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Stimulus poses tough question for Republican governors

February 6, 2009 —

How do you look an $800 billion (going on $900 billion) gift horse in the mouth?

For the South’s Democratic governors, that’s not the question. The question is how fast can the money get to their states. Oklahoma’s Brad Henry and Virginia’s Tim Kaine were among the 19 governors who signed a letter of support for the Obama Administration’s stimulus package, and Kentucky’s Steve Beshear and North Carolina’s Bev Perdue have let it be known they’d welcome the help.

Gov. Phil Bredesen this week postponed sending a budget to his Republican-majority legislature until it becomes more clear what Congress is going to do about the stimulus bill being debated in the Senate – an admission of fiscal reality which other governors haven’t been able to make yet.

For the South’s Republican governors, this lure of Washington manna at a time of budgetary crisis is more problematic, at least politically. Their response runs all the way from open embrace to stern dismissal, with shadings in between.

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist was one of the four Republicans who signed the governor’s letter of support, and he has been visible this week promoting the package. He even got a call of thanks from President Obama. On the other side of the spectrum, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour’s lack of enthusiasm for the stimulus been criticized by Democratic House Speaker Billy McCoy.

Barbour has said he doesn’t want to welcome the stimulus money until he sees what strings come attached, but South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Texas Gov. Rick Perry have been more outspoken, blasting the “bailout mentality” last year in a jointly written Wall Street Journal op-ed.

Democratic legislators in Texas are preparing a resolution which sets the stage to bypass Perry if he refuses to seek the federal aid. This appears to be a matter of Texas housekeeping. The provisions for bypassing a governor’s office have already been written into the House bill by Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) who was concerned enough about Sanford’s opposition to the stimulus package that he added an amendment to the stimulus bill.

In the middle ground, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has said he would have voted against the package if he’d still been in the US House -- but, by the way, he had identified between $5 billion and $6 billion in infrastructure projects that were ready to go if the bill is enacted. Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue has been criticized for not reaching out,  but the state Department of Transportation sent its wishlist to Washington a month ago.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, while warned legislators not to anticipate a “spending spree,” nevertheless offered two sets of budget numbers, one dire without the ObamaBucks, and the other adequate, with the money from D.C.

Even Perry, when push comes to shove,  has indicated he won’t let principle get in the way of bringing home the bacon.

"The governor has been pretty clear that he thinks it is bad policy and does not support it," said Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle. "But he has said that if Washington is going to be sending out taxpayer dollars, a large portion of which is Texas taxpayer dollars, we'll fight for our fair share."

That’s really the bottom line for everybody. You can only look this gift horse in the mouth so long.