# Pick your least favorite governor and explain why **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 21, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866 "2013-01-21T03:43:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Zakalwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zakalwe/32/270_2.png) [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/21 "2013-01-23T01:15:15Z")
" > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It’s a shame we don’t have recall in this state. The damage he has done/is doing to DEP alone will take YEARS to undo (and will be practically impossible under the “fuck it - it’s for sale” Republican Legislature that has just conveniently gerrymandered itself into a majority for 8more years). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/22 "2013-01-23T01:25:28Z")
From last year’s [“Buffalo Beast’s 50 Most Loathsome Americans”](http://buffalobeast.com/the-50-most-loathsome-americans/2/): > [@](#): > > **18) Rick Scott** > > Crimes: A vampiric parasite, rivaled only by Creed for the loudest sucking sound to ever come out of Florida, Scott made his private health care fortune by bribing doctors, stealing billions from Medicare, closing hospitals, shilling homeopathic snake oil — and viciously attacking any reform that would cut into his mostly uninsured customer base. As the Tea Party-backed anti-stimulus candidate for governor, a company he partially owns collected $60 million in stimulus funds. He personally spent $73 million barely becoming governor, and then refused millions in federal health care money, so that many Floridians would still patronize his criminally awful Solantic walk-in clinics. Paid lip service to “small government” ideals while trying to mandate expensive Big Brother drug tests for welfare recipients and state employees. The consummate Koch fiend, Scott’s MO is to cry poverty, and sell off state prisons, schools, bridges, roads, etc. to the highest bidder. He’s so despised in Florida that his endorsement would’ve tarnished even the reputation of American Caligula Newt Gingrich. > > Smoking Gun: “I’ve got a quote in my office: ‘First they came for the Jews, and I wasn’t a Jew so I didn’t say anything…’ We shouldn’t be allowing candidates to attack people in business, we should be saying… ‘That’s us.’” > > Sentence: Scott experiences a dull ache in his leg while campaigning for reelection at a Kissimmee Wal-Mart in 2014. He visits the conveniently located in-store Solantic clinic which misdiagnoses his deep vein thrombosis as a sprain. Three days later, as he addresses a convention of gourmet mushroom growers, the blood clot reaches his lung mid-sentence and he collapses on the floor. His final words are: “I like the taste of shiit–” > [@](#): > > **14) Scott Walker** > > Crimes: With the assistance of a truculent Republican Legislature, Walker’s forced through a mountain of draconian measures in Wisconsin that’ve made Kim Jong Il blush — slashing funding for education, healthcare and Planned Parenthood, enacting voter ID, allowing guns in the Capitol while simultaneously banning cameras and signs, and even trying to charge protesters a fee for exercising their 1st Amendment rights to name just a few. Most egregious was his budget “repair” bill, which ended collective bargaining for the majority of public employees in the state. Not only did he fail to mention this while running for Governor, he’s since admitted that it doesn’t save the state one flat dime. Walker’s just your run-of-the-mill hypocrite and liar, decrying out-of-state money while receiving half of his donations from…out of state. And despite all his business-friendly rhetoric that “Wisconsin is Open for Business,” his policies have made the state the biggest job-loser in the nation. > > Smoking Gun: At the height of protests in February, when he refused to talk to the Democratic opposition, Walker took a 20-minute call from a “liberal blogger” posing as arch-libertarian asshole David Koch — revealing his plans to trick the self-exiled Democrats back into session, and that he thought about discrediting protesters by planting troublemakers in the crowd. > > Sentence: Forced back into the private sector — as David Koch’s butler. > [@](#): > > **13) Rick Perry** > > Crimes: He’s such a stammering cretin that he makes George W. Bush sound like a Rhodes Scholar. A deluded Christian who hates women and science unless there’s a paycheck from Merck involved. Proving once again that everything’s bigger in Texas, Governor Goodhair’s impudent corruption is unbound by the “small government” rhetoric he espouses. From an auto magnate who donated $400K and got a $25 million a year subsidy to a poultry seller who gave $165K and landed a $500K grant, Perry’s major donor list reads like the state welfare rolls. In an attempt to ingratiate himself to the retarded Republican base, Perry’s ultimately comedic presidential bid began with a massive “day of fasting and prayer,” in which he enlisted the help of American Family Association hatemonger Bryan Fischer to ask God to save America from an abortion-based atheist economy. Or whatever. > > Smoking Gun: “Gays can serve openly in the military but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas or pray in school.” > > Sentence: Loses hair from radiation poisoning, ravaged by a troop of foxes, and…I forget the third thing. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2013, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/23 "2013-01-24T22:50:27Z")
I’ve been gone for a few days, but: > [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Texas! > > It should be like a whole other country. > > 😃 I’ve got my eye on you \<\_\< > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > It’s a shame we don’t have recall in this state. It’s a shame you don’t have pitchforks and torches. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/24 "2013-01-25T07:38:50Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Well, the Texas Governor is a pretty weak executive. So the good and evil that he can do is limited, thank god. > > Still, I know him the best, and like him the least. Implying your state should secede should earn you an impeachment. I’m hoping enough people remember his performance in the primaries that we will be rid of him next election. Perry has used his time in office to build a network of cronyism that gives him more power than the Texas Constitution allows governors. Creationism/Intelligent Design is \*not \*taught in Texas public schools, despite his comments while running for President. [This article](http://www.texasobserver.org/my-rick-perry-problemand-yours/), written before his last reelection, offers some of the nauseating details. > [@](#): > > On his opposition to adequate state support for the public schools and the teaching of legitimate science to Texas children, Perry proceeded to heap large cuts in state support for undergraduate education and university research, the very engines of the growth Perry rightly regards as essential for Texas prosperity. > > The problem is not simply that Perry lacks integrity, which he does. The worst of it is that Perry is so dedicated to perpetuating himself in office and so mindless of the public interest that he doesn’t even know what integrity looks like. That’s from the _Texas Observer_, which had compiled a dossier on Ricky–to help convince the rest of the country he should _not_ be president. (Molly Ivins sure tried to warn everybody about Bush.) There’s still plenty of material at the site; start with [Ben Sargent’s cartoons](http://www.texasobserver.org/a-man-harassing-women/)… ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2013, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/25 "2013-01-25T07:45:15Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > It’s a shame you don’t have pitchforks and torches. Yeah, it’s a- . . . waitaminnit . . . pretty sure we **have**. . . 'scuse me, gotta make some phone calls. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/26 "2013-02-01T05:30:03Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > It kinda suggests that a santorum-infused money shot actually went onto the, uhhh, recipient’s _back_. > > ETS: Lob softballs much? No, no, no. Sorry, but neither Santorum nor Brownback would never have anything such to do with anyone with a **brown** back. ---
**Author:** ![Haunted\_Pasta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/94ad74/32.png) [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/27 "2013-02-01T19:27:04Z")
Another Texan going with the home team and picking Perry. The particular thing that reminded me of what a fucking douchebag the man is was [an article in yesterday’s paper](http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/families-of-crash-victims-urge-lawmakers-to-ban-te/nT9hG/)noting that Perry remains opposed to a movement to issue a statewide ban on texting while driving. Apparently he considers such a move to be “government micromanagement.” As noted in the article, he vetoed a similar measure two years ago. How many functioning brain cells does it take to comprehend that SOME clearly bad things should be illegal? I don’t know why the fucking prick doesn’t work to repeal state drunk-driving laws. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/28 "2013-03-07T03:14:43Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > Why am I the first to mention Jan Brewer? I can’t decide if she is worse drunk or sober…actually not sure she is ever sober, come to that. > [@DrumBum](#): > > I’d have to go with Gov. Rick Perry of Texas. I got to see only small portions of the GOP primaries but his speeches and comments were appalling. Comments like “In Texas, we teach both creationism and evolution.” and “It’s a good issue to keep alive. It’s fun to poke at him[Pres. Obama].” suggest either true ignorance or a craven need to cater to his base. Perry and Brewer are crazy governors in crazy states (no offense, **Bridget** ). Scott is a crazy, corrupt and incompetent governor in a very purple state. Um… no Florida jokes. Please? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/29 "2013-03-07T14:05:45Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Um… no Florida jokes. Please? Well, when the people fail to deliver their over-hyped quota of craziness, the actual ground delivers it in the form of sinkholes. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/30 "2013-03-07T14:43:34Z")
Bobby Jindal is insane. He’s my pick. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2013, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/31 "2013-03-07T14:45:34Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Well, when the people fail to deliver their over-hyped quota of craziness, the actual ground delivers it in the form of sinkholes. Maybe we can move the governor’s mansion to Hillsborough County. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/32 "2013-03-09T17:58:59Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Perry and Brewer are crazy governors in crazy states (no offense, **Bridget** ). Scott is a crazy, corrupt and incompetent governor in a very purple state. > > Um… no Florida jokes. Please? I give a pass to Perry and Brewer because they reflect tha crazy-ass voters. No matter who gets elected in those states it’s a guaranty that they are nutters ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2013, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/33 "2013-03-09T19:49:18Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I give a pass to Perry and Brewer because they reflect tha crazy-ass voters. No matter who gets elected in those states it’s a guaranty that they are nutters What about Bush the Lesser and Napolitano? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/34 "2013-03-10T19:43:44Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > What about Bush the Lesser and Napolitano? Bush isn’t evil, and I’m pretty sure he isn’t crazy. He is stupid though. Then again, he never needed to be smart; he had Cheney during his presidency, and his dad before that. What _about_ Napolitano? ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/35 "2013-03-10T19:53:17Z")
My pick is Brewer. There many reasons to despise that witch, not the least of which was her inappropriate and aggressive exhibition of disrespect for the office of the President of the United States, and President Obama personally. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/36 "2013-03-10T23:11:27Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > Bush isn’t evil, and I’m pretty sure he isn’t crazy. He is stupid though. Then again, he never needed to be smart; he had Cheney during his presidency, and his dad before that. > > What _about_ Napolitano? I met they weren’t crazy yet got elected in Texas and Arizona respectively in response to the poster I quoted. ---
**Author:** ![Katriona](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/katriona/32/113_2.png) [@Katriona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Katriona)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2013, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/37 "2013-03-10T23:17:50Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > OK, I hereby declare “brownback” the new “santorum.” We just have to pick a meaning for it. The floor is open for nominations. It has to be fitting, not entirely arbitrary. “Santorum” works because it sounds like, if it were a common noun, it would be the name of a substance. What does “brownback” suggest? The (too few) liberals I know 'round these parts often refer to him as Brownshirt or Brownshit, and to KS as Brownbackistan. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/38 "2013-03-11T01:13:39Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > [Sam Brownback](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Brownback) of Kansas. > > President Obama, I love you, man, but you really screwed Kansas when you asked [Kathleen Sebelius](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathleen_Sebelius) to be head of HHS. I mean seriously, do you have any idea how hard it was to elect a Democratic Governor in _Kansas_? I live (part time) in Missouri, and while Jay Nixon may be a bit feckless he’s not actually _insane_. Brownback gets my vote. He’s deep in the pocket of the Koch brothers, is a hypocritical fundamentalist christian of the worst sort (the type that likes to loudly proclaim their morality but constantly screws over the poor in favor of big business), he’s actively gutting the state economy (again, thinking it will attract business but just hurting everyone else), and every time I look at his face I think of the squinty-eyed guy from “Third Rock”. I just hope the economy tanks BEFORE he comes up for re-election so we don’t have to put up with him for another term. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/39 "2013-03-21T16:15:58Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Rick Scott of Florida (R) Thanks to his existence, Skeletor, Voldemort, and Gollum will never be able to live down that one wild party. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866/40 "2013-05-11T07:03:32Z")
> [@scabpicker](#): > > Well, the Texas Governor is a pretty weak executive. So the good and evil that he can do is limited, thank god. > > Still, I know him the best, and like him the least. Implying your state should secede should earn you an impeachment. I’m hoping enough people remember his performance in the primaries that we will be rid of him next election. The governor of Texas is a “weak governor” position according to the state constitution. However, Perry has been governor for over thirteen years! As a result, he has made far more appointments than any previous governor, and the state government has many Perry appointees and allies. Still, I think there is a big difference between Perry’s rhetoric (invariably tough and over the top) with the fundamentally traditional politics Perry practices. Perry is basically a rather average Texas governor in the old conservative Democrat mold, along the lines of Allan Shivers or John Connally. He’s pro-business, in the oil industry’s pocket, and - despite his talk about small government - not above old fashioned populism. In short, he is pretty much every governor Texas has had, except for Ann Richards, the only one who approached being a liberal in a long time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pick-your-least-favorite-governor-and-explain-why/647866.md?page=3)