Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker ramps up Obama attacks

WASHINGTON — Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker sketched the outlines Friday of what will no doubt be the theme of his presumptive campaign for the presidency in 2016: sending money and power back to the states from the federal government.

Before an audience of policy wonks and reporters, Walker delivered a similar message in a well-received speech in Iowa last week. This time he ramped up his attacks on President Obama, who he accused of wanting mainly to improve the economy in Washington, whose region includes six of the top 10 richest counties in the United States.

"To me, that suggests there's a disconnect between those who want to grow government in Washington and the rest of us who want to grow the economy out with real people in cities and towns and villages all across this great country," Walker said. "And so that's where 'our American revival' that we've talked about is really about transferring that power from Washington back to the people."

Walker announced earlier this week that he has set up a federal committee named Our American Revival to raise money as he explores a presidential bid.

On Friday, Walker called for a tougher foreign policy than Obama's, a better balance between the economy and environmental concerns and fiscal policy. It's a "false choice," he said, to believe that taxes must be raised or government services slashed. Instead he said government leaders need to deliver services more efficiently.

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In Wisconsin, Walker said, he has balanced the budget each year and cut taxes while improving education.

"We have made the tough decisions and our state is that much better off because of it," he said.

Walker touted his roll back of bargaining rights for public worker unions in Wisconsin, which led to a labor-inspired 2012 recall effort that he fought off. He said taking people receiving government assistance and putting them into employment readiness programs has helped transform the assistance program from a "hammock" into a back-to-work program.

Despite all the Washington-bashing, Walker did wax romantic about the city itself as he recounted flying in Thursday and being awed by the "beautiful" sites on the ground below — the National Cathedral, the Kennedy Center, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials on the National Mall.

"It's just, there's something wonderful about coming in fresh to our nation's capital, and over the years it's never, I've never, lost that — looking at those great monuments and thinking about the great leaders of our time in this country," he said.

But he quickly switched gears, slamming the actions of politicians and bureaucrats in the capital and hailing the experience of returning to Wisconsin and outside the "68 square miles surrounded by reality."

Walker did not take questions from the about 40 attendees at the American Action Forum. Aides whisked him down a hall to a waiting elevator as reporters ran behind, asking for his comment on former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney's decision not to seek the 2016 GOP nomination for president.

"We'll put out a statement," Walker offered as the elevator doors closed.

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Contact dslack@usatoday.com. Follow @donovanslack.