A bright spot for Republicans: governors
posted at 2:20 pm on November 7, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Chris Cillizza notices that the Republicans managed to avert disaster at the gubernatorial level on Tuesday, re-electing the Republican governors targeted by the DNC in key states. Despite losing Indiana and Vermont to Barack Obama, the GOP managed to hold onto the executive positions. The Republican Governors Association recommends that the party look outside the Beltway for its future leadership:
One of the few bright spots for Republicans on Tuesday came at the state level where all four incumbent GOP governors won reelection, including Indiana’s Mitch Daniels and Vermont’s Jim Douglas, who were targeted by national Democrats. (Not all was hunky-dory for Republicans at the gubernatorial level, however, as they lost open seat races in Missouri and North Carolina and failed to out Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire.)
In the wake of Tuesday’s election Republican Governors Association executive director Nick Ayers insisted that the best — and perhaps only — way for the GOP to rise again was to look to the states.
“For two years I’ve said we will not win back control on the House or Senate or maintain control of the White House until we first re-establish our party at the state level and build it around governors,” said Ayers. “Today that’s never been more clear.”
If that’s true, then who are the nascent leaders that the GOP needs to tap? Cillizza picks five, in ascending order:
- Haley Barbour
- Mark Sanford
- Sarah Palin
- Tim Pawlenty
- Bobby Jindal
I’m a little surprised to see Mitt Romney’s name off of this list. He’s not a governor now, but Mark Sanford won’t be governor for much longer, either. Romney has the economic savvy to speak to the crisis facing the US now, and while he may not have excited the base had he been nominated, Romney would have provided a trustworthy figure on economic policy in the aftermath of the collapse.
Having said that, this does look like a line-up that Republicans can enthusiastically support. In 2012, Jindal might be on his second term with a solid record of reform in a state that desperately needs it. If he can clean up the political sewer that is Louisiana state politics in four years, he could be a formidable candidate against Barack Obama, especially if Obama keeps appointing people like Rahm Emanuel to high-ranking positions.
Sarah Palin can also come back strong in 2012. Right now, she has to shake off the small-minded idiots who think they can protect themselves from criticism over McCain’s losing campaign through catty gossip. Once that’s accomplished and the gossips exposed for what they are, she can take a leadership position in national politics, especially on energy and reform. The Republican base clearly loves Palin, and she will have the name recognition needed to run as the first woman in either party to top a national ticket.
Sanford will have to find something significant to do after 2010 if he wants to remain relevant. He’s terrific, as I have experienced first-hand, at espousing real libertarian-conservative values. He probably should have run this year, being in his second term as Governor in South Carolina, but decided against it. Too bad; I think he could have won the nomination.
Barbour is a mystery to me on this list. He’s a good governor, but he hasn’t really asserted himself as a party leader outside of his state. His skillful work during Hurricane Katrina went largely unnoticed because of the disaster in New Orleans, and maybe Barbour missed his shot. If the GOP wants national leadership, it looks like Jindal, Palin, and Romney have passed Barbour in those sweepstakes.
One other name might arise during the next four years: Matt Blunt. The young governor of Missouri decided against a run for re-election, but he remains popular and also does a good job in campaigning for conservative values. If the GOP can get him back from his “sabbatical” in the private sector, they will be pleasantly surprised.
Update: I know that Sanford is governor of South Carolina, not NC, and still has two years left — just had a strange combination of brain fade this afternoon. Thanks to Brian for correcting me. And Barbour was RNC chair at one time, but that was more than ten years ago.
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But in 2012, Mr. HopenChange will be the status quo, and if he screws up as badly as Carter did (or worse!) Jindal will sound like a genius, and have experience in LA to back it up.
Steve Z on November 7, 2008 at 3:36 PM
I agree to a point. The kid is very very sharp and can make things happen. As he gets more confident on the big stage, he might improve his ability to project a convincing charisma.
saiga on November 7, 2008 at 3:38 PM
Will Saxby Chambliss win the runoff? We really need to hold on to that seat.
goldeagle11 on November 7, 2008 at 3:40 PM
Probably, yes. He’ll be very close to 50%, and Jim Martin is a terrible candidate.
TedInATL on November 7, 2008 at 3:55 PM
goldeagle11 on November 7, 2008 at 3:40 PM
Hoping so. He missed winning in outright by 0.2% + 1 vote (need 50% plus 1 vote per GA law) so it looks pretty good. But given the importance of that seat, national Dims will soon be more visible than Sherman’s army in his march to the sea. The One is even supposed to come down here as well as McCain. A lot of people believe it was so close because so many voted in the general election because of the Presidential ticket and that without Obama to draw them out to vote, Dims may not have as good of a turnout as they did this past Tues. I don’t know how much I buy that theory because McCain/Palin drew over 52%. The Libertarian drew way more votes in the Senate race that Barr did (not enough to account for the 3% more that McCain/Palin drew); maybe they will jump over behind Chambliss. That Senate race was a nasty one with DNC/DCC running blatantly false ads against Chambliss. He is one likes this fair tax that Neal Boortz/John Linder push (doing away with IRS and going to a 23% national sales tax). The ads stated he wanted to put a 23% sales tax on everything, but made no mention of completely doing away with federal income taxes and the IRS itself. A lot of mindless drones bought it and that’s where we are.
ellenb on November 7, 2008 at 3:58 PM
Ok good. I figured since Obama won’t be on the ballot turn out won’t be as large and saxby would win.
goldeagle11 on November 7, 2008 at 4:00 PM
If Palin could become a leader on energy Reform, that would benefit her greatly. She can not only help Alaska and keep her approval ratings high but also be seen as a National leader and deal maker. The Republicans need to get her in a leadership position as quickly as possible on a major issue. She could also pound Obama on drilling and his cap and trade policies.
I personally have my eye on Bobby Jindal. Louisiana had accepted corruption as part of its political culture. Like when New York City was decalred an “unmanageable” city back in the ’80s. Giuliani proved all those pessimists wrong as Mayor and Jindal is proving those same people wrong in Louisiana. All it takes is strong character, integrity and efficient management skills and reform is possible. Jindal is proving to be a true leader of reform and may be the future of the Party.
I am not sure about Pawlenty or Sanford, I do know much about them. Though a Libertarian conservative from South Carolina could prove a formidable candidate because of his appeal to the religous conservatives, being from South Carolina and the more Libertarian Conservatives found in Swing States like Nevada and Colorado.
Daemonocracy on November 7, 2008 at 4:16 PM
lol, I like the Shermans army reference. Would make for a great line in an ad.
Daemonocracy on November 7, 2008 at 4:17 PM
You’re missing former Lt. Governor Michael Steele of Maryland who is now the chairman for GOPAC as a possible GOP contender for 2012. At least Michael Steele is known for his true conservative Republican stance.
Kokonut on November 7, 2008 at 4:46 PM
I don’t get the people who complain about Mitt Romney’s supposed lack of “pizzazz” or “flair” or whatever you want to call it. Are you voting for president or for American Idol?
Romney is a combination of intelligence, competence, and morals that is rarely found in politics (or anywhere, for that matter), but we should shove him aside because he doesn’t wink at the camera?
Does substance matter anymore, or are we headed down the same path as the Dems, where looks and the ability to read off a teleprompter are the all-important factors in selecting a candidate?
JA on November 7, 2008 at 4:58 PM
Pawlenty is a good guy, but drifts VERY left/moderate on environmentalism and green technology and since MN is one giant bastion of liberalism he’s had to play nice to “get things done.” Were I to rank his conservatism (being a MN resident), would label him green and ambidextrous, he and McCain were/are two pees in a pod.
parcley on November 7, 2008 at 4:59 PM
I could give less of a crap. His marriage has nothing to do with how much of a phenomenal thinker he is.
And NO to him being RNC chair. His talents are in policy. His work at American Solutions is much more valuable.
Brains on November 7, 2008 at 5:08 PM
The messenger is just as important as the message. The last eight years should have taught us that. Bush had some great ideas, but trouble communicating them.
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 5:19 PM
Lets not forget acorn so quickly. Who can really think the dems well let acorn fad away? They will be much stronger and have the support of our entire government. It is not easy to overcome fixed elections.
allrsn on November 7, 2008 at 5:24 PM
When I listen to Mitt Romney, I hear someone extremely bright and articulate. It’s difficult to understand the people who so readily discount him for shallow reasons like, “He’s too wooden”. Even if he were wooden (which I don’t see), who the heck cares? Let’s look at his ability to fix our country’s problems. It’s sad to see the Republican party becoming every bit as superficial as the Dems.
JA on November 7, 2008 at 5:39 PM
Romney really does not come off well… I think used car salesman everytime I hear him speak. And I’m sure most of your middle-ot-the-road voters pick up the same vibe. If you come off as unlikeable, it doesn’t matter what knowledge you have; people won’t listen to you.
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 5:43 PM
I’m willing to concede that four years is quite a time and that Jindal can get rid of the assistant professor vibe that he seems to have now. But I just wanted to point out that the guy is has not proven himself as a combination of Reagan and Obama. It seems like there is a bit of a Jindal feeding frenzy right now among some parts of the Republican Party, which seems quite premature.
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 5:48 PM
Contrary to your opinion, Mitt did come off well to millions of voters, and millions more of them are regretting not voting for him, given what we ended up with.
JA on November 7, 2008 at 5:56 PM
With regard to prospects for 2010, 2012…a few lessons we should learn from the Obama win:
1. Coherent message matters; make sure your own staff and grass roots efforts are all on the same page
2. Charisma matters
3. If you have #1 and 2, this can be more important to winning elections than your actual experience, character issues, and all other aspects of decision making that would normally seem logical when selecting a president — although experience and character should be vital as well.
4. Don’t take any voting base for granted, or rule it out – anywhere in the country
5. If your opponent criticizes you, make sure you can respond coherently and effectively; if you criticize your opponent, make sure you know what you are talking about
6. Use the media to your advantage – internet, radio, tv — get the air time even if they are biased against you — and be well prepared for your media appearances
7. Don’t alienate your base support, but do reach out to more liberal/swing voters — such as RINOs and DINOs.
8. Make sure you understand the primary issues on voters’ minds, and make a compelling case for why you are the best choice to solve them.
9. Remember that times change and strategies must also change. What worked great in past elections is good advice, but may not work the same way next time around.
If we can remember these points, we’ll do well in the next election cycles.
mark88hosting on November 7, 2008 at 6:05 PM
In 2012, we’ve got to think that Obama is still going to use a twist on his “change we can believe in” theme — especially if the economy turns around. He’ll be able to trumpet his achievements confidently, even if the successes are not directly attributable to anything he has done. We can’t make the Bob Dole mistake again. He had no real answer to Bill Clinton and his defeat was one of the most embarrassing in GOP history. We need to convince voters that our plans are better, even if Obama does do some tangible good in the next four years.
mark88hosting on November 7, 2008 at 6:11 PM
The last thing I did before leaving for basic training in 2002 was to vote for Ehrlich/Steele in the MD governors race (proving i’m not racist, I think). While I think Steele is great, I’m uncomfortable having a guy whose experience in govt is four years as Lt. Gov running for President. Yes, I realize who our President-elect is, but that doesnt mean we shouldnt value track records and experience.
I don’t know what Steele can do to get back into office. He was light years better than Ben Cardin in the senate race two years ao but still lost due to MD’s deep blue streak. The current governor is busy running the state into the ground with his (surprise surprise) jacked up spending and increased taxes. MD has a sizeable black population and I think some prominent blacks supported Steele in his senate run. Perhaps he can run for and win the governorship and make some real inroads among the black community. Keep hope alive!
hump1201 on November 7, 2008 at 6:13 PM
What exactly are you looking for? The perfect canidate? Well there is not one. Let Jindal do some more governing then we can judge him when the time comes.
goldeagle11 on November 7, 2008 at 6:33 PM
Saiga:
JC endorsed “The ONE” so he’ll never be on any ‘republican” lists again.
In ill-ANNOYZ-downstate-there is a twenty-somthing by the name of Aaron Schock. I THINK he’s a state rep-solidly conservative-who beat the incumbent democrat at TWENTY TWO.
Remember the name.
annoyinglittletwerp on November 7, 2008 at 6:47 PM
Aside from being a lobbyist, Barbour has vague ties to the Council of Conservative Citizens, a white separatist group.
He may not have known what he was getting himself into, but I’d say that combined with his ties to lobbying make him a big “no” for national tickets. I do hear he has done good work as a governor, though.
bcm4134 on November 7, 2008 at 6:48 PM
JA on November 7, 2008 at 5:56 PM
Glad I’m not the lone voice in the woods when it comes to Romney on here. Romney gave great speeches, just the media would find something to nitpick on them, and only report about that. Like not including atheism when giving an address on religious faith. Rather than report on his great speech, it was all about that. I didn’t know atheism was supposed to be a religious faith.
thecountofincognito on November 7, 2008 at 7:10 PM
The commentors on this website are not representative of true conservatism. Don’t buy into the “Huckabee is a liberal” nonsense. Mike is NOT a liberal. He believes in conservative social values, from being pro-life to being pro-traditional marriage and supports amenments to those ends. He has no record of flip flopping like his rivals on the main things. Governor Huckabee is the man all the way. Woops. *whistles*
apacalyps on November 7, 2008 at 8:26 PM
Excuse me. Didn’t the country just elect a college professor?
Y-not on November 7, 2008 at 8:48 PM
Why would we want to put up a candidate who emulates Obama in any way? The guy’s a thug.
Y-not on November 7, 2008 at 8:50 PM
A guy named Smith who had less than seven months experience as the Governor of LA would not be touted as a legitimate VP or Presidential candidate. The reason why Jindal is being hyped (and has been for awhile) is the desire of the Republican Party to become more diverse. While I commend this as a worthy goal, I don’t think that the Republicans should nominate Jindal without doing their homework.
Yes, but you must admit that the guy can give one heck of a speech. I’ve never seen Jindal give a speech, but he does come off to abstract and wonky in some of his interviews. I think that Jindal focuses too much on stats and micro-details instead of the big picture.
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 10:43 PM
Nope, I’m just very down on the Republican Party and their lack of a solid back bench right now. Jindal might turn out to be awesome, but it is kinda disconcerting that he and Sarah Palin are basically the entire Republican backbench.
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 10:46 PM
Aaron Schnock was just elected to the House in the open seat in that district at the age of 27. I must say that he’s quite easy on the eyes… However, IL is not a very conservative state, and I cannot see him advancing his political career any further (either to the Senate or as Governor).
Illinidiva on November 7, 2008 at 10:54 PM
I’m a supporter of Bobby and I love him as our governor. Even some registered Dems here love him.
He told Entergy, the big utility company here, to quit making excuses and fix the damn power after Gustav hit. He was in New Orleans during evacuation prior to the storm. He didn’t stammer like a fool when in front of the press during recovery.
He’s cleaning house on budgets too. I can’t say why I know this now but the state is looking on cutting out wasteful contracts and spending very soon.
He’s working on bringing more businesses in the state, meaning better jobs. This state should be swimming in money with our resources in energy and transportation but thanks to corrupt politicians like Edwards, it never happened.
Lay-Z on November 8, 2008 at 12:05 AM
Hypothetical subjunctive.
Tzetzes on November 8, 2008 at 1:38 AM
illinidiva
I live in north chi-believe you me…I know.
Btw-There are “The ONE” banners on many of the lamposts in the Loop.
Welcome to the New Peoples Soviet Republic.
annoyinglittletwerp on November 8, 2008 at 8:55 AM
“clearly, the lesson which is to be taken from this past election is that we need to present some sort of brown-skinned person to the people. we must close this brown-skinnedness gap.”
“that will show that we’re not at all racist and, given our anti-affirmative action plank, not in the leastwise cynical.”
eh on November 8, 2008 at 9:32 AM
you know what? i think… i think i just stopped caring about the republican party forever. just now. like that. kind of like falling out of love.
zooming back up to the top of the post and reading the list of possibles, i realized that they’re just going to start branding and prepping them without a second’s pause to consider what’s gone so deeply wrong beneath a superficial level. and it’s clear to me that these comments sections are a decently representative slice of the right, and you’d all be unanimous in calling for my “liberal”, “rino” head for even suggesting that there’s something wrong about picking a 2012 presidential candidate three days after the electoral ass-kicking of our lives without even a moment’s pause to consider why people aren’t listening when we speak any more.
enjoy your koolade, retards.
eh on November 8, 2008 at 10:11 AM
Ed, Be fair. If you are going to be adding Romney even if he is a former governor there is a lot of former governors around.
Some commentators (Not many here, we scared them away long ago :-p) would mention Huckabee, but I would mention Jeb Bush also, but not at the moment.
clover_dave on November 8, 2008 at 4:11 PM
No offense intended, but Fuck You, Ed.
Kevin M on November 8, 2008 at 8:16 PM
Sry. I just meant that your pseudo optimism is horribly misplaced.
Kevin M on November 8, 2008 at 8:19 PM
Creepy.. I have not been down to the Loop since the election, so thanks for letting me know.
BTW, do you live in the city? I live just north in Evanston, so I know all about the Obama cultists/ koolaid drinkers. It’s difficult to live in a place where everyone basically disagrees with you, but the boutiques and restaurants make it worthwhile.
Illinidiva on November 8, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Why isn’t Mitch Daniels on that list? He has done some amazing things as governor of Indiana.
My hope is that Lugar will decide to retire after his current term (up in 2012), at which time Daniels could have a pretty easy ride into the Senate.
jjcamp on November 11, 2008 at 10:00 PM
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