Scott Walker made a surprise statement on Sunday on ABC’s “This Week”, according to the Huffington Post. In his opinion, he says that the next Republican presidential nominee needs to be an outsider, meaning a governor or former governor with a successful track record in their state. Like himself, of course.

Well, if he is right, that would rule out some Tea Party favorites, like Republican Sens. Marco Rubio (Fla.), Ted Cruz (Texas) and Rand Paul (Ky.), all of whom are considered very likely to seek their party’s nomination in 2016. Cruz is a Tea Party icon, and highly spoken of by the likes of Sarah Palin and other conservatives who might disagree, and Rand Paul is a huge favorite among Ron Paul fans and general lovers of the constitution.

Walker is considered one of the greatest enemies of the “Occupy” movement from three years ago that saw days, sometimes weeks and months, of protests all over the country.

He even had to use a secret tunnel to go to and from work during the tumultuous times. He and his family were the recipients of death threats. But now he’s turning his attention to the 2016 ballots and what’s next for the country. About the nominee, he said,

“I think it’s got to be an outsider. I think both the presidential and the vice presidential nominee should either be a former or current governor — people who have done successful things in their states, who have taken on big reforms, who are ready to move America forward.”

ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked him about Paul Ryan, Walker’s Wisconsin colleague and former vice-presidential candidate to Mitt Romney. “I love Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan, if he had a fan club, I’d be the president of that,” Walker said. He then added that, unfortunately, Ryan also wouldn’t meet his criteria for an ideal candidate.

According to ABC, he said the reason for his harsh criteria is the misguided efforts of Republicans in the government shutdown debacle last month. When asked if he thought it was a mistake, he said, “I think so.”

He observed that Republicans at the state level are much more willing to compromise to make things happen.

“Republicans, at the state level, are showing we’re much more optimistic, we’re speaking in terms that are much more relevant to where real voters are at,” he said.

Some Republicans and Independents may not see this as a good thing, however. Tea Party members and the conservative Right have spent a considerable amount of time and money supporting those that held their ground in Washington during the shutdown.

Is this a ploy by Walker to make room for his own name on the upcoming nomination? When asked if he would run himself, he said, “I don’t rule anything out.”

Sounds sneaky to me…

image via youtube