Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who has suddenly emerged as the favorite in the GOP field ahead of 2016 according to a recent Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register Iowa poll, said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday that Americans overwhelmingly want a presidential candidate “not of the 20th century, but the 21st century.”
“People want new, fresh leadership with big, bold ideas and the courage to act on it,” Walker told ABC host Martha Raddatz. “And, if we’re going to take on a name from the past, which is likely to be former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, I think, for the party, we need a name for the future.”
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When asked to make the most compelling case against a Hillary Clinton presidency, Walker said that Clinton is a 20th century candidate, an assertion that possible Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio made just a few weeks ago.
“I think the biggest thing I hear from Americans applies both in the primary contest and I think in the general … and that is, I think, people want to look toward the future,” explained Walker. “They don’t want to go back in time. We don’t want to repeat what we’ve had in the past. We need a candidate not of the 20th century, but the 21st century.”
Moreover, Walker alleged that Clinton represents everything that Americans do not want: Namely, typical Washington politics.
“Former Secretary of State Clinton embodies all the things that we think of Washington,” the Wisconsin governor asserted. “She lives here, she’s worked here, she’s been a part of the Washington structure for years. Not just as a Democrat but across the spectrum, I think Washington represents the top-down, government-knows-best, go-along-to-get-along mentality.”
“I think Americans overwhelmingly want fresh new ideas that build the economy from the ground up, that put the power back in the hands of the people, not only at the state and local level but of individual Americans,” continued Walker. “I don’t think they want government telling them what to do, and that’s what I’ve been advocating for a long time.”
Walker saved perhaps his boldest statement for the end of the interview when asked about the odds of him formally announcing a bid for president.
” I don’t know that I’d take the odds,” answered Walker. “I’ll just tell you one thing. After three elections for governor and four years in a state that hasn’t gone Republican since 1984 for president, I wouldn’t bet against me on anything.”
