Hot Air is pleased to provide Governor Scott Walker with an opportunity to speak directly to voters in this guest column.
We Need a Uniter-in-Chief, Not a Divider-in-Chief
By Gov. Scott Walker
Over the last week, we’ve seen a disturbing trend of police officers being murdered on the job. Texas Sheriff’s Deputy Darren Goforth was killed Friday, gunned down while pumping gas for no apparent reason other than the uniform on his back. And just yesterday, in my neighboring state of Illinois, police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz was assassinated by three men, who are still on the run.
This isn’t the America I grew up in or that I want my children to grow up in. When the very people responsible for keeping us safe are targeted because they are law enforcement officials, we have a serious problem.
In the last six years under President Obama, we’ve seen a rise in anti-police rhetoric. Instead of hope and change, we’ve seen racial tensions worsen and a tendency to use law enforcement as a scapegoat. This kind of attitude has created a culture in which we all too often see demonstrations and chants where people describe police as “pigs” and call for them to be “fried like bacon.” This inflammatory and disgusting rhetoric has real consequences for the safety of officers who put their lives on the line for us and hampers their ability to serve the communities that need their help.
In Wisconsin we acted to protect both police officers and citizens through a first-in-the-nation law that requires an independent investigation when a suspect dies in police custody.
And I will continue to support efforts to ensure officers receive proper training at the local level to help make sure force is only used in appropriate circumstances.
But we must do more to protect those who protect us. Police officers across this country need to know that we have their back. As I’ve done throughout my career, I will continue to have the backs of police officers, sheriff’s deputies, and state troopers and treat them with the respect they deserve.
After years of division under President Obama, America needs a leader who will seek to unite all Americans. Instead of focusing on what divides us, we need to concentrate on what brings us together. No law enforcement officer should fear to do their job the way he or she was trained to do it, and no law-abiding citizen should fear for their safety from those sworn to protect us.
We need to change the tone in America from chants and rallies that fixate on racial division and instead follow the example of the families of the victims of the Charleston shooting, who showed us the best path forward is through unity. As president, that’s what I’m going to do to make us a united America once again.
Hot Air will be happy to provide other presidential candidates an open forum for guest essays as well.
