Monday, February 9, 2009

WSJ: Risky game for Republican governors

Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Sara Murray takes a closer look at troubling times for GOP governors, zeroing in on one Charlie Crist.

It’s certainly in Crist’s immediate interests to play up bipartisanship and rally for a stimulus package because, frankly, he needs it.... But the long-run picture for Crist is more complicated....

The playing field is still open on the Republican side in the race for the presidential nomination in 2012 and there’s no shortage of potential candidates. A relative moderate like Crist will almost certainly be up against stauncher conservatives.

She then lists Mitch Daniels, Sarah Palin, and Bobby Jindal as conservatives who've played it safe, admitting that such governors have everything to gain for opposing the bailout (ea).

For the Republican governors decrying the plan, it’s not as tough a position as it seems. Even Palin acknowledged that it’s bound to pass, meaning even the states of governors opposed will get at least some help.

Here's a little something we usually don't mention: What happens if the stimulus works?

UPDATE!: Tom Brokaw reports that Karl Rove is going to issue a weekend warning to Republicans about their prospects should the stimulus work.