Walker gives fiery anti-Washington soapbox speech in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa — Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker gave a fiery, anti-Washington speech Monday at the Iowa State Fair as supporters cheered and whistled throughout his remarks and a minority of protesters expressed their objections.
"America is a can-do kind of country. Unfortunately, we have a government in Washington that can't seem to get the job done," Walker, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, told fair-goers at The Des Moines Register's Soapbox stage.
He said he's frustrated with Democrats in Congress and President Obama in Washington, but he's also unhappy with Republicans who control the U.S. Senate for a lack of action. Republicans promised last fall that if they were elected and could control the Senate that they would repeal Obamacare. But it's August and that still hasn't happened, he said. He also called for a tough stance against illegal immigration.
"We need leaders in Washington who will stand up against the president and say enough is enough," Walker said
Walker's supporters waved signs and enthusiastically backed him at every applause line, while his opponents also waved some signs and expressed their displeasure, although they were clearly a smaller part of the crowd.
Walker also talked about how he defunded Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin, stood up against "union bosses" and fought for better fiscal management of state government while reforming the state's education system. And if these kinds of issues can be addressed in Wisconsin, they can be fixed in Washington, D.C., he said.
Obama and Hillary Clinton have failed the nation and are "leading from behind," Walker said.
"If you give me the chance, I will not be intimidated," he pledged.