I've been watching Scott Walker...

...ever since he was elected governor of Wisconsin in the tea party wave back in 2010. I even went up to Madison in the winter of 2011 to show my support for the teachers and other public employees. (I just didn't see how busting the unions could be good for the middle class; unions created the middle class.)

Now while I'll concede that I've underestimated Walker's popularity in Wisconsin, I can't help agreeing with this assessment from Rick Ungar in Forbes (my emphasis):

Here is the reality—as I’ve been saying for longer than I can remember, Scott Walker is a mediocre county executive who has risen far beyond his talents.

The very notion that he brings the gravitas and talent required to assume the mantle of the President of the United States and leader of the Free World reveals just how low the expectations of many Americans have fallen.

Ungar's right: the office of President of the United States requires a truly exceptional person (like Barack Obama). And my impression of Walker is that he just doesn't meet that description.

P. S. I will tell you this: I've been to Wisconsin a lot -- a lot. (My wife is from Milwaukee.) And no one I've ever talked to up there is neutral on the guy -- they either love him or hate him. So if what the Republicans want is a divisive nominee in 2016, they need look no further than Walker.