I’ve mentioned before that Republicans often get a pass from reporters when they endorse militantly conservative positions in stemwinding speeches. It’s because no one truly takes them seriously. It seems more like a sign of tribal 
affiliation than a genuine commitment to doing anything.
Today, however, Matt Yglesias points me to a Washington Post story about Scott Walker’s fundraising, which shows that he might have the opposite problem among some rich donors:
The same-sex marriage issue has caused Walker problems among some donor groups, however, particularly Republicans in New York. “Sometimes you can say something and people think you don’t mean it, and sometimes you can say something and people think you mean it,” said one Republican who has seen this tension play out. “When Barack Obama said he’s against gay marriage in 2008, people didn’t think he meant it. But when Scott says it, people think he means it. This is a very big stumbling block for him on Wall Street.”
I didn’t realize that same-sex marriage was such a hot button among the Wall Street set, but live and learn. Nor did I realize the Wall Street set was credulous enough to think that even if Walker is a true believer, he has the slightest chance of getting a constitutional amendment passed. The latter, however, would go a long way toward explaining a few things. I’ve always heard that bankers were really naive about politics, and maybe it’s actually true. I guess they’re too busy figuring out socially damaging ways to make money to be bothered learning.
