David Axelrod on why Scott Walker wants to be the POTUS

[lutefisk]

I think David Axelrod has Scott Walker figured out. In an interview with Paul Fanlund of the Cap Times, Axelrod gives the very simple reason that Walker wants to be President, and it explains Walker's apparent willingness to say and do anything, no matter how destructive, to get there. For his entire life Walker has desperately wanted to be the President, but there is no greater purpose than a self-centered ambition. That explains much about Scott Walker. As Rep. Mark Pocan said, “I've never met anyone who wants to be president more” than Scott Walker.

Axelrod drew a contrast between Obama, whom he believes sought the presidency to do something, and Republican Gov. Scott Walker, whom he regards as someone seeking the office to be something.

When I mentioned to Axelrod how Walker has been likened to Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee who seemed clueless on the national stage, he pointed to a key difference: “I don’t think Palin intended to run for president from the age of six.” . . .

I suggested that Walker might struggle in the GOP primary because of his shifting positions — always toward the right — apparently to elevate himself in a crowded Republican field. “The world has changed,” Axelrod agreed. “In today’s politics, you cannot be one candidate in the primary and expect not to be held to those positions later.”

Axelrod, who said Walker might not have won gubernatorial elections in presidential election years with their much larger turnouts, added that the governor may struggle in the intense national spotlight: “Presidential politics is like pole-vaulting; each time you clear a bar, it gets raised. The scrutiny becomes more intense as you go on. The glib answers you can get by with early don’t work later. Your record is evaluated by a much harsher standard. We’ll see how he fares.”
[/div
LINK

[merrily]

1. I think Scott Walker wants to be President so he can do something for the Kochs and ALEC.