Against Protests, Republicans Must Stand Strong

by Scott Walker,

Over the last few weeks, angry voters have greeted Republican congressmen in districts around the country. As someone who has confronted similar crowds before — and lived to tell about it — I have a simple message for those lawmakers: It’s put-up or shut-up time.

Those are the exact words I told my fellow Republicans in the State Legislature in 2010, after we made big promises on the campaign trail. It was time to govern, and we did just that by taking on public-sector unions that had too much control over the government. In response, 100,000 protesters descended on the Capitol, while others protested at the executive residence and even my house.

Despite the intimidation, we stood strong in our fight for taxpayers. It paid off, and today the budget is balanced, taxes are down and more people in the state are working than ever.

Republicans in Washington need to do the same when it comes to Obamacare, tax reform and the rest of their agenda. Yes, liberals will turn out to protest. But don’t let the left shape the debate. Explain that the centerpiece in the Republican agenda — returning authority to the states — is the best solution to our nation’s problems.

That’s the message the nation’s governors, including 33 Republicans, carried to the White House and congressional Republicans this week. I personally made the case for returning authority to the states — and more important to the people — to President Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and congressional Republicans.

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