Is Governor Walker’s Push for Increased Choice and Voucher Schools an Indication he is Running for President in 2016?

Since the polls closed November 6th, 2012; there has been much speculation on who would emerge as the Republican candidates in 2016. Governor Scott Walker’s name keeps coming up as a possible contender. For those of us living in Wisconsin, there doesn’t seem to be much of a question concerning the governor’s ambition. He has a reputation for always seeking the next rung on the ladder and a run for the presidency seems to be his next step. Pundits are watching his every move, trying to decipher his intentions, from appearances on national news shows, to attending political fund raisers in Iowa, to writing a book. From past experiences, these all seem to be positive indicators to a possible run. However, in my mind, the most powerful indicator yet is his push for the expansion of School Choice and Vouchers throughout the State of Wisconsin. My critics will accuse me again of going off the deep end and pandering some kind of conspiracy theory, but I think there is enough evidence to support my claim. At the basis of my reasoning is the old adage, “follow the money”. No one makes a successful run for the presidency without money, and I mean a lot of money. Governor Walker is not a wealthy man like a Mitt Romney, so it is incumbent on him to start digging for treasure and the earlier he starts digging the more he’ll be able to come up with. We already know the support that he received from the Koch Brothers in his run for governor, but the Koch Brothers are too parochial for the run for president and Walker cannot count on their support for a presidential run. Governor Walker is already aware of the field of possible competitors for the Republican nomination, so he must act quickly and decisively if he is going to have his shot. He is not worrying about the money once he is nominated, it’s the primary run that he’s considering. Given that; then what does School Choice and Voucher expansion have to do with it? One only has to look east to Michigan for the answer. Dick and Betsy DeVos are the key to coming up with the money for a successful primary run. They are the “godfather and godmother” of the School Choice and Voucher movement in the United States. They are also prominent supporters of the “Right Wing Social Conservative” agenda and claim to be the single largest contributors to Republican Party candidates in the U.S. To gain the DeVos’ support and endorsement, Governor Walker had to deliver on what is nearest and dearest to their hearts, the expansion of school choice in Wisconsin. The expansion of school choice has not been a certainty, given the lack of credible success of the program in Milwaukee after 23 years. Also, there isn’t a clear majority of citizens in the state calling for an expansion and the governor has resisted putting the question to a state wide vote through referendum. It is clear that the state Republican Party supports school choice, but it isn’t a certainty that the current proposed bill will make it through the State Senate. Some Republican state senators see a danger in trying to move an expansion program too quickly and mire the state in more controversy through railroading an expansion without first gaining a majority support of the citizens of the state. Some of them see Walker pursuing his own aspirations ahead of the other state Republican concerns. This is precisely why it was so important for Walker and the Legislative Leaders to reach a deal before the Joint Finance Committee voted on it next Tuesday. The Democratic Party, as usual of late, is a non-presence and seem to be laying in the weeds hoping that the School Choice and Voucher programs becomes a contentious issue within the Republican Party making a number of Republican state legislators vulnerable in the 2014 election. Even if that were to happen, the Democrats having proven so inept, that they couldn’t take advantage of such an opportunity anyway. In any case, Dick and Betsy DeVos, Scott Jensen, George and Susan Mitchell and Jim Bender are all delighted with the progress in Wisconsin and are preparing for Scott Walker’s "Run for the Roses". Walker has proven to be the consummate politician, knowing when to follow his gut and when to follow the direction of his advisers. There is no doubt that he will run and win a second term as governor, but that is his security blanket if his bid for the White House fails. If for some reason he didn’t win another term, then you can count out his run for President.