They can't, really. The Pawlenty comparison is moot since nobody besides DC pundits ever cared about him, whereas Walker is beloved by the grassroots for crushing the unions and surviving a recall. This is why I've thought Walker would end up being the nominee for years now.
The only thing I can think of is "too divisive/unelectable", but that can easily be countered with "won in a blue state three times". Yeah, two of them were midterms, but nobody's going to get that deep into the nuances.
Phil, do you support Walker now? You too have abandoned poor Christie?
