The Daily Signal - #432: Gov. Scott Walker Stared Down a Leftist Mob. Here's His Advice to Other Conservatives.

Episode Date: April 3, 2019

Former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker had to deal with plenty of liberal activists during his tenure. In an interview recorded at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Walker shares what he learned--and how to deal with a biased media. We also cover these stories:•The House Judiciary Committee votes to subpoena the Muller report.•The NATO secretary general addresses Congress.•New Mexico has officially ditched Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous Peoples Day. The Daily Signal podcast is available on Ricochet, iTunes, SoundCloud, Google Play, or Stitcher. All of our podcasts can be found at DailySignal.com/podcasts. If you like what you hear, please leave a review. You can also leave us a message at 202-608-6205 or write us at [e-mail]. Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At Capital One, we're more than just a credit card company. We're people just like you who believe in the power of yes. Yes to new opportunities. Yes to second chances. Yes to a fresh start. That's why we've helped over 4 million Canadians get access to a credit card. Because at Capital One, we say yes, so you don't have to hear another no. What will you do with your yes?

Get the yes you've been waiting for at Capital One.ca.ca. slash yes. Terms and conditions apply. This is the Daily Signal podcast for Thursday, April 4th. I'm Kate Trinco. And I'm Daniel Davis. Scott Walker was the undefeatable governor. He helped transform the blue state of Wisconsin during his eight years there as governor before losing last fall by a narrow margin. Kate was able to chat with Walker at CPAC about some of his most vivid memories as governor. Today we'll bring you that interview. Plus, Jordan Peterson's appearance at Liberty University was a bit more dramatic than probably he expected, and it's drawing new attention to why so many people look to Peterson for answers.

We'll discuss. And if you're enjoying this podcast, please consider leaving a review or a five-star rating on iTunes, and please subscribe and encourage others you know to subscribe. That'll help us grow. Now on to our top news. The House Judiciary Committee is determined to get the full report by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on the investigation of the Trump campaign's ties

with Russia. The committee voted to subpoena the Justice Department on Wednesday, and here's what committee chairman, Representative Jerry Nadler, Democrat of New York, had to say. This committee requires the full report and the underlying materials because it is our job, not the attorney generals, to determine whether or not President Trump has abused his office. And we require the report because one day, one way or another, the country will move on from President Trump. We must make it harder for future presidents to behave this way. Well, Congressman Adam Schiff is doubling down on his collusion claims, even as Robert Mueller's investigation has cleared the president of collusion. Schiff, who chairs the House Intelligence

Committee, said on Wednesday that the Trump campaign definitely colluded with Russia. The problem was just that Mueller couldn't prove it. Here's what he said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. I accept Mueller's conclusion, and I assume Barrie wouldn't misrepresent this, that he could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the crime of conspiracy. But as I've said along, there's plenty of evidence of collusion and corrupt commingling of work between the Trump campaign and the Russians. But I fully accept as a prosecutor that he couldn't prove beyond a reasonable doubt that crime. And as you know, because I've made this distinction on your show, I've always said, well, there was ample evidence of collusion in the police. public record, whether Bob Mueller could prove the crime of conspiracy bond, reasonable doubt would

be up to him and I would accept his judgment, and I do. NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg addressed Congress on Wednesday and addressed the spending issue President Trump has so frequently brought up. Future enemies of freedom may choose violence again. Our desire for a peaceful world is simply not enough. We must act and invest to make it so. NATO allies must spend more. on defense. This has been the clear message from President Trump, and this message is having a real

impact. Well, until recently, President Trump had pushed for Republicans to replace Obamacare, but Republicans balked at that, and now the president has changed course. Now he says health care needs to wait until after the 2020 election, and he denies ever wanting the vote to have taken place before then. On Wednesday, he tweeted, quote, I was never planning a vote prior to the 2020 election on the wonderful health care package that some very talented people are now developing for me and the Republican Party, it will be on full display during the election as a much better and less expensive alternative to Obamacare. Is Joe Biden just being affectionate or is he a creeper? The New York Times reported on two more women coming forward to express discomfort with

the former vice president's Hansi approach. The Times reports, quote, Caitlin Caruso, a former college student and sexual assault survivor, said Biden rested his hand on her thigh, even as she squirmed in her seat to show her discomfort, and hugged her just a little bit too long at an event on sexual assault at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She was 19, end quote. Caruso is now 22. Another woman, DJ Hill, 59, told the time she took a photo with Biden back in 2012, and she was, was uncomfortable with how far his hand slipped down or back. Well, Justice Clarence Thomas over the weekend put rumors to bed that he might soon be retiring from the Supreme Court. Speaking at a Pepperdine

Law School dinner on Saturday, Thomas was asked by a professor who was moderating the discussion who he would want to speak at his hypothetical retirement ceremony 20 years from now. Thomas simply replied, I'm not retiring per law 360. Thomas is now 70 years old and the longest serving justice currently on the court, having been there since 1991. Some have speculated that he might want to retire under President Trump, and while Republicans in the Senate can secure a like-minded successor. Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, thinks it's possible that the Southern Poverty Law Center,

which is currently in turmoil after accusations of racism and sexual harassment, and its top two people stepping down, shouldn't be a nonprofit. The senator asked the IRS to investigate, saying that it was important to protect, quote, taxpayer dollars from a racist and sexist slush fund devoted to defamation, end quote. The Southern Poverty Law Center has long lumped in social conservative groups with hate groups like the KKK.

Well, New Mexico has officially ditched Columbus Day in favor of Indigenous People's Day. Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill on Tuesday passed by the legislature that removes Columbus Day as a state holiday and replaces it with a holiday celebrating the heritage of Native American peoples. Native Americans make up roughly 12% of the state's population. New Mexico joins at least five other states, including Hawaii and Vermont, that have abolished Columbus Day.

Next up, we'll have my interview with former governor, Scott Walker. Do you own an Alexa? You can now get the Daily Signal podcast every day as part of your daily flash briefing. It's easy to do. Just open up your Alexa app, go to settings, and select Flash Briefing. From there, you can search for the Daily Signal podcast and add it to your flash briefing so you can stay up to date with the top news of the day that the liberal media isn't covering. Joining us today from CPAC is Governor Scott Walker, Republican of Wisconsin. So, Governor, you were in charge of a blue state, fairly blue state for eight years.

You had, let's say, an epic sort of governorship. What were some of your biggest lessons from those eight years? Well, I think coming into a blue state, because in 2010, when I first ran, everything was, was blue. Both U.S. senators, majority of house seats, both of our legislative bodies, governor, lieutenant governor, all Democrat. We changed it, and a couple of key things. One, we focused on a couple key issues. So we talked about everything tied into the economic and fiscal crisis we faced in the state, really in the nation, and everything we did came back to that. So we repeated it over and over again. Secondly, we went big and we went bold and we did it early. We knew in a blue

state, we might not have the chance to do all these things if we waited more than in that first first 45 to 60 days. And then we had the time to prove that our reforms worked. The other big thing, the other big takeaway was every time we had a win instead of hoarding political capital like a lot of politicians do, we kept reinvesting it. So we had a battle with the unions, collective bargaining. Once we won that battle, we invested in the tax reform, welfare reform, health care reform. We kept reforming and reinvesting it. So why do you think that you had the courage to go bold right away? Because I'd say a lot of conservatives get frustrated because their politicians say

someday, someday, someday, and meanwhile liberals pass Obamacare right away when Obama's president. So how were you able to get other people on board with this? Let's actually do something. Well, I think the kicker is not only to find good candidates, but to make sure that there are people who've really thought about and believe in what they're doing. Literally about 10 years ago at this time, I went to Indiana, Mitch Daniels is then the governor. I thought he was doing a good job in that state. Ironically, the guy that took us around that day along with the governor. That was the guy named Eric Holcomb, who's now the governor

being he had himself. Talk about how some things go full circle. Exactly. But I went down there to meet with because I thought before I run, I want to make sure I can actually get things done. And I thought, in addition to Tommy Thompson, who in my state years before me, had been a great reformer on education reform with vouchers and on welfare reform. I wanted to look at a more modern or more frequent, not frequent, but a more recent, I should say, example when I went to Mitch. That's really important, whether it's running for a legislative seat and executive decision, whatever people are running for. It's making sure they've not only about how to win, but how to govern. Okay, so let's go back to that collective bargaining fight.

I mean, I still remember seeing the pictures and it just seemed like a madhouse. I mean, the state capital was flooded with protests, right? It was. The Occupy movement did not start on Wall Street. It happened on my street. And then it went to Wall Street. after they lost. They literally did go to Wall Street. But it was one where early on there were a few thousand protesters, which would have been big anywhere. You got to be over 150, or excuse me, over 100, almost 150,000.

And it was because it started out with Wisconsin folks. But when the left realized what we really were taking away was their power, we were taking the power out of the big government special interest and putting it firmly in the hands of the hardworking taxpayers, they could not have that. They would have sold their members out, I believe, for anything, for paying 100% of health. and insurance premiums, 100% of their pension.

If only we had allowed them to keep their dues, their automatic dues deduction, we stopped that and gave workers the freedom to choose whether they want to be in union or not, and that's what frightened them the most. So what lessons did you learn from how to handle them? Because, I mean, as I recall at the time, everyone thought this was a fairly normal reform. Obviously, there were objections, but no one thought it was going to lead to a political firestorm of the magnitude that occurred. And I imagine on the ground at the time, you guys were kind of making snap decisions pretty rapidly about how to address it.

It was unbelievable. In fact, I wrote a book a few years ago called Unintimited. It's worth, I think, worth folks reading because it's not my autobiography. People will be surprised to learn that there's very little about me personally in there. It's really about what we did. And it starts, the beginning of the book isn't chronological. It starts with a part where we had a report that the Capitol, again, was taken over completely by the mobs who came in and just wouldn't leave out there. and we learned a lot along the way. In fact, we passed it on later when member of Michigan put in place freedom to work.

We actually helped them because we learned things along the way. Probably the most important thing I learned throughout the process, which then I adapted elsewhere, was I was so eager to fix things because we had a real problem I had to fix that I just fixed it. I didn't talk about it. Usually in politics, particularly in Washington, they talk about it, but they never fix it. What I learned in the end is you've got to do both.

You can't just fix things and expect that people just automatically know. So I constantly, instead of talking about the what, remind myself and my team over the years, you've got to explain why you're doing something. And then the what will make sense. Okay. And what would your advice be to other conservatives right now as they deal with leftist mobs? Well, I think the kick, you know, a couple key things. One, spend a lot of time talking with your colleagues.

So I would go to both legislative caucuses. the Republicans in the Assembly, the Republicans in the Senate, spent a lot of time talking with them. And what we found is the more angry, the more intense, the worse off the protesters were, the more we got threats and death threats and other things. It more it actually unified us as long as we are communicating. Don't let outside influences be the only thing they're hearing.

Keep communicating with your supporters. We did the same thing. I would do daily press conferences to talk directly to the public and to our supporters. I think that's just critically important along the way. and know that in the end it may be difficult, but you know, what's the old adage? It's always darkest right before the dawn. There's a lot of truth to that.

See your way through. In the end when you can fully enact, the biggest mistake conservatives can make is to push for some bold reform and then pull back at the last second because they're intimidated by the media or the left, sometimes hard to tell, which is which, or unions or anybody else,

because that's the worst case to know for us because then nobody ever gets to see the benefits at the same time. They get worked up on all the attacks and the threats. Once people saw things worked, our schools were the same or better, our property taxes went down. That's why we wanted to recall with a greater vote than we did the first time. Right. So speaking of doing these daily press conferences, I was kind of surprised to hear you say that. You know, a lot of conservatives say, like, should we engage with the media?

How to do it? Why, you know, why did you decide to do it daily and how would you advise people to deal with the media? What varies by circumstance. So my case, when we did this, I was fortunate because after the first couple days, it got so much attention because of the protest that the local media and then eventually even some of the cable networks started covering my 5 o'clock press conference live. So I would do it at the same time, and I would do it right at the start of the news. And so the beauty of that was, which you'll appreciate is it was unfiltered.

And I didn't go in for too long. I'd do it for about 10 minutes or so. Talk for a few minutes. take a couple of questions, but I wanted to talk directly to the people in my state. It's why I now use, not only do a press conference, but I'm a big believer in social media. We do Twitter and Facebook and Instagram and Snapchat and all that, because these are always to talk directly to the people and not have to deal with the filter. Over the years, we do town hall meetings, we do telephone town hall meetings on phones,

we do Facebook live town hall meetings, we do things like that, and that's a way to talk directly to the people. So are there any particular political issues or political figures that you're following right now or admire or care a lot about? Well, I've always been a big fan of Ronald Reagan. So to me, even though that's old school, I think, you know, old is cool again. And, you know, if you think about these principles, I mean, ironically, you know, let's make America great again, actually came from Ronald Reagan. And President Trump was wise enough to invoke that same sort of concept and principle along the way. But, you know, for me, issue-wise, I think one of the most...

under-covered, under-discussed issue, with all the things going on, with all the socialism coming on the left, with the President, rightfully so, focused on border security and the threats to our nation and to freedom. All those things are important, but I think we don't talk nearly enough, those of us on the right, about the strength of economic policies, about the importance of work, that the real difference of socialism is not just about Obamacare, it's not just in some of these other thing. It's fundamentally, I think, One of the biggest problems with the so-called Green New Deal isn't just the taxes or the regulations or, as their notes said, getting rid of farting cows and airplanes, which is crazy. It's the idea that they want to guarantee a job for everyone, even if they don't want to work.

I think in their heart, most Americans know that most of us as human beings want to work. We want to find joy in our labor. And I think it's really important for us to talk about that, to talk about ways to improve the economy, which will, more than the government, raise wages. and improve people's lives and opportunities. So speaking of cows and Ocacia Cortez's plan, I can't imagine that Wisconsin, which I gather has, okay, cheese, not as good as my home state, California, but okay.

Just messing with you, Governor. Gold medal, word champions. But I would imagine, though, we talk so much about Wisconsin and the forgotten men and women and, you know, these concerns. So how do you think these very progressive ideas are playing among people in Wisconsin? Well, I think the challenge is, goes back to your question about the Main Street media,

why it's so critically important to get the facts on. this case actually part of the facts it's just reading what they say I mean you almost thought the early frequently asked question sheet that they put out they later adjusted it but you almost thought it was something out of the onion I mean it was so ridiculous they they said they had the phases planning over 10 years because they didn't think they could get rid of the farting cows and airplanes those were their words I just love being able to say not flagellation or anything else like they would have said in the past but but and so what was her big response when you know not even our conservative but somebody just kind of a comedian pushed back and said,

hey, wait a minute, what about these cows? She's, well, I know it's really about factory farms and really not knowing what she's talking about. She said, oh, we just can't eat hamburgers three times a day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, to which I tweeted back at her. I said, well, I don't know. If they're Culver's hamburgers from Wisconsin, that just sounds delicious to me.

But, I mean, it's ridiculous. Who's saying we should be eating hamburgers three times a day? But that's just how far out there she is. And I asked the other day when I was on a campus how many people had had cheese or consumed ice cream or custard or put some cream in their coffee. Well, everybody there had in the last day or two. I asked how many people in the last six months have been on an airplane. Think about how screwed up our economy and our lives would be if we didn't access to that. I particularly found amusement in the senator from Hawaii.

It was a pretty big liberal who was asked about this new plan. And she says, I don't know that it works too well for Hawaii. The high-speed train to Hawaii just isn't going to cut it. Yeah, you don't really want to kayak there. Well, thank you so much for joining us, Governor. Good to be with you. Are you looking for quick conservative policy solutions to current issues? Sign up for Heritage's weekly newsletter, The Agenda.

In the agenda, you will learn what issues Heritage Scholars on Capitol Hill are working on, what position conservatives are taking, and links to our in-depth research. The agenda also provides information on important events happening here at Heritage that you can watch online as well as media interviews from our experts. Sign up for the agenda on heritage.org today. Over the weekend, Canadian professor, author, and YouTube star, Jordan Peterson spoke at Liberty University. When he was there, a man rushed up asking him to help. My name is David Liu about you. I'm unwell. I need help.

I need help. I just wanted to meet you. I'm unwell. I called on. I'm a chair. David. Say a prayer for him. Yes, sir. I'm here.

Father, we thank you for David. Pray for healing for him, salvation for him, restoration for him. God, right now, just come into his life, let him know that he's valuable to you. Lord, I pray that in this moment

that you would just begin to work in his spirit, Lord, let him know that we're for him, we're not against him, that God, that he just can find healing, that he's here, that you put him here. in this moment. So while obviously this is an extreme circumstance,

there's been a lot of talk over about how Peterson, the author of 12 Rules for Life, has really appealed to young men and seemingly struck accord with young men who seem to be lost right now. So joining us to discuss is two Daily Signal video producers, Thalia Rampersad, who actually just saw Peterson at a Heritage Foundation event last night,

and problematic women host, Lauren Evans, who has to be a. to hear about Peterson from our guy friends all the time. So, Lauren, what did you think about this? And why do you think that, you know, guys you know find Peterson so interesting? Well, I think that piece of audio was heartbreaking to hear that man just wailing and just crying out for help. And I think it speaks to men in our country are unhappy. Just like we talk about all the time on problematic women, how women are unhappy.

Our society, they put value on physical things, on money, on sex. and really those things don't fulfill you. And I think that's what Jordan Peterson is telling these young men is that you're going to find happiness and the hard things in life, like marriage, like being successful in your job, like being moral citizens. And these men are really attracted to it. And the more that they do these things and that they do the tough things in life

and kind of work through this, the happier they are. And so it kind of just builds on that. Which is interesting because you would think that a message of do the hard things wouldn't resonate. Well, you would think that, except I think men at particular, are built at their best to confront hardship. And one of the things that Jordan Peterson talks about is a sense of adventure and, you know, being open to a sense of danger as being a healthy thing.

And I think, frankly, a lot of men in our culture are coddled today and not allowed to be adventurous. and I think he speaks to a certain, something inherent within, within, I think all people, but especially men, which is that there are all kinds of ways in life to be adventurous and do hard things that are actually good. The society tends to say, no, you just need to be, you know, you need to stop. That's just toxic masculinity, right? Any kind of, that's just aggression, but he actually wants to steer it toward a virtuous end. which I think is very helpful, and a lot of people are showing up and buying tickets to hear it. And what do you mean by adventurous?

Because I think, you know, there's a lot of young adults who don't have kids and have a lot of free time and do things like whitewater rafting or climbing mountains. But it seems like you're talking about adventure in a different sense. So I think, I mean, a lot of the people who do come out to hear them are young people who tend to be single. So I think it does make sense that they're coming out to hear him. But I think basic things like you've been with your girlfriend for eight years, get married, you know, basic things about life, like bringing order into the chaos. That's what his book is about. That's what he, you know, he's trying to get people. It's not, so it's not

just an overt sense of, you know, go climb a mountain or go, you know, run a marathon. It's much more meaningful than that. I think it's about conquering your, your challenges in life and facing them down, which could include things like parenting. And I think, too, my friends talked about it as, you know, with video games. Like, to them, that was a major part of their life. And It kind of says, like, turn off the video games. Like, go find a girlfriend. Like, go try to have human relationships and not relationships. On video games.

Yeah, well, that's the message I can definitely get behind. So with Leah, you heard and speak last night. I believe you're a fan. You're a Liberty University alum. What do you think? So tackling the clip first, having been a Liberty alum, I've been to several of those convocations for four years. And listening to that episode,

And just the scene that happened was, I was taken aback. It was something very out of the ordinary, having been to so many of them. And that was interesting to watch because I was interested to see what the reaction was from the leadership on stage. And seeing David Nasser pray over him, that seemed to fall into line to how Liberty would have reacted to it. But what I was more interested in was what Jordan Peterson's reaction was. And I mean, I obviously didn't see what happened afterwards, but I think that's what's so interesting. to me would be to see what would have happened and what his interaction would have been with that young man afterwards, seeing that his following is that demographic.

Fulia, I think you're 100% right. And I think the issue is that we're not teaching our children, like basic values. Like these are biblical values of, you know, just the golden rule of, you know, loving your family, being a good citizen. But we weren't teaching entire generations of this. So it's kind of crazy that this simple little thing is turning a switch in so many young men's minds. And I wonder if on that, you know, a lot of Christianity nowadays doesn't focus as much on the suffering aspect. It doesn't really stress as much like to do the hard things. You know, that's sort of an underplayed message. So I wonder, yeah, I mean, Phila, I've read part of Peterson's 12 Rules for Life.

I liked it. But, yeah, I got what you said. It didn't feel like anything super new or profound. But it's obviously resonating, and it may just be that, as you're saying, Lauren, they just haven't heard this stuff. Yeah. And one thing my guy friends did tell me is that even though Peterson himself is not, it's kind of wishy-washy how strong of a Christian he is. He's not really. It's not really.

In an orthodox sense. Yeah. It makes a lot of use of biblical teaching, though. Yeah. But they said they have multiple friends who have gone from atheists to now even devout Catholics through, you know, just going through his messages, and they kind of connect the dots to Christianity. And I think also what resonates is that he pushes back on the culture of victimhood. People are taught that they're just victims, just passive people in the world who endure suffering.

And he's saying you do have suffering, but you're not just a victim. And you can do a lot about your circumstances, and you're a moral agent. And that I think people find that empowering because if you've been told for a year, that you're just a victim and you can't do anything about the world. That makes you really cynical. And he kind of gets in your face in terms of victimhood to say, yeah, you might have had really bad things happen to you, but the most dignifying thing that we can tell you is to make something of your life.

And I think people actually respond to that because it is dignifying. Okay. Well, Lauren, Thalia, thanks so much for joining us today. Thanks for having us. Thank you. And we're going to leave it there for today. Thanks for listening to the Daily Signal podcast, brought to you from the Robert H. Bruce Radio Studio at the Heritage Foundation. Please be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Google Play, or SoundCloud, and please leave us a review or a five-star rating on iTunes. We'll see you again tomorrow. You've been listening to the Daily Signal podcast, executive produced by Kate Trinko and Daniel Davis.

Sound design by Michael Gooden, Lauren Evans, and Thalia Rampersad. For more information, visit DailySignal.com.