Gov. Walker Will Meet President During Wisconsin Visit; Burke To Miss Him

Governor Scott Walker will meet President Obama when the president visits Wisconsin Thursday, but Walker’s Democratic challenger, Mary Burke, will be out of town.

Mary Burke’s campaign said she had spoken with the President by phone, that the two discussed, “job creation strategies and the need to strengthen the middle class in order for Wisconsin to catch up to the pace of the national recovery.” But a spokesman for Burke said she would not meet personally with the President, citing a full day of campaigning scheduled for western Wisconsin.

Republicans claimed Burke was staying away because of the President’s faltering approval ratings. While Gov. Scott Walker did not go that far when asked by reporters, it did give Walker an opening to talk about how he would meet with the President.

“I don’t know about Mary, but for me, I’m the governor,” Walker said, “so whether I agree or disagree with everything he’s done as president, it’s important for me on behalf of all the people of Wisconsin to officially greet the president, to thank him for his presence here.”

Walker’s meeting will likely be a brief one. He says he’s greeting the president at the airport before running to another meeting. Walker says he’ll talk to the President about Wisconsin’s propane shortage.

Burke’s decision to miss tomorrow’s event with the president stands in stark contrast to what happened during Walker’s recall campaign, when it was President Obama who avoided any personal appearances on behalf of Democrat Tom Barrett.