Vote for the most overrated governor in America
The Washington Post’s political blogger, Chris Cillizza (”The Fix”), is offering readers the chance to vote for the most overrated governor in the country. Cillizza writes, “Below we’ve offered six choices of governors who regularly are mentioned as more showhorse than workhorse. And the choices are
Ed Rendell (D-Pa.)
Charlie Crist (R-Fla.)
Mitch Daniels (R-Ind.)
Martin O’Malley (D-Md.)
Rick Perry (R-Texas)
Brian Schweitzer (D-Mont.)”
How did Bobby Jindal stay off this list?
Just in case a reader or two might be interested in the outcome, prospective voters can cast their ballots by clicking here.
great scott! says:
it looks like Burka is rooting so hard against Perry that he copied Eileen’s blog…
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Eileen Smith Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 10:40 pm
I knew he never read my blog.
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paulburka Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Oops … sorry Eileen. Don’t take it personally.
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Anonymous says:
I guess you’re now posting on goofy internet polls since the Aggies beat the tar out of Tech last weekend.
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paulburka Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Yes they did, and it was great to see. Good for them for a fantastic turnaround.
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Anonymous says:
You know what I think is overrated? Newspapers that just reported a 6.4% decline in circulation for the last six months calling the governor of a state that has produced the majority of all the new jobs in the country overrated.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
touche! what was the decline for Dallas Morning News? 22%? and the Houston Chronicle – wasn’t it 14%????
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Garvin Reply:
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:24 pm
So what? Dallas cut most of that fat on purpose, Chronicle likewise. Our local paper was down a bit. All media are in the toliet, magazines, tv and radio. What does that have to do wth a lousy governor that takes credit for a postive economy that he had little to do with? Texas ALWAYS outperforms the nation.
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Brisoce Democrat says:
Once Perry wins reelection to a 3rd full term next year, I wonder how Burka will react ?
Will he go to KBH and cry on her knees once she got her butt KICKED by 10 points in the primary ?
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paulburka Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I can tell you how I will react. I’ll write about it. Anyone who thinks that I will fall into a deep depression if Perry wins is way off base. Rick Perry is just another ineffectual governor. I’ve seen lots of them. Texas has survived them all. It will survive Rick Perry. No amount of swaggering and bluster by the likes of Briscoe Democrat can gloss over reality.
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Anonymous says:
Looks like Perry could win with 39% – again.
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Jed says:
why are new jobs a good thing?
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Anonymous Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
Seriously?!?!?
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Tamsterbath says:
The poll asks for overrated. Wouldn’t that mean that someone is rating him highly? Is that really the case?
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Anonymous says:
And why isn’t Arnold on that list?
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paulburka Reply:
October 27th, 2009 at 10:38 pm
I thought about asking the same question about him as I did Jindal, but Ahnuld made a real effort to do something about California’s budget crisis. Besides, it’s hard to be overrated when the world is falling apart all around you.
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Anonymous Forever says:
I will never vote for the most overrated governor in America.
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billrider says:
Paul,
To whom shall I thank for Texas’ success compared to the rest of the country?
Texas Monthly?
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Anonymous Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 8:38 am
KBH, of course. If it weren’t for $$$ from Washington, D.C., Texas would be in a mell of a hess.
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paulburka Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 10:18 am
To billrider, re whom you should thank –
1. Framers of the Texas Constitution, who established pay-as-you-go government.
2. A long tradition, going back at least fifty years, that a good business climate (low taxes, controlled spending, light regulation) is the most important policy agenda in state government.
3. Conservative Democrats who ran the state for most of that period and were careful stewards of state finances.
4. Legislative leaders in both parties (Hobby, Bullock, Dewhurst, Laney) who made wise choices about who should take the lead in writing the budget.
5. Texas itself. This is a state that welcomes newcomers, a place where you can do what you are big enough to do. It has had an entreprenurial climate from the moment that Stephen F. Austin felled the first tree.
Governors would rank very low on this list. The only role they have in managing the economy is the threat of a line item veto of items in the state budget. Clements made a major contribution with workers’ comp reform, as Perry did with tort reform, though it is now clear that tort reform went too far. Perry gets credit for understanding the importance of infrastructure (roads, water, power), although his insistence on building roads through CDA’s touched off a fight that cost the state years when it could have been building roads with gasoline tax revenue and bonding. The Enterprise and Emerging Technology Funds have been tainted by the perception that the grants are made less on merit than on whether his political pals are involved in the companies. Some of the Enterprise Fund grant recipients appear to be having trouble reaching their job targets. Don’t get me wrong: I’m glad that these companies want to come here. But I don’t believe that, if someone else had been in the governor’s office, the Texas economy would be much different than it is today. The governor of Texas does not manage the state’s economy.
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Nachtwarheight Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 11:10 am
God and geography… but if you want to grab the knee pads and worship at the Rick Perry alter.. go ahead.
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paulburka Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Don’t forget dead dinosaurs.
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Texian Politico says:
O’Malley is the worst one on this list. Oh really? No, O’Malley.
He even appeared as himself as the mayor of Balwrmore in that fire fighter movie with Travolta and Joaquin Phoenix.
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thebigeasy2000 says:
Paul, the Perry Bloggers are full time on here and they don’t play by the rules of journalism.
You remain one of the most objective and fact based blogs around. I don’t always agree,but your process is very sound and balanced. BTW, Perry bloggers should not under rate KBH following from those who will be silent until election day for fear of retribution. Can’t wait till primary night!
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paulburka Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 10:22 am
I can hardly claim that blogging is journalism, since I am constantly reminding readers that this is not the New York Times. But Briscoe Democrat, Cow Droppings, and the rest of the Perry bloggers have as much right to air their opinions here as anyone else does. I believe that this blog has a politically sophisticated readership and can judge the value — or lack thereof — of a comment.
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Bart Simpson says:
Perry has taken the lead this morning, with 43% of the vote. This is the first time I’ve ever seen Perry break 40 percent in any poll. Congratulations to the Perry Blog Management Team!
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nontexan says:
Arnold is not on the list because he inherited an institutional nightmare in CA. The governor and legislators are handcuffed by legislative voting rules (supermajority for tax increases), the never-ending effects of Prop. 13, the out of control initiative process, and term limits. Let this be a lesson to Texans considering similar legislative rules: you think having an institutionally weak governor, no state tax, and a biennial session is bad enough? Try doing anything in government when legislators are unable to adapt to the changing economic climate. Its hard enough to get anything done in this state as it is.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Most of the time that’s a good thing because there’s no one with any sense that can make anything happen anyway – those with brains are seriously outnumbered.
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Bodhisattva Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 11:08 am
D’accord!
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Kenneth D. Franks says:
Cilizza asked the wrong question as it should relate to Perry and Perry seems to be getting the most votes. I don’t think Perry is overrated but I do think three full terms plus the rest of the Bush last term is too long. Too long for any one person to be the governor of Texas.
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Brisoce Democrat Reply:
November 2nd, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Kenneth, OH PLEASE.
Michigan’s William Milliken served 3 full four-year terms from 1969 to 1983.
Nelson Rockefeller of NY State served 14 years as well from 1959 until his resignation in 1973.
Terry Branstad of IA (more likely to win 5th term in 2010) served 16 years from 1983 to 1999.
This is NOTHING NEW, after all, we elected Bill Hobby as the state’s 37th lieutenant governor FIVE TIMES and he served 18 years.
Too long, please it’s LONGEVITY.
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Paul Burka's Research Assistant says:
Jindal as overrated? That needs some defense.
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paulburka Reply:
October 28th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
This is an answer to an above letter asking “Why Jindal?” He flubbed his big chance at the State of the Union rebuttal. It was universally regarded as a disastrous performance that finished him as a contender in 2012.
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East Texan says:
Paul,
I have a question. Why is it that Perry is always towing the line that government needs to get out of the way, yet he, as well as his supporters, always like to be the first ones to claim the credit for job creation in Texas? Is my analysis flawed? Because the way I see it, Perry and his folks want to have their cake and eat it too.
I would credit Texas mayors and local Chambers of Commerce will job creation before I would even consider the Governor, especially since the Governorship in Texas is relatively weak compared to other states.
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Prince Royal says:
I think only two of those six are in campaigns right now. I would not be at all surprised if Crist’s opponent and KBH’s camp are helping to move those numbers a bit.
That said, I do not want to take anything away from Governor Perry. I think he really deserves this title and I think there are plenty of people across the country that are rather flabbergasted that our Governor appears indifferent to the possibility that Texas executed a man for a crime he did not commit while appearing so arrogant about the possibility of secession.
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SpeedyMom says:
After 10,732 total votes, Rick Perry is leading with 42% of the vote. Mine included.
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