Whitman For Governor

Another hint for Republicans seeking to regain their old mojo. The GOP dominated politics in the late 90s and early 2000s because they had, in sports terms, a deep bench. They won a majority of governorships in the early 90s--including big states like New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas--giving them a nationally recognized group of leaders.

Governors like George W. Bush and Tom Ridge could put conservative policies into action at a statewide level; they could also produce new strategies, both in terms of politics and policy, and share them with their fellow Republican governors.

The GOP also benefited because they had a whole host of attractice, articulate spokespeople. Governors like Christie Todd Whitman of New Jersey and Jeb Bush in Florida could make the case for conservatism without looking like knuckledraggers.

Finally, by holding onto these governors after the 1998 election, Republicans were able to play a major role in redrawing congressional boundaries after the 2000 census. Republican gerrymandering swelled GOP ranks in congress; though they lost control in 2006, things would've been a lot worse without those favorable districts.

All of which means this is a good sign for the GOP. Meg Whitman, former eBay CEO, is looking like a serious candidate for the governor of California. If she wins she instantly becomes the GOP's newest star. She'd become Pali, without all the baggage of 2012.

I know that the current governor of California is a Rpeublican. But Arnold Schwarzenegger is a Republican the same way Mike Bloomberg was. You always get the feeling that he wakes up in the morning and lies in bed wondering, "Let's see...I'm a Republican because...why?"

Whitman might be the real deal, even if she says she's running as a populist. She's got the money to run a statewide campaign in California, and she's going to need it; running for governor of California is an absurdly expensive proposition. Don't try it unless you've got money coming out the wazoo.

I look forward to seeing how Whitman runs her campaign. Even if she loses, there's always the possibility of running to replace Dianne Feinstein in 2012.