CONSERVATIVE PUNDITS FORM CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD

According to Gallup’s annual poll, 38 percent of Americans are conservative, just 24 percent say they’re liberal. Yet liberals win elections far more often. The teapot tempest that erupted this week over Liz Mair illustrates one of the reasons why.

In the highly likely event you’ve never heard of Liz, she’s an evidently highly regarded Republican political consultant with expertise in social media.

Ms. Mair is also a woman of strong opinions, whose views on amnesty for illegal aliens, abortion and gay marriage many conservatives find offensive.

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s PAC hired Ms. Mair on Monday (3/16) for his nascent presidential campaign. She resigned the next day after an official of the Iowa Republican Party and a radio talk show host complained about disparaging comments she said about Iowa and its caucuses in tweets in January.

Gov. Walker exposed himself as a secret squish by hiring Liz Mair, said, among others, Matt Boyle of Breitbart News and columnist Michelle Malkin.

By accepting her resignation, Scott Walker indicated he’s easy to push around, said, among others, Jonah Goldberg of National Review, Erick Erickson of Red State, and Michael van der Galien of PJ Media, all of whom enthusiastically agreed with Liz Mair’s low opinion of the Iowa caucuses.

"Walker accepted her resignation because a bunch of party apparatchiks in Iowa are terrified of any dissent over their gravy train," Mr. Goldberg said.

Accepting her resignation "plays into the "not ready for prime time" theme already developing around Team Walker," Mr. Erickson said.

It’s clear Gov. Walker "is too weak willed" to be the GOP candidate for president, Mr. van der Galien said. Republicans "need someone with a spine, not a candidate who throws his own people under the bus when it’s convenient."

Enough with the circular firing squad, said Derek Hunter, who was press secretary for Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT). Breitbart’s Mr. Boyle is especially out of line, he said. She was hired to provide a technical service – at which she is reportedly very, very good – not to give advice on policy.

"That someone who disagrees with candidates or elected officials can’t be trusted to be on their team is the sort of naivety that comes from living life in a bubble," Mr. Hunter said.

Mr. van der Galien is at least as bad. You may disagree with Scott Walker on some issues, have questions about his views on others, or prefer someone else. But no other likely GOP candidate is as battle tested as he is, has displayed more coolness under fire.

What conservatives on both sides of this teapot tempest have in common is a paucity of experience in major campaigns. Those who do think Ms. Mair did the right thing by resigning, Gov. Walker did the right thing by accepting her resignation.

You may deplore (as I do) the grotesquely exaggerated role the Iowa caucuses play in nominating presidential candidates, but it is folly to ignore the fact Iowa has a grotesquely exaggerated role in the nomination process. To gratuitously insult Iowans, as Ms. Mair did, is very bad politics.

"You simply can’t expect Walker or any candidate to spend a week or two defending his hiring of someone who insulted the very voters he’s trying to woo," said Drew M. of Ace of Spades HQ.

"Staffers exist to make the candidate look good, candidates don’t exist to take hits for 3rd or 4th tier advisers," he said. "When staffers become the story, staffers go. This is not a controversial thing in the real world."

Political operatives should be seen, but not heard, said Matt Lewis of the Daily Caller, who – like Mr. Goldberg and Mr. Erickson — is a friend of Ms. Mair.

 "You can be a controversial commentator, or you can work for candidates and companies," he said. "But you have to pick a lane."

I worked in half a dozen campaigns for president, vice president, governor and U.S. senator. I couldn’t agree more.

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