National Governors Association

• In fact, a 2016 Gallup Poll found that almost 74% of people say that governing a state provides excellent or good preparation for someone to be an effective president.
• But as the former executive director of the National Governors Association for 27 years, I have worked with well over 300 governors.
• During that time I have been part of many conversations with governors regarding other governors running for president.

A dominant position

• That experience often creates a false impression that what they did in their states they can do for the nation.
• These are not exactly issues important to citizens of most other states and thus not useful as a foundation for a presidential campaign.
• This is clearly reflected in a recent New York Times poll of Republicans, where only 17% supported an anti-woke campaign, while 65% supported a law-and-order campaign.

Significant power

• Governors traditionally have more constitutional and legal powers than do presidents, particularly in terms of budgets and in cases of emergency.
• Often, I heard these comments during discussions with governors at National Governors Association meetings.
• Similarly, many governors can cut previously enacted state budgets by up to 5% without consent from the legislature.
• Governors also typically have more power than presidents during emergencies.

Political prominence

• Governors often are the dominant political force in their states.
• They particularly tend to overshadow the legislative and judicial branches – which significantly limit the power of the president at the federal level.
• Governors dominate the legislature, in part, because state lawmakers tend to have very few staff to help them – if any at all.
• In addition, most state legislators are part time and may only be in session a few weeks per year.

A matter of timing

• The last governor that I remember who reached imperial status was Scott Walker, Wisconsin’s governor from 2011 to 2019.
• He ran for president in 2016 but withdrew after only two months because of his poor showing in the polls.
• This year, in addition to DeSantis, five other former or current governors have declared they are running for president.
• But most of them are not imperial governors nor at risk of becoming one.
• In addition, many in his party believe he would have had difficulty in his bid for reelection.

• These two kinds of crises can sometimes play out at the same time.
• A federal budget was not adopted in time, for example, and there were threats of not increasing the debt ceiling.
• The debt ceiling has been raised 78 times since 1917 and currently stands at US$31.4 trillion.
• Here are three debt-limit crises I watched play out - which not only had economic consequences, but political ones as well.

1995: A GOP revolution – and blunder

• In the 1994 midterm election, during President Bill Clinton’s first term, the Republicans gained eight Senate seats and 54 seats in the House, flipping both chambers.
• The election was seen as a Republican revolution.
• Bob Dole became the majority leader in the Senate, and Newt Gingrich became the speaker of the House.
• GOP lawmakers pledged to pass a balanced budget as part of what they named their “Contract with America.” House Republicans sent Clinton a budget that cut spending on domestic programs, which he vetoed.

2011: Budget reductions and reforms, with a side of financial chaos

• The House then demanded that Obama negotiate a deficit reduction package in exchange for raising the debt ceiling.
• As the deadline for increasing the debt limit approached, both the U.S. domestic and even international financial markets became chaotic.
• It reduced spending over the following 10 years by US$917 billion and authorized raising the debt ceiling to $2.1 trillion.
• It also included an automatic provision to cut the budget should Congress fail to act.

2013: ‘We got nothing’

• This included not paying into retirement funds of federal workers and borrowing from trust funds such as Social Security.
• At the same time, Republicans, who controlled the House, had demanded budget cuts as well as policy changes.
• They wanted Obama to eliminate the funding for his Affordable Care Act, which was considered his major legislative achievement.

Risks to both sides

• History indicates there are substantial risks to both parties as well as their respective leaders as the nation heads for the early June showdown.
• The 1995 crisis did not benefit Republicans, and some even argue it contributed to Clinton winning reelection.
• With only a four-seat majority, the risks to the Republican leadership are high.

• DALLAS, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The National Math and Science Initiative, a nonprofit organization committed to closing opportunity gaps and increasing college access through K-12 STEM education, announces the appointment of Jeremy Anderson as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• "Our economy is rapidly evolving, and the jobs of the future demand proficiency in math and science from every student," said Anderson.
• "The National Math and Science Initiative is a tremendous platform to help all students master the math and science skills necessary to move to the next level and provide coaching and training to math and science teachers across the nation.
• Anderson has provided strategic leadership on education policy design and implementation through multiple projects with national policy organizations such as the National Governors Association, Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

• WASHINGTON, D.C., April 25, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Windward Fund, is pleased to announce C. Lynn McNair as its first ever president.
• Lynn brings considerable experience in strategic planning, organizational development, nonprofit fundraising, membership engagement, and team leadership to the Windward Fund.
• Windward Fund was founded in 2015.
• “I am honored and pleased to be joining Windward Fund as its inaugural president,” said Lynn.