Jonathan Coppage reports on the Walker campaign’s swift capitulation to Iowan griping:

Mair was not hired as a policy adviser on energy policy, nor as an adviser on social issues or immigration, where her libertarian streak likely runs counter to Walker’s views, or at least those he has an interest in being viewed as holding. She was hired as a consultant, a sign that Walker was willing to surround himself with the best people. It was a move born out of confidence.

And it has now become an embarrassing display of cowardice.

This may seem unimportant, and by itself it might be, but it is part of a larger pattern of Walker’s behavior when dealing with opposition or criticism from within his own party. Timothy Carney explains:

The pattern is this: Scott Walker will stand up and fight the special interests, if they’re already his sworn political enemies. But when he gets pushed around by a political power broker, or a well-heeled lobby group that’s “on our side,” Walker rolls over.

There are probably a lot of ideologues and activists that think this is the kind of candidate they want, since they assume it means he will be eager to placate and satisfy them at all times, but for those interested in challenging and reforming the party’s worst habits nothing could be worse. Carney is especially worried about Walker’s willingness to yield to lobbying and business interests in the GOP because these are responsible for the party’s extensive problem with crony capitalism. It is also easy to imagine the same thing happening on other issues involving other entrenched interests. As Carney says, this isn’t just a matter of Walker’s pandering as a candidate. It likely tells us something important about how he would govern if he were elected president:

But when the Wall Street lobbyists ask for special favors, or the manufacturers demand their subsidies — what do you think Walker will do?

Considering how often Walker mentions “leadership” as the answer to everything, it is remarkable how eager he has been to pander and to cave under minimal pressure. Presumably one part of leadership is not simply telling people what they already believe and what they want to hear, but occasionally making them face up to unpleasant truths and taking positions that aren’t popular. So far Walker has shown no real interest in doing any of the latter.