Conservatives gathered in Washington D.C. over the weekend heard from Wisconsin leaders about how the Republican Party can win future elections. Speaking to the National Review Institute Summit Saturday, Governor Scott Walker urged better messaging to voters, while Congressman Paul Ryan warned of President Obama’s second term.
Walker said: “Right after the November elections, a lot of pundits out there were talking about how ‘maybe the Republican Party nationally needed to back away from their principles; maybe they needed to moderate things; maybe they needed to change things.’ Our core principles are not the problem. It’s articulating it in a way that’s relevant to where people are today.”
The governor said most voters don’t talk in terms of “fiscal cliffs” or “debt ceilings.” Instead they talk about whether they can pay their bills or pay down their mortgage.
Ryan urged prudence for Republicans in office and defined it as “good judgment in the art of governing.” The former Republican Vice Presidential candidate also said President Obama will be pushing a progressive agenda his second term while trying to take out the opposition party.
“He needs to delegitimize the Republican Party and House Republicans in particular,” said Ryan referring to Obama, adding the president will attempt to encourage infighting among the GOP to prevent a unified opposition.
The Wisconsin Republicans made the rounds this weekend with Ryan later appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press and Walker appearing on CNN’s State of the Union.
AUDIO: Brian Moon reports (1:05)