It was a fine message to a crowd that cares primarily about those fiscal issues. But on some of the Club’s most cherished causes, such as the abolition of the Export-Import Bank, a federally authorized institution that hands out loans to preferred entities, Walker was shaky. It took him several minutes to say that he opposes the reauthorization of the bank. “I mentioned the tax code, make it fair and simple,” he began. It was a non sequitur.
Then there was Dodd-Frank, President Obama’s response to the financial crisis, widely considered a regulatory monstrosity by the right. Again, Walker fell back on a mealy-mouthed answer about paring down the tax and regulatory codes. It wasn’t good enough for Levin. “That was more of a generalized answer about government,” she said, “but you have some of your constituents here who have just been audited, had a Dodd-Frank audit…this has taken a huge toll on the community banks. Are you just, to be honest, not that aware of what’s happening with Dodd Frank?” Walker said the problem is not just Dodd Frank, but the “entire regulatory environment” and promised “a whole series of plans” should he run for president.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member