scott-walker

Yes, I was there. I arrived just in time to share an elevator with Linda McMahon. Awkward.

But let’s talk about Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s speech to the CT GOP and what it means for the Republican Party.

Scott Walker told the CT GOP last night that it could win by “empowering people to take control of their own lives.”

Bill Clinton told the 2012 Democratic convention “We believe that ‘we’re all in this together’ is a far better philosophy than ‘you’re on your own.”

True, in the Democrats’ statist vision, “we’re all in this together” means government, “the only thing we all belong to.” But without a competing Republican vision of “we’re all in this together” – one that emphasizes family and community rather than government – Clinton’s message will trump Walker’s.

This is what ails the GOP. It’s lackluster performance on cultural flashpoints – marriage, life – are symptoms of this deeper problem.

Americans are not just potential business owners, job holders or possessors of 401k’s. We are parents, neighbors, parishioners, citizens. If the GOP does not address the anxiety voters feel in these roles, they will vote Democrat.

And yes, I know Walker is a winner in Wisconsin. I’m not critiquing his governorship. I’m critiquing the hole at the center of the speech he gave to the CT GOP last night.