last group, “whether Democrats win these voters by a 10-point or a 20-point margin tells you who won every national election for the past decade.”Walker won over more of the middle- and working-class for one reason more than any other: His decision to balance the state’s budget by curtailing collective bargaining ultimately proved successful and popular. But it was far from clear that this would be the case when he took on the unions soon after he entered the governor’s mansion.
These people in Wisconsin that voted him would have voted democrat 50 years ago. Why? People used to think the Democrat Party stood for the little guy. And many times they did. But their policies used to work out fine because they didn't consider government intrusion to be their defining quality like they do now. Now that their policies like Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, weaponized EPA, etc. actually hurt all Americans, they are losing their formerly staunch supporters.
I'd really like to see Walker run for President in 2016. There's no reason he couldn't get the Reagan democrat and practical independent voting bloc nationwide. And he'd get the conservative vote out handily.
As the man said, "Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser." Like what's-her-name.
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