Scott Walker Just Lost Major Financial Backers Because He Believes This

Usually, insincerity is considered a disqualifying trait in a presidential candidate. Forgetting what the Bible says about lying lips, voters distrust politicians who lie too often about issues that affect them personally. (Just ask George H.W. Bush.) But in some areas, apparently, lying is a prerequisite for support – one that is richly rewarded with an infusion of thousands of dollars into your campaign coffers. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin governor poised to enter the Republican presidential primaries, lost the financial support of a potentially major donor – and untold others on Wall Street – because he would not lie about his support for traditional marriage. Walker met with hedge fund manager Dan Loeb, a billionaire seeking a candidate to support financially, this week. Loeb decided not to support Walker, because the governor refused to change his tune on same-sex “marriage,” according to the Business Insider. Loeb is not the only one. Many pillars of the GOP’s donor class have made clear they will no longer donate to any candidate who supports natural marriage – well, that is, who actually supports such marriages. They’re willing to fund someone who lies through his teeth about it, though. The Washington Post reports:

The same-sex marriage issue has caused Walker problems among some donor groups, however, particularly Republicans in New York. “Sometimes you can say something and people think you don’t mean it, and sometimes you can say something and people think you mean it,” said one Republican who has seen this tension play out. “When Barack Obama said he’s against gay marriage in 2008, people didn’t think he meant it. But when Scott says it, people think he means it. This is a very big stumbling block for him on Wall Street.” (Emphasis added.) Walker, the son of a Baptist preacher, said earlier this month that he would support a constitutional amendment allowing states to ban same-sex marriage. Those close to Walker have played down the role of this issue and say he will not change his beliefs to appease donors.

So, Scott Walker’s problem is that he’s honest and he takes the same position on marriage as 63 percent of his fellow Republicans. This is the same Republican Establishment that tells social conservatives they are “out of touch.” As an additional irony, in 2011 Loeb said he would support New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for president, because “you never have a question about where he stands on anything.” Evidently, Loeb doesn’t want to doubt a candidate – he just thinks everyone else should be in the dark. Walker may have lost some Wall Street campaign cash for telling the truth, but that son of a pastor knows his reward will be far greater.