What They Are Saying: About Scott Walker's South Carolina Trip on May 9, 2015
The Hill: Walker Goes Strong on Foreign Policy: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker brought a South Carolina crowd to its feet Saturday during his remarks on national security…Walker used foreign policy as the climax for his speech, framing the issue as a matter of courage and emotion rather than “something you read in the newspaper.” “On behalf of your children and mine, I want a leader that is willing to take a fight to them before they take the fight to us,” Walker said, referring to ISIS and “radical Islamic” fighters. The line received a standing ovation. (Elise Viebeck – May 9, 2015)
Bloomberg: Scott Walker Sets Pace at South Carolina Freedom Summit: With his rolled-up sleeves and relaxed demeanor, was utterly confident and fully in command. Projected more “Scott” than “Governor,” which is his winning formula for now. Twin pillars of family tales and his political battles in Wisconsin remain his rhetorical foundation. (Mark Halperin – May 9, 2015)
New York Times: Mr. Walker ran through an extended list of his accomplishments as governor of Wisconsin. “We did some pretty big things,” he said. He recalled how he survived a recall election, lowered his state’s unemployment rate, and passed gun-friendly legislation and voter identification laws. And he spoke often of his wife and children. “The reason I tell you that all here is not to brag — well not much,” he joked, before making the case that his actions in Wisconsin could translate to national stage… But he seemed to really capture the crowd when he spoke about national security, or, as Mr. Walker described it, “safety.” (Nick Corisanti – May 9, 2015)
Wisconsin State Journal: Gov. Scott Walker received an enthusiastic response from hundreds of tea party activists here Saturday in laying out his track record of winning elections and governing as a conservative in Democratic strongholds… The audience burst into applause when Walker talked about the unemployment rate dropping from 9.2 percent to 4.6 percent since he took office. As he crescendoed toward the end of the 25-minute speech with calls to stand up to Iran and stand with Israel, the audience gave multiple standing ovations. (Matthew DeFour – May 9, 2015)
AP: [Walker] said government needs to get of the way and power needs to be put back in the hands of the American people…He's already a popular figure among many in South Carolina for his efforts as governor to weaken Wisconsin's public employee unions. (AP – May 9, 2015)
USA Today: Walker accused the federal government of over-regulating the economy and infringing on personal and religious freedoms. "Washington is the problem," Walker said after his remarks. (David Jackson — May 9, 2015)
Greenville News: Ignoring the podium so he can move around the stage, the Wisconsin governor appears without a suit jacket and with his sleeves rolled up, looking a little more casual than other speakers, and apparently, ready to work…Walker, who added that he's Israel-bound in a few hours, said safety is another top priority, drawing cheers for many lines, including this one: "We need a president who can back away from that deal in Iran and set the record straight." (Tonya Maxwell – May 9, 2015)
The Guardian: The roughly 2,000 grassroots activists who had gathered to see 2016 GOP hopefuls roared the loudest and rose to its feet when the governor of Wisconsin lambasted Barack Obama’s foreign policy and invoked the threat posed to the US by the Islamic State… Conservatives howled and hooted as Walker, who was criticized by Obama himself for his lack of foreign policy expertise, went after the administration’s nuclear deal with Iran, its handling of terrorism and its relationship with Israel. (Sabrina Siddiqui – May 9, 2015)
On The Twitters:
@1PatriciaMurphy: No podium, no notes, no prompter, no jacket for @ScottWalker. #SCFreedomSummit crowd loved what got.
@ScottWalker: Got to South Carolina late last night in my Greenville @harleydavidson shirt. Going to be a good day today! –SKW
@wpjenna: Scott Walker takes the stage to standing applause, flashes double thumbs-up. First words: “Freedom! Freedom!”
@DavidMDrucker: @ScottWalker now going thru record as gov. One asset he has – record of legislation @ state level that Rs want in DC. #SCFreedomSummit
@BuzzAtTheState: Scott Walker speaks at SC Freedom Summit. Biggest crowd reax from news his state passed pro-life & right-to-work laws
@TimAlberta: Approx 15 mins into speech, Walker triggers a series of standing ovations when talking tough on foreign policy
@WSJMattD4: Walker gets standing ovation for saying we need a president who will stand up to Iran. #SCFreedomSummit
@SabrinaSiddiqui: Crowd gets most fired up during Scott Walker’s comments on foreign policy – Iran, Israel, radical Islam. #SCFreedomSummit
@LightmanDavid: Big applause for @ScottWalker when he tells #SCSummit “we need a president who will affirm Israel is our ally and start acting like it”
@adamplevy: At #SCSummit, @ScottWalker gets loud applause criticizing Iran negotiations, nothing he knows one of the 1979 hostages
@skropf47: Scott Walker says he grew up knowing one of the US hostages held in Iran for 444 days. Not much has changed in Iran but the names, he said.
@JustinWLOS: Crowd is loving @ScottWalker #SCFreedomSummit
