CEDAR CREEK, Texas -- As Barack Obama began crafting his administration last year, the term "competence over ideology" was often used to describe the incoming president's approach. Fast forward past another election: as the top Democrat's job approval rating dipped below 50 percent and his signature first-year initiatives face increasing doubts, a bullish group of Republican governors emphasized results over rhetoric as they predicted continued success in 2010.
In Washington, Republicans have been branded as the party of no for achieving near-constant unanimity on major votes on stimulus and health care. Gov. Haley Barbour, chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), called that an inevitable consequence of both diminished numbers and simple procedural roadblocks. But because of that Beltway reality, victories in the gubernatorial arena are a needed sign of life for the party, he said.
"In states where there are Republican governors, people can see if conservative and Republican ideas, when actually implemented, work," Barbour, a two-term Mississippi governor, said at the RGA's conference here this week.
As the focus turns to the midterm races for Congress and state offices, the RGA event was designed not just as a warning to Democrats, but as a guide for the rest of the GOP. One clear message seemed to be that as an ideological schism felled the party in a Congressional race, Republicans won key gubernatorial tests by focusing relentlessly on the top concern of voters.
"Every moderate Republican in Virginia voted for Bob McDonnell even though he was a conservative. Every conservative Republican in New Jersey voted for Chris Christie even though he was clearly the moderate candidate," Barbour said. "Folks should campaign on the right things - it helps keep the base together, and also wins a majority of the independents in both of these cases."
"Focusing on bread and butter issues and having not just rhetoric, but ideas and solutions ... I think is a big part of the equation in places like Minnesota and Vermont, all across this great country," Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota said. Borrowing again from an Obama campaign theme, he added: "If you're positive and optimistic and hopeful and civil, you're reaching out even if people don't agree -- those are some of the ingredients that you see are common to candidates being successful."
The governors here did not shy from a policy fight, with most of the attending governors joining together to make a forceful case against proposed health care legislation in Congress. In doing so, however, they were careful not to deny the necessity for changes in the system, and offered ideas that they said would be met with bipartisan agreement. Some of the rhetoric was more politically charged from some on the dais, but the general message was that the party welcomed a respectful contest in the issues.
"People want our presidents to succeed. They want our country to succeed," Barbour said. "So in my opinion it doesn't serve any purpose to be critical of the president personally." That sentiment showed in some of the governors' rhetoric - criticizing Democratic Congressional leaders by name but speaking generally of "the administration" and not Obama individually.
Looking ahead, Barbour told a larger gathering at the conference that 2010 is "going to be a good year for us." Comparing it to 1994, when he chaired the RNC, Barbour said: "This feels better this early," in part because of the increasingly unpopular policies at the federal level.
Those federal issues will "really matter in these governors races," RGA executive director Nick Ayers said. The lesson of 2009 was not that the mood of the electorate is anti-incumbent, but anti-spending and anti-government overreaching. That's more cause for concern on the part of Democrats looking to hold on to their majority of governorships -- of nine Democrats seeking re-election in 2010, "seven of them at this point have Corzine-like numbers and have Corzine-like governing problems," Ayers said.
Nathan Daschle, Ayers' counterpart at the Democratic Governors Association, countered that a number of Republican-held seats are in the same jeopardy because of their own challenges. New state-by-state unemployment data shows at least a half dozen states with Republican governors had higher unemployment rates than New Jersey's, which means "that both parties are going to have to carry the same burden next year."
"The RGA didn't have to put up any of their incumbents in '09, which was a huge boost for them. But next year they do," Daschle said. "And some of them are very vulnerable."
Among them were Republican governors not in attendance: Nevada's Jim Gibbons. Other GOP held seats in California, Connecticut and Florida are in jeopardy as well, with the declining fortunes of the retiring governors tied in part to the economy as well.
Daschle also said that Republicans need to nationalize gubernatorial contests to "cover up deep divisions" that have poured into state races as well - affecting candidate recruitment in Colorado recently, for instance. There is even a tough GOP race shaping up involving the host governor, Rick Perry. These factors lead Daschle to make what may be an optimistic assessment of the role federal issues may have.
"In 2010 voters will have other candidates on the ballot to make a statement about on national issues," Daschle said, referring to House and Senate contests that will also be on the ballot next fall.
Even if the specific federal issues themselves aren't on the ballot, a broader concern over the size of government that may translate at the state level. One governor far away from Washington offered an example of how that message would play in his race.
"Clearly the federal government is taking away our freedoms and our opportunities for a strong-growing economy," Alaska's Sean Parnell said in an interview. "We're fighting them off every day that I'm governor."
Mike Memoli covers the White House for RealClearPolitics. He can be reached at In Washington, Republicans have been branded as the party of no for achieving near-constant unanimity on major votes on stimulus and health care. Gov. Haley Barbour, chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), called that an inevitable consequence of both diminished numbers and simple procedural roadblocks. But because of that Beltway reality, victories in the gubernatorial arena are a needed sign of life for the party, he said.
As the focus turns to the midterm races for Congress and state offices, the RGA event was designed not just as a warning to Democrats, but as a guide for the rest of the GOP. One clear message seemed to be that as an ideological schism felled the party in a Congressional race, Republicans won key gubernatorial tests by focusing relentlessly on the top concern of voters.
"Every moderate Republican in Virginia voted for Bob McDonnell even though he was a conservative. Every conservative Republican in New Jersey voted for Chris Christie even though he was clearly the moderate candidate," Barbour said. "Folks should campaign on the right things - it helps keep the base together, and also wins a majority of the independents in both of these cases."
"Focusing on bread and butter issues and having not just rhetoric, but ideas and solutions ... I think is a big part of the equation in places like Minnesota and Vermont, all across this great country," Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota said. Borrowing again from an Obama campaign theme, he added: "If you're positive and optimistic and hopeful and civil, you're reaching out even if people don't agree -- those are some of the ingredients that you see are common to candidates being successful."
The governors here did not shy from a policy fight, with most of the attending governors joining together to make a forceful case against proposed health care legislation in Congress. In doing so, however, they were careful not to deny the necessity for changes in the system, and offered ideas that they said would be met with bipartisan agreement. Some of the rhetoric was more politically charged from some on the dais, but the general message was that the party welcomed a respectful contest in the issues.
"People want our presidents to succeed. They want our country to succeed," Barbour said. "So in my opinion it doesn't serve any purpose to be critical of the president personally." That sentiment showed in some of the governors' rhetoric - criticizing Democratic Congressional leaders by name but speaking generally of "the administration" and not Obama individually.
Looking ahead, Barbour told a larger gathering at the conference that 2010 is "going to be a good year for us." Comparing it to 1994, when he chaired the RNC, Barbour said: "This feels better this early," in part because of the increasingly unpopular policies at the federal level.
Those federal issues will "really matter in these governors races," RGA executive director Nick Ayers said. The lesson of 2009 was not that the mood of the electorate is anti-incumbent, but anti-spending and anti-government overreaching. That's more cause for concern on the part of Democrats looking to hold on to their majority of governorships -- of nine Democrats seeking re-election in 2010, "seven of them at this point have Corzine-like numbers and have Corzine-like governing problems," Ayers said.
Nathan Daschle, Ayers' counterpart at the Democratic Governors Association, countered that a number of Republican-held seats are in the same jeopardy because of their own challenges. New state-by-state unemployment data shows at least a half dozen states with Republican governors had higher unemployment rates than New Jersey's, which means "that both parties are going to have to carry the same burden next year."
"The RGA didn't have to put up any of their incumbents in '09, which was a huge boost for them. But next year they do," Daschle said. "And some of them are very vulnerable."
Among them were Republican governors not in attendance: Nevada's Jim Gibbons. Other GOP held seats in California, Connecticut and Florida are in jeopardy as well, with the declining fortunes of the retiring governors tied in part to the economy as well.
Daschle also said that Republicans need to nationalize gubernatorial contests to "cover up deep divisions" that have poured into state races as well - affecting candidate recruitment in Colorado recently, for instance. There is even a tough GOP race shaping up involving the host governor, Rick Perry. These factors lead Daschle to make what may be an optimistic assessment of the role federal issues may have.
"In 2010 voters will have other candidates on the ballot to make a statement about on national issues," Daschle said, referring to House and Senate contests that will also be on the ballot next fall.
Even if the specific federal issues themselves aren't on the ballot, a broader concern over the size of government that may translate at the state level. One governor far away from Washington offered an example of how that message would play in his race.
"Clearly the federal government is taking away our freedoms and our opportunities for a strong-growing economy," Alaska's Sean Parnell said in an interview. "We're fighting them off every day that I'm governor."
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