Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s recent second-place finish in the CPAC 2015 straw poll was no doubt very encouraging. Staying within shouting distance of Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s highly organized cadre of CPAC acolytes in a survey the Paul family has dominated for years is always gratifying.
Walker’s 21.4 percent compared very favorably with Paul’s 25.7 percent and was almost twice what third–place finisher Sen. Ted Cruz, R–Texas, totaled. And the standing–room–only crowd spilling out into the hallway at the Coffee With Scott Walker event proved supporters would tolerate mass transit level crowding just to get a glimpse of the candidate.
But the real, tangible confirmation of Walker’s ascent into the upper reaches of the Republican presidential contest came when the New York Times painted a target on his back and attacked him with a story that was false, but fit the Times’ template for heartless Republicans.
The Weekly Standard caught New York Times columnist Gail Collins redhanded — maybe that should be left handed, since it is the Times — blaming Walker for teacher mislabeling and layoffs, although it is difficult to determine which Ms. Collins thinks is more outrageous.
According to the Standard, “Gail Collins accused Walker of falsely claiming that a young woman named Megan Sampson was "outstanding teacher of the year" when she was technically named "outstanding first-year teacher." A difference that can only be of importance in the NYT newsroom, since it doesn’t either enhance or detract from Ms. Sampson’s accomplishment.
Then Collins blames Walker for Megan’s layoff in 2010: “Those layoffs happened because Walker cut state aid to education.” Conservatives agree that Walker has had a powerful effect on education in Wisconsin, but his impact does not extend into the past.
Megan was laid off a year before Walker took office in 2011 because a Democrat governor cut aid to education.
In fact the Standard goes on to point out “Walker's reforms saved teachers' jobs, noting that right before Walker's 2012 recall election, his Democratic opponent, Tom Barrett, couldn't name a single school that had been hurt by Walker's policies.”
This is the bias and inaccuracy that is characteristic of the coverage mainstream media gives Republican presidential candidates that could threaten Democrat control of the White House. The Washington Post had an expose on a vigorous haircut that Mitt Romney gave a fellow student in high school. And Rick Perry was taken to task for a rock located outside the gate to a family hunting camp that someone painted white.
“Facts” that aren’t checked and minor incidents from far in the past that are blown all out of proportion are just part of the minefield Republicans have to navigate in today’s media environment. Scott Walker — welcome to the big time and watch your back.
Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan. He is president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation and chairman of the League of American Voters. Mike is an in-demand speaker with Premiere. Read more reports from Michael Reagan — Go Here Now.