Is Walker’s decision to speak at the Republican Convention part of his plan for 2020?

Governor takes calculated -- and foolish -- risk in speaking on behalf of Trump

Gov. Scott Walker recently decided he will indeed speak at the Republican National Convention this year, fueling speculation that he no longer considers himself to the “dark horse” candidate to replace presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump in a possible coup d’etat.

Walker furthered those speculations in a tweet on Wednesday, stating he will endorse Trump, though not typing his name out directly:

Last August, I said I'd support the GOP nominee. It's now clear who the RNC delegates will vote to nominate. And he is better than she is.

— Scott Walker (@ScottWalker) July 6, 2016

Over at Cognitive Dissidence, Capper gives his two cents on what Walker’s motivations may be:

While Walker undoubtedly has a deeply buried hope that he could still leave Cleveland as the nominee, it is far more likely he playing the PAC to milk all the donations he can get from them. He still has that big pile of bills he owes from his own failed presidential bid.

Walker may also be trying to do something else: play the long game to get more attention for himself in the 2020 election campaign.

Walker is a lot of things, including calculating. His mind is obviously on the White House, as it was in 2015 when he ran his embarrassing campaign into the ground, and as it was more recently when he gave hints that he’d consider usurping Trump of his presumptive nominee status.

But he’s faced the facts and realized that he won’t win the 2016 Republican nomination...so he’s looking forward to 2020 when he can have another chance.

Considering how current President Barack Obama gained notoriety -- his inspiring speech at the 2004 Democratic Party’s convention propelled him toward the nomination four years later -- Walker is likely hoping to do something similar by making himself known in households across the country. The problem is, Walker’s speech, even if it’s in a primetime slot, might be overshadowed by the clown-car shenanigans of the convention itself.

In other words, Walker, himself a decent speech giver (short on facts but admittedly great on spinning figures to suit his needs), might flop due to the headlines focusing on news items that have nothing to do with the speeches at the convention.

Protesters (from the left and the right) may disrupt the convention. Trump might (probably will) say something awful. Hillary Clinton may name her Vice Presidential running-mate. A slew of possibilities exist that could overshadow Walker’s limited time in the limelight.

And then there’s the possibility that focus WILL be given to Walker’s speech -- and that it will be scrutinized by a national media that is much more critical than the local markets Walker is accustomed to. Such a scenario would provide fodder for Walker’s plans for the future, making it even more doubtful that he could mount a successful run in 2020.

This is a calculated risk for Walker. But it’s one that will likely backfire on him -- and embarrass the state he represents at the same time. Hopefully, Walker’s ambitions for 2020 will resonate with disgruntled voters in 2018, and Wisconsin can find a new, progressive direction to head in.

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