"Been there, seen that:" Gov. Walker tells conservatives they can survive protests like he once did

NATIONAL HARBOR, Maryland -- Gov. Scott Walker told conservatives on Thursday, February 23rd that they could survive the protests happening around the country just like he did during the recall.

Six years to the month since Gov. Walker unveiled what became Act 10, the governor brought it back into the spotlight at the conservative gathering known as CPAC. Walker says demonstrations at Republican town hall meetings across the country remind him of the Act 10 protests and surviving the 2012 recall.

"And as I hear these stories, I think to myself, been there, seen that," Walker said.

Later on a panel with other Republican governors, Walker told conservatives to urge their Congressmen on.

"Because certainly, as we've seen in the last month or so, they're going to hear from the left. They need to hear just as much from you and others like you around this country about what are priorities," Walker said.

GOP Strategist Brian Fraley says Walker is positioning himself as an elder statesman.

"He's basically saying, don't let the protests or the disturbances or the raucous town halls deter you from doing what you know is the right thing to do. And he's basing it on his experiences in 2011 and 2012," Fraley said.

But Milwaukee Democrat David Bowen says Walker has little to celebrate about those times.

"The governor has proven time and time again to be a divider, unfortunately, instead of uniting our state," Bowen said.

Also Thursday, a rare joint appearance between White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus of Kenosha and Senior Adviser Steve Bannon. It was perhaps a reaction to rumors that the two do not get along. Priebus said if the conservative movement unites, "It can't be stopped."