In Iowa, Walker says Trump parroting Democratic talking points

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker talks with Linda Jordan, of Big Lake, Mo., during a campaign stop in Sidney, Iowa, on July 31, 2015. (Charlie Neibergall, AP)

SIDNEY, Iowa –says his strategy for the big debate next week

But when reporters asked him about the criticism Donald Trump splattered on him in Iowa

“In Mr. Trump’s case, he was literally using the talking points of the Democrats and those talking points have proven to be false,” Walker, the governor of Wisconsin and the front-runner in the GOP presidential race in Iowa, said during a short question-and-answer with a half dozen reporters at a campaign stop in the town of Sidney in southwest Iowa.

“Our finances are good. Our schools are some of the best in the country. Our state is doing is well,” said Walker, who is on a one-day swing through Iowa aboard his campaign RV.

Trump threw a picnic in Oskaloosa last Saturday, with free food for more than 1,200 people. During a speech, Trump told the Iowans that Wisconsin roads, schools and hospitals are all “a disaster,” that the state borrows money “like crazy,” and that a projected surplus turned out to be a deficit of $2.2 billion. Trump also ripped on Walker as a flip-flopper on Common Core education standards, saying “Walker changed when he saw he was getting creamed, so now he’s not in favor.”

On Friday, Walker didn’t respond to the flip-flopping accusation, but rebutted Trump’s claims about his government.

“The Democrats tried to peg us that way, and they weren’t successful, and I don’t think others are going to be successful for the Republican primary,” Walker said.

Walker said Wisconsin had a $3.6 billion deficit.

“Fixed that. We lowered taxes by $2 billion. Our finances are in good shape. We went from over 8% unemployment to 4.6% unemployment, well below the national rate. … and our bonding levels are at a 20-year low.”

About 40 people came to Walker’s event at Penn Drug, which his campaign tweeted is “the oldest family-owned drug store in Iowa.”

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Jacobs reports for The Des Moines Register