Time to call the race for Vermont Governor? Peter Shumlin may think so. He’s looking ahead to a new gig in his putative second term: chairmanship of the Democratic Governors Association.
The first-term Democrat told POLITICO in an interview Wednesday that he’d like to succeed Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and is already reaching out to fellow governors to make it be known he’s an active candidate for the job.
“I am a candidate,” he said. “I am interested in chairing the DGA.”
O’Malley’s term expires next year. Between now and then, we’ve got this little formality of a gubernatorial election. I may be wrong, but I don’t believe there’s any such thing as the Democratic Ex-Governors Association. Or if there is, it ain’t very prestigious.
According to POLITICO, Shumlin isn’t exactly being subtle about his pursuit of the DGA post.
Typically, the DGA doesn’t select its next chairman until the December before the new campaign cycle, so Shumlin’s announcement is an early and aggressive marker. Because of Vermont’s two-year terms, Shumlin also faces his own reelection in November, but isn’t considered vulnerable.
Yeah, I have to admit I don’t think he’s vulnerable either. Not against Randy Brock and a cash-poor VTGOP, certainly. But considering that Shumlin has been disgustingly coy about his candidacy for a second term, this seems a bit out of character. Maybe within the borders of Vermont he obeys the unwritten rule, “no campaigning until the Legislature adjourns,” but when he talks to the Beltway Boys, he sheds his aw-shucks Vermont persona and reveals the power politician within.
Shumlin also relayed he’s talked to several other governors — who he declined to name — and would continue to reach out in the months ahead.
“I want to be inclusive as I possibly can to see if I’m the right candidate for this job,” he said.
In his own mind, I doubt there’s anything conditional about that last statement.
Another illustration of why the Big Guy always seems to me to be focussed on something beyond just being the best damned governor of Vermont he can possibly be.
Don’t look at the DGA for nothing…
The ambition is pretty naked at this point.
But I think we’re stuck with him unless a Prog takes him out by playing spoiler from the left, which may not be possible if he’s sufficiently popular with independents and moderate Republicans (if such a thing exists). The Progs (who I vote for locally when I can) quite likely have no interest in trying to do that, at least until they rebuild more.
to find that ambition is going on here in Vermont politics.
What’s next over-sized egos?
Politico.com really dug to smoke out this story.
that,on Friday, Shumlin will have a press conference with Bernie and Obama to address the continuing gun problem in this country. No one dares take on the gun lobby. Vermont’s leaders are so strong on the issues, I hope they’ll lead.
With career goals?
Heaven forfend!
Everyone knows Shumlin “is known for being a slick political operator”
I agree with Matthew: Ambition, in and of itself, is no big deal. It depends on what you do with it, how you put it to work, in service of what, not necessarily whom!
The National Governors Association produces some excellent work, but, despite the press it tends to get, the NGA is one more group clamoring for attention in D.C. Here are some thoughts from my limited experience with the NGA:
1. Dick Snelling, Howard Dean and Jim Douglas all chaired the NGA. When I worked for Snelling in 1991, I was his liaison with that group. Snelling had great respect for the organization as an opportunity for state chief executives to think strategically about the nation. His “ambition” was to be a second-time chair of the NGA, an aspiration cut short when he died;
2. Not many folks know this, but the NGA was in troubled waters back then. Many governors were chafing at the NGA staff, and some of their D.C. staffs were attempting to torpedo NGA as an organization. Snelling was chosen to be the Chair of a special strategic planning committee on the future of the NGA and to help smooth those troubled waters, and he died two days before he would have presided over this issue at the NGA summer meeting in Seattle;
3. Every chair is able to establish a special initiative during her/his time as chair. I remember Dean’s had something to do with children and education. When the NGA held its meeting in Burlington during Dean’s tenure as chair, the keynote speaker was none other than that great expert on children and education, Lou Gerstner, then chair and CEO of IBM. I have no problem with Howard trying to impress the chair of his state’s largest private employer, but I get tired of trotting out corporate types to opine on what’s best for American education;
4. On the Hill, there was always chatter that Governors never made particularly good legislators. They came in, full of being the object of rapt attention, able to issue orders to their own cabinet secretaries and agency heads; then, they arrived in the Senate, had to stand in line at the water cooler like everybody else and enjoyed junior status in committee assignments. (Of course, if you believe Arlen Specter’s new book, at least they could skinny dip with other Senators in the Senate gym’s whirlpool!); and
5. Lastly, not many Governors run for the U.S. House, which is thought to be beneath them. Well, Joe Brennan of Maine went from the Governor’s office to the House, and, near and dear to my heart, so did Bob Stafford of Vermont.