Extra Credit Blog

Moving forward with Scott Walker and his campaign it is important to remember that YOUR help still counts and matters. Unfortunately, Walker is struggling right now because of his success in the 2016 presidential race. As you may all know he dropped out a few months ago. However, just because Walker dropped out doesn’t mean he walked away from the race with no consequences. His drop out left him with a $1 million debt and he is asking for his supporters help to help him pay that off.

Some of you may be asking yourselves, why would we help Walker with his debt? What good is that going to do for me? 

Walker understands that asking for help to pay off his campaigns debt is a difficult request. He says that he wants to repay every small business that helped him throughout the election. He is hoping that his strong supporters are still willing to help him out due to a good cause. 

Although Walker has already asked his supporters for donations, I am going to do the same. These donations can be made in any amount between $10, $35, $50, $100, $250 or the amount you desire. 

These donations can be made on his Campaigns website: https://www.scottwalker.com and every donation will be greatly appreciated by both Walker and his campaign. 

Sources: 

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-to-be-debate-spectator-and-appear-earlier-with-bush-rubio-b99611434z1-342004751.html

https://www.scottwalker.com

http://img2-3.timeinc.net/people/i/2015/news/150511/scott-walker-1024.jpg

http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/host.madison.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/3e/73e4b9f0-d1a8-524b-b93e-1df0880377f2/55a30742858c0.image.jpg

Agenda Setting

Considering that Scott Walker’s campaign has been suspended, his website is no longer up and running. Now, if you look up his campaign’s website you are still able to donate and the page simply says “Thank You”.  Here is his retired webpage: 

https://www.scottwalker.com/index.html

For this blog post I decided to analyze another candidates webpage. I decided to look at Ben Carson’s webpage. 

I wanted to learn a little more about him and the issues that his campaign is focusing on. Under his “Issues” column he lists the issues that you can learn more about on his site, these issues include: Protecting Innocent Life, Balanced Budget Amendment, Education, Keep Gitmo Open, Health Care, Keep Faith in Our Society, Russia and Lessons Learned, Protect the Second Amendment, Stand by Israel our Bulwark Middle East Ally, and The American People Deserve a Better Tax Code.

It seems as though Ben Carson is very passionate about all of these issues. I think that one of his main focuses is on Protecting Innocent Life. I believe this because not only is it the first issue listed, but he also describes himself as “unabashedly and entirely pro life”.  I can also tell that a Balanced Budget Amendment is very important to Carson as well. This issue is the second issue listed on his website. Along with this issue, Carson shows that he knows his facts. He knows what the debt was in 2009 as well as what he thinks this economy needs to do moving forward to never reach that point again. 

Next, I decided to look at another front runner’s webpage. Donald Trump. There was no specific “issues” tab on Trumps page, but I decided to look more into what he calls his “positions”. His positions include, U.S.-China Trade Reform, Veterans Administration Reforms, Tax Reform, Second Amendment Rights, Immigration Reform. Under each category, he gives a small description on his stance towards the position as well as an opportunity for the viewer to read more. 

Although the issues that Trump and Carson talk about are very different, they are all very important and relevant in the 2016 presidential race. Trump and Carson’s pages are similar in the way that they both show how informed and passionate they are about the issues at hand. Issues that they both include on their page as well as see eye to eye on are Tax Reforms as well as Second Amendment Rights. 

As a whole, I think that Ben Carson does a great job of setting his agenda. He specifically lies out the issues at hand that he is well educated in and feels strongly about. His issues are not only relevant but widespread meaning that he is a candidate that could essentially please a large audience. His website is also very easy to navigate and find exactly what you are looking for. 

Maybe Scott Walker should have taken notes on Carson’s campaign strategies...  

Sources: 

https://www.scottwalker.com/index.html

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/624/cpsprodpb/528E/production/_84743112_028468457-1.jpg

https://www.bencarson.com/issues

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions

http://www.gospelherald.com/data/images/full/13653/donald-trump.jpg

Press Coverage

It is easy to say that Scott Walker is not all over the news right now due to his dropping out of the 2016 presidential race a few weeks ago. However, he is still an important figure in America and more specifically in the State of Wisconsin. That being said, he is not 100% absent in the news. 

I went to Google News and searched Scott Walkers name. The first article the came up was from the news source, New York Times, and it was titled “Highlights From the Fourth Republican Presidential Debate”. Although Walker was not the main focus of this article, he did have his moment to shine. The beginning of the article pointed out, “Scott Walker and Paul Ryan, Looking On What Might Have Been” and showed them in the crowd of the fourth Republican presidential debate on November 10, 2015 in Milwaukee. The images shared showed Walker and Ryan laughing and having a good time. The article continued on and focused on important events during the whole of debate. 

I then wanted to see if Walker had any news coverage that was more focused on what he was doing after dropping out of the race. I continued my search and found more about the fourth debate, but also found that Walker just signed a new bill. Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s Journal Sentinel shared on Wednesday November 11, 2015 that Walker signed a bill criminalizing ‘upskirting’ photos. Founded in this article Patrick Marley states, that Walker signed legislation making it a crime to photograph people under their clothes without their permission in what has come to be known as upskirting.

My search showed me that Walker is still in the news. However, he is definitely not the face of news right now. What is being reported about Walker is still important but does not necessarily concern the whole population or in better words, America is not focused entirely on Walker’s actions. Instead, naturally people are much more concerned about what is going on with the current 2016 Presidential candidates still in the race. That being said, Walker was once in the race and is still an important figure. Jeb Bush made a statement in which he was seeking Scott Walker’s support saying, “I’d love to have his support, of course”. I think that this looks good for Walker and shows his credibility. 

Overall, Walker is still being covered in large news sources, but he is definitely not the main focus. I think he will be more present in smaller media sources in the near future and remain in the background of large media sources as the 2016 presidential debate continues on. I do believe that his presence in media, although small, will work in his favor in the future if he continues on keeping a positive image. 

Sources: 

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/cp/election-2016/fourth-republican-debate-highlights

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-signs-bill-criminalizing-upskirting-photos-b99614256z1-345910162.html

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/11/09/hoping-for-his-backing-jeb-bush-meets-with-a-cautious-scott-walker/?_r=0

Pop Culture & Politics

Considering Walkers dropout in the 2016 presidential election, his name is not showing up

much in the news and media nearly as much as it had been before. However, it is still easy to find current and past information about Walker if you find the right news source or search the web. Looking at Walker in the media and in todays pop culture, I can honestly say I feel like he was a candidate that was very easy to poke fun at, especially for those who were not in favor of him. Exhibit A: 

But then again, that is the case for almost all of the candidates. There is always somebody who is going to make a joke. These jokes turn into entertainment and the American people love them (for the most part). 

I found a video clip of Scott Walker being made fun of on the popular show Saturday Night Live or better known as SNL. SNL is known for poking fun at a variety of different people who are popular in the media, politicians being one of their most common topics.  In many cases, the actors on SNL will actually act out scenes and portray a specific person. This clip is unique because they are simply just making fun of Scott Walker using real clips from his speeches and his now infamous Khol’s story: 

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/brent-baker/2015/07/19/saturday-night-funny-video-walkers-kohls-anecdote-–-synchronized

This clip shows Walker talking about the exact same scenario, wording the story the exact same way on four different occasions. How the clip was put tother was hilarious and shows the viewers that Walker is literally repeating himself again and again. I don’t think that this is particularly good for Walker’s image. It shows that he is repetitive and it also shows that a story he deems as important is comical to the American people. That being said I think this clip pushes back at his strong image he wished to portray and flat out makes fun of it. I do not however think that this clip changes Walkers image as much as it just pokes fun at his image. 

This next clip portrays Walker on The Colbert Report, another comical show very similar to SNL. In this clip, I believe his image is definitely portrayed in a negative way, but through a comical approach.

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/anckrc/the-colbert-report-scott-walker-s-hanukkah-gaffe

This clip had a much larger negative impact on me versus the first clip. Walker was trying to make a point and make it known that he is accepting to the Jewish religion, but most importantly he did not make a point of making sure he knew what he was talking about. He instead made the mistake and closed his statement with, “Thank you again and Molotov” where he should have said, “Thank you again and Mazel Tov”. Although he did not mean to say molotov he should have made sure he had his words correct. Throughout this clip Colbert mocks him by butchering several different words such as calling Hanukkah, hannu-kunna-matata. As a whole, I think that this clip is a huge embarrassment to Scott Walker. 

Sources: 

http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/58618448.jpg

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/brent-baker/2015/07/19/saturday-night-funny-video-walkers-kohls-anecdote-–-synchronized

http://www.cc.com/video-clips/anckrc/the-colbert-report-scott-walker-s-hanukkah-gaffe

Polarization & Bias

All candidates must be mindful of how they present themselves, whether it is through their advertising, political debates, or in their daily lives. This is extremely important for candidates and if done correctly it will help maintain a positive image for them. It is also important for candidates to try and reach a large audience as well as both parties. There is always an opportunity to get somebody of the other party to side with them so while maintaining this positive image it is important to do so while also reaching both parties.

As you all know, Walker is no longer in the 2016 Presidential race there are still many people who are still both for as well as against his decision to drop out. Walker will continue to participate in politics in the state of Wisconsin and his views are still relevant. 

The first article which I read talked about Walker and his stance on abortion. The article is titled, “Scott Walker calls abortion to save a woman’s life a ‘false’ choice”. As I dug deeper I found that there were many people disagreeing with Walkers opinion as well as his decision to defund planned parenthood thus making this article more of a liberal approach. However, this liberal source was definitely not a positive one. People disagreed with Walkers decision to practice Pro-Life in Wisconsin with the exception of rape cases, incest, or the life and health of the mother. Still, many people are arguing that there are extreme health risks with this Pro-Life law. 

I also explored an article from August, 2015 which discussed Walker and his stance on the Canadian border. This article explained that he believes building a wall along the country’s border with Canada is an issue which needs to be further discussed and acted upon. Being from Fox News alone his article was more of a conservative source. In conclusion this article summed up Walkers opinion on the border as well as connected it with the opinion of candidate Donald Trump. 

In general, its hard to say what is fair and unfair when looking at different sources discussing Walker. A lot of what is said is out of his hands which can cause it to be unfair, however sometimes that information is extremely important for the American people to hear and know. Overall, I believe that both of these articles are informal and give accurate information to the readers about different issues and from different viewpoints. I think that these sources could also sway voters as stated earlier. 

Sources: 

http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/scott-walker-calls-abortion-to-save-a-womans-life-a-false-choice-b99553080z1-321141741.html

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/08/30/walker-says-wall-along-canadian-border-worth-reviewing/

http://cdn.newsbusters.org/styles/blog_body-50/s3/images/Walker%20Bans%20Choice%20EDITED.JPG

http://urbanmilwaukee.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/walker-wall.jpg

Advertising

Walker won a second term as Governor of Wisconsin in 2014. I decided to look back at his advertisements to analyze the different approaches he took through these advertisements. I found a couple of different ads in which I believe were relevant in his re-election. 

The first advertisement is a television ad in which Walker states his opinion on abortion. 

I have mixed emotions about this ad due solely to the fact that there is not much creativity behind it. However, I like that Walker is very honest and open throughout the ad saying exactly what he believes needs to be done and why. He does so in a very respectful way and the ad itself is not attacking or demeaning to anybody. Overall, I think that this ad created a candidate-positive image. 

I can’t say the same about a national women's group based in Washington, D.C. called EMILY’s List who ended up attacking this ad. (link posted below)

http://www.channel3000.com/news/reality-check-dueling-ads-detail-abortion-bill/29017880

I then found multiple attack ads between Walker and former Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce, Mary Burke who unlike Walker is a Democrat. In the link attached below, there are four different ads, two done by Burke’s campaign and two by Walker’s. 

http://www.c-span.org/video/?322148-1/wisconsin-gubernatorial-campaign-ads

The first ad was done by Scott Walkers Campaign. The very first thing said is that Mary Burke lied about her jobs plan and it was also plagiarized. Walker is directly attacking Burke here and even calls her out for attacking his campaign. 

Mary Burke responds to Walkers ad by attacking right back. Her ad begins in a very similar fashion where she is stating that he said he was going to create more jobs as well as that he was going to be responsible and hold that promise. She ends by saying “Scott Walker’s not working for you”. 

Scott Walker then responds with yet another attack ad. 

I think that these ads actually make both Walker and Burke look bad. All they are doing is attacking each other instead of shining light on their own campaign and focusing on what they have to bring to the table. I think that these hate ads were being done simply because each Walker and Burke used their weaknesses and slip ups as a way to show why one another were not qualified to be governor of Wisconsin. I think that a better approach for Walker, instead of replying to Burkes attack ad with another attack ad I think he should have transformed his weaknesses into a positive. 

I thought the first example shown earlier was a much better and classier approach for Walker. He was honest and straight forward creating a positive image for himself. 

Another example where Walker was creating a good image would be this ad which he also used in 2014: 

This ad is very positive, creative and portrays a good message without attacking anybody. 

Walker in the Polls

Friday, October 9

Race/Topic   (Click to Sort)	Poll	Results	Spread
New Hampshire Republican Presidential Primary	Gravis	Trump 32, Fiorina 8, Carson 13, Bush 8, Kasich 10, Rubio 8, Cruz 5, Christie 3, Paul 2, Graham 1, Huckabee, Walker, Santorum 1, Jindal, Pataki	Trump +19
New Hampshire 2016 Democratic Primary	Gravis	Sanders 33, Clinton 30, Biden 11, O'Malley 2, Webb 1, Chafee 1	Sanders +3

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/president/

Above are the 2016 Presidential polls as of today, Oct 9, 2015. Everywhere you look, there are polls about the 2016 presidential race and where the current candidates stand. Although there is still a year left until the presidential election, it is easy to see which candidates have been lacking in the polls lately as well as who has been noticeably dominating those polls as well. Scott Walker was one of those candidates who seemed to drop in poll ratings before he finally decided to opt out of the race. 

Looking back at the poll history over the past couple of months, Scott Walker was doing quite well before his polls dropped dramatically. Some people were calling this dramatic drop Scott Walkers “Summer Plunge”. On September 1st, Walker was shown in the polls with less than 1% support nationally... After his drop out, Walkers ranking is not in the recent polls and his exclusion from these polls show why he is no longer running.

I think that Walker should have really focused on his dramatic decrease in polls and tackled that issue head on. He could have done a better job at figuring out where and why he was lacking in these polls and worked harder to raise his numbers which potentially could have resulted in more success in the 2016 presidential race.  

Debates

I have seen Scott Walker participate in a few recent debates such as the CNN Republican Debate that took place a few weeks ago. As I posted previously, that debate did not go very well for Scott, which I believe could have been one of the reasons he has dropped out of the race. Anyway, during the CNN Republican Debate, Walker was basically absent and did not have much to say or contribute. Considering his poor performance in the CNN Republican Debate, I decided to go back in time and watch one of his debates in which he participated in last year in 2014. This debate was between Scott Walker and Mary Burke. Mary Burke is the former Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce and the two of them were debating for the Wisconsin's Governor Race. The full debate is attached below: 

on.msnbc.com/1o8dDwo

Analyzing Walkers performance in the debate for Wisconsin’s Governor Race, I notice both strengths and weaknesses in debating skills. In his favor, Walker knows what he wants for the state of Wisconsin and for the United States as a whole. I think this aspect is great and very important. However, when asked specific questions-which don’t always involve his beliefs- Walker answers, but he does so in a very inefficient manor. Walker has a way of wording around the question and coming up with answers that don’t always answer the specific question asked.  In my opinion, when he words around the questions, it makes him look weak. 

I don’t know what makes him look worse, being quiet and not contributing enough or not giving his audience efficient answers. If I was Walkers Campaign advisor the first piece of advice I would give him would (obviously) be to answer the questions honestly and completely. I would suggest for him to try and be more efficient during his debates and the answers he was providing. Not directly answering the questions at hand is unprofessional and it seemed as though Walker was rambling on during his debate with Mary Burke, he was repeating points that he had already made. So, I would advise for him to not be as repetitive and be more open to discussing the other issues at hand. 

On the other hand, I would also encourage him to speak up when necessary. Referring back to the CNN Republican Debate when he barely spoke at all, this was a huge disadvantage for him. I know it sounds contradictory because the first piece of advice would have for him is to ‘quit rambling’ but that doesn’t mean don't talk! I would definitely encourage Walker to find a happy medium where he spoke just the right amount. Not too much and not too little, while still getting his point across. 

Since Walker is no longer running, I don’t think he will have to worry about his debate performance for a while now. However, I would advise him to work on his weaknesses when it comes to his debate performance as well as continue to strengthen his positive debate strategies even further. 

Social Media Presence

On Monday September 21st, unfortunately Scott Walker announced that he was dropping out of the 2016 presidential race. This breaking news and was all over the media. Speaking of media, Scott Walker has a strong online presence with accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube and Snapchat. 

One of the ways that Scott personally made the announcement of his dropout was through his Facebook account. On his Facebook post he was able to explain his decision in his own words for his Facebook followers to see. 

Prior to dropping out, Scott used his Facebook frequently and it was easily his most common way of reaching out to and updating his audience. He did so through pictures and statuses along with important links when necessary. Scott’s use of language on his Facebook account is informal, but informational as well. This works in his favor as he can educate his followers, but do so in a way that won’t disinterest them. Scott Walker even felt the need to share his favorite TV Shows, and Movies on his bio. You can explore his Facebook account by clicking the link below: 

https://www.facebook.com/scottkwalker/info?tab=page_info

You can also follow Walker on his twitter account: @ScottWalker. Walker has been tweeting for a while- since 2009 and has gained 211K followers. In his twitter bio he generously informs his twitter followers that the tweets personally from him are signed-SW. I think this is a very smart approach and it shows when he is interacting with others. I noticed that his twitter page is similar to his Facebook page and he actually refers back to his Facebook post with a link attached in a recent tweet to encourage his followers to read his statement he posted about his decision to drop out. Walkers twitter account is very personal and includes updates not only about the campaign and what he has done for Wisconsin. It is interesting to look back at his tweets in the previous years, by doing this it allows you to follow his journey of becoming a presidential candidate. Walker also shares activities he has engaged in- such as watching the Packers v. Seahawks game. last week. He even decided to share when he was having a Miller Lite hashtaging #ItsMillerTime #Walker16, thus showing his not so serious side.

On Scott’s Instagram account he has 19.1K followers. He also informs and uses his initials SW when posts are directly from him. However, Walkers Instagram is even more personal than his twitter. On here he shares videos and pictures of his home life, including family and food as well as his journey in the presidential election. You can follow Scott Walker on Instagram at:

https://instagram.com/scottwalker/?hl=en

Before dropping out of the presidential race. Walkers website was very informal and included background information as well as what he was planning for the future of America. Now his website simply says “Thank You” with no further information because really, what else is left to say? 

https://www.scottwalker.com

His least followed form of social media is his Youtube account. There are some videos on his account that have only had a couple hundred views. I think that the reasoning behind this is that his posts are more formal and do not interest a large audience.  

https://www.youtube.com/user/supportscottwalker/videos?sort=p&view=0&shelf_id=3

Since Walker has dropped out of the election I think it is now time for him to focus on moving forward. I think it is smart for him to keep activity on his social media accounts especially his Facebook, Twitter and Instagram since those accounts are his most popular and he can continue to reach a large audience. 

Scott Walker's Image & Analysis

If you had previously asked me to describe Scott Walker’s image, I would have said he was looking pretty good. However, the second Republican Debate on Wednesday September 16, 2015 did not exactly work in his favor. To give you further detail, if you in fact did not watch the debate or see what Scott Walker had to say (or lack of), Walker was described as being absent throughout most of the discussion. At the beginning of the night it seemed as though Walker had a lot to say, a lot on his mind. He began by attacking Donald Trump who of course responded by commenting on his low ratings as of late.

Maybe that upset him and is the reasoning as to why he was so quiet for the rest of the night, but really Walker did not bring much to the debate and right now his image is a reflection of that. As of now, Walker and his campaign need to work on improving his image and coming back stronger than before.

As stated in the Washington Post, “He was the everyman candidate. Now Scott Walker needs to stand out”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/he-was-the-everyman-candidate-now-scott-walker-needs-to-stand-out/2015/09/15/1f71ee32-530f-11e5-9812-92d5948a40f8_story.html

And I can completely agree with that statement.

S.W.O.T. Analysis

Strengths: Although Walker did not make the impact he had intended on making at the debate, when he spoke, he did so with authority and reason. He knows what he wants for America and believes his experience from Wisconsin has prepared him to take office.

Weaknesses: Wisconsin is still having it’s financial issues and there is no positive way to look at that issue. Walker prides himself on the positive changes he has made on the state, however it is hard to look past the fact that Wisconsin is still struggling.

Opportunities: Scott Walker has many opportunities available to him. He has been interested and involved in politics throughout his whole life which will, in his favor, show how experienced he really is.

Threats: As his poll numbers have been rapidly decreasing, Walker is threatened by stronger republican candidates such as Trump and Carly Fiorina.

Scott Walker for America

Scott Walker was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1967. Being the son of a Pastor, Walker had a very religious upbringing. When he was just 10 years old he moved to Delavan, Wisconsin with his family. Walkers interest in politics was first shown in high school where he was selected to represent Wisconsin for the Boys Nation. In case you don't know what Boys Nation is (I certainly did not) it is an annual forum focused on civic training, leadership and Americanism lead by the American Legion. The event lasts two weeks and takes place in Washington D.C. It was an honor for Walker to be selected for Boys Nation and he was also honored at the event by having the opportunity to meet Ronald Reagan who made a large impact on him and became his role model. 

Walker attended Marquette University from 1986 to 1990, and was actively involved in student government. However, he did not graduate. During his senior year at Marquette, Walker was offered a full-time job at the American Red Cross where he handled marketing and fundraising efforts and before he knew it he was married and having kids. 

Many have been skeptical about Walker not gradating from Marquette. However, Walker has always stayed positive and honest about the issue explaining that he did not attend college just to get an education and what he really wanted was a job. That is why when he was offered a full time position at the American Red Cross he couldn’t pass it up.

Today, Walker is Married to his wife Tonette and they have two sons, Matt and Alex. 

Scott Walker is very qualified and experienced with a strong work ethic making him a great Republican candidate. 

Walker was inaugurated as Wisconsin’s 45th Governor on January 3, 2011. From there, he proposed reforms that eliminated Wisconsin’s $3.6 billion budget deficit and did so without raising taxes while giving school districts as well as local governments the tools needed to balance their budgets. The changes made by Walker saved Wisconsin taxpayers more than $2 billion! 

Walker brought Wisconsin’s unemployment rate down to 4.6% (the lowest it has been since 2008) and Wisconsin gained over 140,000 jobs. 

Walker made history on June 5, 2012 by becoming the first governor in America to win a recall election.

Walker was reelected as Wisconsin’s 45th Governor on November 4, 2014. He continued to grant rights to employee citizens of Wisconsin thus making Wisconsin the 25th Right to Work state in The United States. Today, he is committed to reduce taxes for Wisconsin’s hardworking taxpayers and government. He is also committed to advancing reforms to provide even more opportunity and prosperity for everybody. 

Not only does Walker want rights for workers, he also fights for educational opportunities. For example, in December of 2013, Walker signed a bill which increased the requirements for math and science credits in high school education. 

Walker is also memorable for his Political Success in the blue state of Wisconsin and he won not one, but three gubernatorial races in four years, proving how powerful and credible he really is. 

(doesn't look very blue to me)