State Update

Polarizing?

Sorry for the long hiatus. I recently moved apartments and lost home Internet for a while, but, thankfully, that's been resolved... So I'm back to posting again...

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) recently accepted his party's nomination to carry the GOP banner in the governor's race this fall. What really made waves, though, was his efforts to whip up the Republican base. Here's the St. Paul Pioneer Press' take:

Pawlenty, the restrained statesman during the recently completed legislative session, showed his fierce partisan side in a speech that fired up what had been a relatively lackadaisical gathering.

"I can tell you what your worst nightmare is," he told the 1,072 delegates. "It's one of the big-spendin', tax-raisin', abortion-promotin', gay marriage-embracin', more welfare without accountability-lovin', school reform-resistin', illegal immigration-supportin' DFL candidates for governor who thinks Hillary Clinton should be president."

Definitely some red meat for the party faithful. But the comment also reminded me of a study (see page 24 of the PDF) by political scientist Gary Jacobson at the University of California, San Diego showing that Pawlenty is the most polarizing governor in the country. Jacobson defined polarizing as having the widest disparity of approval ratings between Dems and Republicans, based on Survey USA data.

Following Pawlenty was Washington State's Gov. Christine Gregoire (D), who earned her post after a protracted recount struggle in 2004. Then came Florida's Jeb Bush (R), brother of the president; Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) of California, who has played nice with Dems this spring after stirring up a hornet's nest by attacking key Democrat constituencies with ballot initiatives in November; Mitt Romney (R) of Massachusetts, who's distanced himself from the blue state legacy of the Bay State while exploring a possible 2008 presidential run; and Missouri's Matt Blunt (R), son of U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, and a frequent target of criticism for cutting back the state's Medicaid benefits.

And the least polarizing? That'd be Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen (D), who's the only governor to enjoy MORE support among the opposing party than his own. Bredesen, as you may know, has, like Blunt, taken lots of heat for cuts to the state's Medicaid program (called TennCare). Over nine months, Bredesen averaged 48.9 percent approval from Dems compared to 56.6 percent from Republicans.

Following Bredesen are a bunch of govs with high overall approval ratings: Dave Freudenthal (D) of Wyoming, Kenny Guinn (R) of Nevada, Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia and Jodi Rell (R) of Connecticut.

Vilsack jabs Sanford

Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) visited South Carolina to, ahem, make sure there's a "governor for the next two years that can carry that megaphone in the state talking about the Democratic message." In the meantime, he took a couple swipes at South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R), The State reports.

Vilsack also joined with those who poked a little fun at Republican Gov. Mark Sanford. “In my state, we keep the hogs on the farm. We don’t take them to the Capitol,” he quipped.

Three years ago, Sanford carried two squealing piglets, one under each arm, to the House of Representatives to protest what he called pork-barrel spending by the Legislature.

He went a bit further, according to the Post and Courier:

"If you were to ask someone in the state of South Carolina, 'How has Gov. Mark Sanford made your lives better?' they might have a hard time answering that question," Vilsack said. "If (voters) can't answer that, then you can beat the guy."

But even as Vilsack pumped himself up for a possible 2008 presidential run, he acknowledged he, too, has a bit of work to do in South Carolina, an early primary state. From the AP:

"The reality is I'm not a famous guy and I'm not a wealthy guy. Some people are trying to figure out whether Vilsack is a laxative or a pickle, much less a governor," Vilsack said

At least he's spreading the criticism a bit.

Romney makes the rounds

Massachussetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) spent the day in Washington, D.C. today, at the same time the Massachussetts House started overriding his vetoes to parts of the universal health insurance package he was busy touting in Washington. To be fair, the overrides were expected and they weren't even close. One of the most contentious provisions, a $295 charge on businesses that didn't offer insurance, cleared the chamber on a 136-20 vote.

Romney began the day bright and early, telling the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (video here)about the details of the new plan over breakfast. For a presentation by a governor, it was pretty detailed.

He did his best to convince the audience that mandating that everyone get insurance is an act of championing "personal responsibility," because otherwise those who didn't get insurance would get health care without paying for it, essentially freeloading off the rest of us. And he explained how it made good business sense, too, because having everybody in the insurance pool makes for both cheaper insurance (because risk is spread over a bigger pool) and for cheaper health care (because people go to the doctor to get treated sooner, rather than waiting to go to the emergency room when they can no longer avoid it).

He may have mentioned the fee on businesses quickly, but only in passing.

Later in the day he was meeting with senators, congressmen and journalists. Don't know if that sounds like more fun than trying to sustain your vetoes as a Republican in a legislature that's 85 percent Democrat, but I guess that's the price you pay for exploring a White House run. (By the way, the location of the U.S. Chamber's headquarters, where Romney gave his speech, may have given Romney reason to smile so early in the morning).

A VP race already?

Two stories came out this morning about Republican governors angling for the #2 spot on the national ticket in 2008 -- even though both of them are up for re-election this year.

The Associated Press talks about the mutual fawning between Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who appears to be gunning for the White House once again in 2008.

"I think that all of us in public life have an obligation to try to encourage another generation behind us to serve, and that's why I've been very privileged to know Governor Pawlenty," McCain said at a press conference, with Pawlenty standing at his side. "I think he's the next generation of leadership in our Republican Party, and in America."

McCain then said he hasn't yet decided if he's running for president in two years, much less given thought to potential running mates. He also questioned if Pawlenty would want to be vice president.

"The vice president of the United States really only has two duties. One is to break a tie vote in the Senate, and the other is to inquire daily as to the health of the president," McCain said. "I'm not sure that Governor Pawlenty, given the responsibilities he has here, would be interested in that."

And in Texas, the Dallas Morning News raises the possibility that Gov. Rick Perry is looking to raise his national profile in an effort to be someone's running mate.

His appearances point up the dual strategies of a governor who insists he's focused on Texas as he approaches re-election while allies work to burnish his national credentials as a potential vice presidential nominee.

The out-of-state events not only have heightened his profile but they also have created behind-the-scenes tension with Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's backers. They
see her as a more likely choice for vice president on a GOP ticket in 2008.

I guess it's never too early to lay the groundwork for what's next. But it seems like an eternity before we should start worrying about the next vice-president. In any event, though, it seems like there's one person who benefits from the angling: John McCain. As the Morning News points out:

This month, Mr. Perry appeared in Houston with Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who may run for president. Mr. McCain has signed a campaign contribution solicitation letter for Mr. Perry, saying, "Texas leads the way in advancing a strong Republican message that is a model for America."

So McCain raises money for the governors and elevates their status nationally. I bet he's hoping they'll do the same for him later on, before they'll ever find out if they're even on the short list...

On your marks, get set...

GO!!! Rivals Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) face off this weekend in a hot, hot race. We're talking about the National Governors Association's 5K race Saturday, of course.

Both Vilsack and Huckabee (who will sport No. 2008 in the Little Rock Marathon) are seasoned marathon runners who should have no problem completing the three-plus miles in Washington, D.C. this Saturday. It's part of Huckabee's "Healthy America" initiative during his tenure as the NGA chairman.

But there are some dark horses to consider, depending on which govs show up for the event.

Of course, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) once headed the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Now maybe his fans can see if he holds up in a chase scene as well in person as he does on film.

And then there's the sleeper Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, he of Daily Show fame, who's had a long-running love for jogging. Blagojevich took part in a southern Illinois relay race last year, but he demurred when organizers of a race in the Quad Cities (two of the cities are in Illinois, two are in Iowa) suggested that the two Democrats run in a half-marathon there. Will Blagojevich show up in Washington? Or will he let the pack pass him by?

And there's always Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R) who's biggest sports coup came when he chaired the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Don't know if he can compete in a 5K, but it seems like he might be interested in a race for first place in Washington. Of course, he'll have plenty of competition.

UPDATE: Only six governors ran, and no times were kept. Rats! Of all the guvs I mentioned, only Huckabee showed up. Granted, it was very early and pretty cold. But not even Vilsack made it...