Democrats leapt at the chance to use Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker to send a message to all the budget-cutting, union-busting conservatives across the land: If you mess with Big Labor, theres a heavy price to pay.
But if you shoot at the king, youd better not miss.

And with Walker suddenly looking as if he might survive the recall, it appears hes only been grazed.
Now, instead of tacking Walkers pelt to their door as a warning to any who would follow him, theres a prospect the whole thing might backfire by elevating Walker into a tested-by-fire, conservative cult-hero and exposing the limits of the Democrats ability to exact revenge in the next statehouse where theyre wronged.

All the big GOP players now know Walkers story by heart. Republican billionaires and megadonors are suddenly well-acquainted with him as well.
And if he wins in the June 5 recall against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) — which polls suggest hes likely to do — his trajectory will very likely be even higher.
Not only will Walker be lionized by his GOP colleagues for embarrassing Big Labor and forcing the left to pour cash down the drain in a presidential election year, hell be credited with making the state more competitive for Mitt Romney.
Not bad for a rookie governor who has never been known for his charisma or burning political ambition.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, chairman of the Republican Governors Association, called Walker a “gutsy, courageous governor who has already attained national prominence within the party. “The more Scott Walker can reduce the unemployment rate and balance the budget and return Wisconsin to fiscal prosperity, I think the more people would say going forward that he has maybe other opportunities.
Like McDonnell, top Republicans across the country have showered Walker with praise. Romney dubbed the governor a “hero in advance of the Wisconsin presidential primary last month and jockeyed with his primary opponent Rick Santorum over which candidate is Walkers biggest champion. GOP officials and operatives all agree Walkers got a promising political future if he comes out on top of the recall battle.
“Hes a guy who has something to offer his state now and hopefully the country in the future, said former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele.
In the latest testament to his exalted stature on the right, Walker is featured on the cover of the May 28 edition of the conservative National Review depicted as Perseus — the Greek hero who slayed Medusa — wielding a sword and holding the Gorgons snake-infested head. The headline: “Can Scott Walker Slay the Beast?
National GOP donors have rushed to his defense, helping him rake in more than $25 million since January 2011 — with more than $13 million raised in just over three months earlier this year. That included $500,000 from Bob Perry — who helped fund the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacks against John Kerry in 2004 — and $250,000 from Sheldon Adelson, a GOP super donor who poured millions into the super PAC that backed Newt Gingrichs presidential bid.
Outside groups have also formed a defensive line around Walker. Americans for Prosperity, a conservative group backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, spent more than $1.5 million on ads defending the governor in the first three months of 2012, according to the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign.

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