Scott Walker's biggest drawback: He's the most partisan Republican running for president

Walker has built his reputation on making enemies of Democrats. That might not work in a general election.

Scott Walker
(Image credit: AP Photo/Andy Manis)

What happened to Scott Walker? For months, political analysts (including myself) have been saying that Walker is a candidate with unusual promise, because he alone in the presidential field can unite all the Republican factions.

The religious right loves him — he's the son of a Baptist minister who attends an evangelical church. The big money loves him — his crusade to crush labor unions is enough to warm any plutocrat's heart. In a party eager for fresh faces, he's only 47 despite being in his second term as governor of an important swing state. He's even reportedly the favorite of the Koch brothers, and there are few more important endorsements in the GOP.

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Paul Waldman

Paul Waldman is a senior writer with The American Prospect magazine and a blogger for The Washington Post. His writing has appeared in dozens of newspapers, magazines, and web sites, and he is the author or co-author of four books on media and politics.