Worst governor of your state

[Dpm12]

Who is the worst governor of your state? For me, Oregon, I have no idea, actually

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Tim Pawlenty.

He's a weasel and a tool, and I hope his political career is over for good.

[sarisataka]

56. Have to agree

at least when we had Jesse the Body it was entertaining watching him and the media jackals.

Pawlenty was slimy and boring. The best thing he did was have delusions of grandeur; that kept him out of state and limited the harm he could do.

[MineralMan]

61. Since I moved to MN in 2004, Pawlenty was the only governor

I knew in MN until Governor Dayton was elected. Gawdawful, Pawlenty was, too, and good riddance to him.

[Zoeisright]

152. I hate his fucking evil guts.

That cross-eyed little asshole is as smarmy as they come.

[BainsBane]

162. +1

He screwed up everything: created a regressive tax system, decimated the public schools, and ran up huge debts he hid with accounting trips. That and the fact he disbanded the state legislature and created the state budget entirely by himself.

[sufrommich]

2. The guy we have now in Michigan.

Rick Snyder. Puke.

[muntrv]

128. Even worse than John Engler? Engler closed down the mental hospitals in MI.

[BainsBane]

168. now, now, don't be picky

He's only working to undermine democracy.

[Mnemosyne]

3. Govenor Gasshole, PA. nt

[AlinPA]

23. Exactly. The Gasshole Asshole Corbett.

[Mnemosyne]

36. Worst that I remember, even Ridge was mild in comparison. nt

[johnp3907]

50. Very true.

The worst I've seen here in my 47 years. Maybe Kane can nail him.

[Mnemosyne]

52. I will worship the ground she walks on forever, if she gets the complicit bastard on Sandusky.

Welcome to DU, JohnP!

[Tree-Hugger]

104. I hope so!,nt

[WinkyDink]

87. You like your electric bill? Thank Ridge for the 33% increase.

[Mnemosyne]

111. I didn't like Ridge either, but even with electric raise, Gasshole still wins hands down, imho. nt

[blue neen]

25. Tom Corbett.

Worst. Governor. Ever.

[Mnemosyne]

39. +1000 Bet he is really steamed over Kane blocking the lottery sale. Roflmao! nt

[madashelltoo]

47. Ditto

[PA Democrat]

191. Absolutely the worst.

[meow2u3]

27. Damn straight. Governor Gasshole, Toxic Tom Corbutt

nt

[Mnemosyne]

42. I can barely stand it waiting for 2014 to get rid of him, though in PA it's hard to tell. nt

[Tree-Hugger]

113. I am nervous for 2014

I live in the Philly burbs and there are a lot of tea drinkers here who will certainly vote for him again. Scary.

[Mnemosyne]

117. Worries me a bit also, this state has so many teabaggers. I'm in NW PA and teabaggery is rampant

here. People I once respected, somewhat, turned into complete morons believing it makes them 'patriotic'.

We got a fight ahead next year. Rest up.

[Divernan]

58. Corbett:lowest approval rating ever recorded for any PA Governor

The guru of political pollsters in Pennsylvania is professor Terry Madonna, who reported earlier this month:
Governor Corbett’s job approval ratings hit some record lows in a new poll released today by Franklin and Marshall College.

According to poll director Terry Madonna, just 26-percent of those surveyed say Governor Corbett is doing an “excellent” or “good” job.

This is the lowest job performance for a Pennsylvania governor, including Ridge and Rendell – – that the Franklin and Marshall College Poll has recorded.

[Lugnut]

75. We win!

Whoop-dee-doo. We're stuck with the SOB for almost two more years.

[life long demo]

63. Corbett in PA - Worst

We have to get rid of this guy

[Denninmi]

4. Easy.

John Engler. But not by much, Snyder is a douche, too.

[SoCalDem]

5. Ronald Reagan...close 2nd.. Pete "187" Wilson..n/t

[tblue]

54. Yep. Same here.

And I don't appreciate how Arnold got Gray Davis's job.

[goclark]

183. CA checking in ~ Ronnie and Arnold

get my vote

[DonViejo]

6. Myth Romney. nt

[flyingfysh]

7. Mitt Romney

Here in Massachusetts the way most things got done was: The legislature would pass something sensible, he would veto it, and then the legislature would override his veto. This happened regularly. The only worthwhile thing was health care.

[NMDemDist2]

8. Martinez, Susana here

she's horrid.

[solara]

16. Seconded

[Romulox]

9. My state is currently "on the Snyde." That's Governor Rick Snyder. nt

[tabbycat31]

10. Christie Whitman

All of NJ's modern financial problems can be traced back to her. She set precedent when it came to having your hand in the cookie jar when it came to the state's pension fund.

And I'm still wondering if a Republican not named Christie can win statewide or not.

[Mnemosyne]

45. Wasn't she EPA in 2001? The lying pos told people air in Manhattan was safe lady? Eww. nt

[tabbycat31]

60. that is correct

I can make a case for the current governor too, but Sandy has changed many people's minds (let's see if he can get through the election with a sentence out of his mouth that does not mention Sandy)

[Mnemosyne]

107. He seems to at least give a crap, Whitman, not so much. nt

[tabbycat31]

114. I will admit I did not live in NJ under Whitman

Nor did I care about politics then (I was a teenager)

But she was the catalyst on the path to downward destruction that the state's been on since. There's a car in a neighboring town that has a sticker that says "One Christie was enough."

[octoberlib]

11. Pat McCrory. No contest. nt

[tarheelsunc]

67. +1

Easley and Perdue were corrupt for sure, but McCrory is taking corruption to a new level with the personal investments he has in companies he has the power to make policies towards . Not to mention that he's going after the most ridiculous cuts, such as liberal arts programs. Since he has a deep red legislature, we're almost definitely going to see the typical Republican BS laws coming in, such as extreme abortion restrictions, voter ID garbage, and the like. It's such a shame that just a few years after Jim Hunt, the title of "Governor of North Carolina" has become so desecrated.

[NCarolinawoman]

69. ****

[zazen]

103. +10,000

[TheKentuckian]

12. Ernie Fletcher

[steve2470]

13. for Florida, Madison S. Perry

Madison S. Perry who oversaw Florida's secession from the Union in 1861

[Historic NY]

14. I'm in NY they all seem alike.....

The best one was the first one......no one beats him as the longest serving. Lately they play shell games with the assembly & senate over taxes and still stick to the taxpayers. We could actually extricate ourselves from budget woes by renewing the old stock transfer tax & hitting those that owe billions to the treasury. They play one fears that Wall St. will pack up and leave. Mostly they pander to the 5 counties south of Westchester and only remember the rest come election time.

http://artvoice.com/issues/v10n10/letters/stock_transfer_tax

[11 Bravo]

15. Harry Flood "Massive Resistance" Byrd Sr. Racist shitweasel.

[jcboon]

151. I agree but in VA we're spoiled for choice

Mills Godwin, George Allen, Bob McDonnell our current shitweasel

[11 Bravo]

184. Macaca Man, in particular, made it a tough call for me.

[2theleft]

185. Virginia is for lovers..

of awful governors evidently. Trans-vaginal Bob is horrid. George Allen? Equally as horrid. How to choose?

[GoCubsGo]

17. Nikki Haley.

Worse than Mark Sanford and David Beastley...errrr....Beasely. She's the Indian-American version of Sarah Palin.

[Tom Ripley]

43. She is wretched, but Carroll Campbell and Strom Thurmond are strong contenders

[GoCubsGo]

64. Campbell was not all that bad.

At least as far as republican governors go. Don't get me wrong. I never like the turd, but I don't think he holds a candle to Haley or Sanford when it comes to corruption.

[hatrack]

98. Didn't she just get named as a co-respondent in a divorce suit?

[GoCubsGo]

118. Yup.

She is "the other woman". They don't call her "Sanford in a Skirt" for nothing.

[backwoodsbob]

195. WINNER

Our governor sucks!

[Mass]

18. Mitt Romney??

[HereSince1628]

19. Scott Walker sometimes seems to lead Jerimiah Rusk in this...but Rusk WAS awful.

I don't want to give any impression that Walker isn't horrific,

Rusk called in the National Guard and on his orders (sometimes said to have been 'misinterpreted), striking steel workers were shot and killed during the May Day labor riots of 1886.

[cali]

20. Jim Douglas annoyed me.

[lastlib]

21. Matt "Roy Jr." Blunt!

Biggest reich-wing piece o'crap to ever deface the guv's mansion!

John As?croft runs a very close second!

[xmas74]

147. See, I think you could interchange the idiots

and have the same result.

Matt was worse in office but John made us a laughingstock years later.

[hatrack]

192. Oh, yeah, Governor Skippy

He didn't last long - thankfully!

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. Mitt Romney.

He was useless.

[LeftInTX]

24. Rick Perry in Texas

My son told me about a husband/wife team: Ma & Pa Ferguson.

Pa was impeached.
Then Ma ran and was elected.
Ran on the slogan: "two governors for the price of one."

(Ma & Pa were early 1920s)

[Ilsa]

105. W. Screwed up the property taxes, though.

The average homeowner saw about a $60-70 annual reduction in property but the cumulative affect was horrendous. He might run close to PRick erry as worst.

[Motown_Johnny]

26. Living through it now... Snyder

[graywarrior]

28. Shit Romney

[sweetloukillbot]

29. AZ - Brewer's awful, but she's not a criminal - yet

Gotta go with Symington. Although Mecham was pretty awful too.

[lonestarnot]

153. Criminally stupid.

[TM99]

156. Symington was definitely a criminal

but damn he was a nice guy and was no where near as stupid and evil as Brewer.

So you know how bad I think Brewer is if I am willing to give a pass to a crook like Symington.

[Recursion]

30. Not technically a governor, but probably Marion Barry

I understand the valuable things he's done, but on the whole he has been a liability.

[PufPuf23]

31. Reagan in my lifetime nt

[sheshe2]

32. Itty Bitty Mitty!

[virgdem]

33. For Virginia...

pick any Republican Governor, they're all horrible. The current idiot, Governor Ultrasound, is probably one of the worst of the worst.

[Blue_Tires]

96. I dunno...I'd put Gilmore or Allen higher in recent memory

From the past, I'd say Almond

[Tommy_Carcetti]

34. A clear tossup between the current and a recent entry.

Governor McFraudy

or




Governor John E. Bush


Bonus points go to the long time de facto governor of Florida, NRA chief lobbyist Marion Hammer:

[irisblue]

41. Tommy!

That first picture is freaking scary...please a warning next time.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

46. The man's looks are actually the least scary thing about him, believe it or not.

I just like how he's always been compared to a multitude of nerafrious fantasy characters: Voldemort, Batboy, Skelator, etc.

My personal favorite, however, has to be the dude from the House of Undying on Game of Thrones:

[BainsBane]

165. Scott is worse

hands down.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

186. He probably is worse, but I dislike Jeb even more.

The difference was that even most Republicans are ashamed of Scott. So they aren't constantly pumping him up like they do some of their "heroes." And that's the most frustrating thing--when people think their naked emperor has beautiful clothes.

Whereas with Jeb, Republicans acted like he was some great governor who was indispensible for the state. They called him the "Education Governor" when all he did was advocate for the destruction of the public school system. He bragged in his inaugural address that he wanted nothing more than to have all the government buildings around him empty, meaning he wanted to privatize, privatize, privatize.

And he was corrupt. And should have been impeached, or imprisoned for this disgusting little incident:

http://jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/102602/D7MTF4BO0.html

Newspapers: Donations poured in to GOP after factory decision

The Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Representatives of a company that sought permission to build a cement plant in north Florida gave more than $180,000 to the Republican Party after Gov. Jeb Bush and the Cabinet approved the deal, two newspapers reported Saturday.

****

Approval of the project marked a reversal for Bush, who paddled down the pristine stream in June 1999 with his environmental secretary, David Struhs, and said he would oppose the permit.

*****

Campaign finance records reveal that within two days of the deal's completion on June 29, 2000, $140,000 in contributions from some executives and family members went to the party. Another $43,000 was donated later in the year.

Of the contributions, $40,000 went to the Republican National Committee to help George W. Bush's campaign. Other large contributions went to the state Republican Party, or to an account the state party uses when it spends money to benefit candidates for federal offices.

_________________________________

[warrior1]

35. Ronaldreagonpetewilsondanlungrenarnoldschwarzenegger

[tjwash]

51. At least Wilson tried unsubsidized health coverage for small business employees.

You can also add George Dukemejian to that list...that guy was just a flat out jerk.

[sakabatou]

160. I only remember Arnie

And yeah, he was bad.

[jpak]

37. Paul LePage AKA "The Penguin" in Maine

yup

[irisblue]

38. John Kasich-Ohio

Republican hypocrite in congress 1983-2001, Fox news personality, Lehman brothers associate in Columbus that ripped off a major chunk of pension funds , working to try to get anti union/worker SB5 passed in 2011, calls cops who stop him speeding idiots and fails to understand that cutting education funds for poor school districts will not help the states kids at all. I'd go on, but I gotta go find some rolaids now....

[flobee1]

89. Thats funny

I get the same reaction when I see him on tv- I use tums tho....

[Botany]

90. sold all the profits from state store liquor sales to himself and his Wall St. Buddies for the ...

...... next 15 years by borrowing money from wall street & bankers against the back end of the
deal ... they paid the state 4 billion in order to run 15 billion in profits through his newly created
private "Jobs Ohio" corp. which took the place of the Ohio Dept. of Development. The man is
huge con man.

All these Koch Brothers' Governors are really nasty pieces of work.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

149. Believe It Or Not, Taft Was Actually Worse

I know it's hard to believe that anyone could be worse than K-Suck, but Taft may have been the worst Governor of ANY State in the history of this country. Just horrible. And I didn't think any Governor could ever be worse than Voinovich.

[Art_from_Ark]

161. And then, there was James Rhodes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Rhodes

It's ironic that any Ohio university would want to name any facility after this guy.

[Tom Ripley]

40. Lester Maddox...Top that! I dare you!

[Glorfindel]

57. Hayley Barbour - he's got ol' Lester beat

At least Lester didn't divert close to 600 million dollars of Hurricane Katrina housing funds to DEEPEN THE PORT OF GULFPORT, which will never be used for the purposes he said it would, and Mississippi already has a much deeper, better port at Pascagoula, AND ships would rather dock at Mobile or New Orleans anyway. However, as far as I know, Barbour can't ride a bicycle backwards.

[Hoyt]

92. Worked for Georgia Human Resources during his regime. I was using one of the urinals

in a big capitol restroom and that idiot walked through with his entourage and wanted to shake everybody's hand. I turned around from urinal and asked if he could wait a second. Laughed myself silly as he hastily exited.

The current bunch of bigots aren't much better.

All the segregationist governors - who even went so far as preventing Black kids from attending state funded colleges - should not be honored in any way.

[BainsBane]

166. You win.

I don't think anyone can top that, except maybe with George Wallace of Alabama.

[yellowcanine]

44. Spiro Agnew (Maryland)

Forced to resign as Nixon's VP for taking bribes from contractors while he was governor. Contractors actually delivered cash filled envelopes to the governor's office. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. Famous for calling reporters "nattering nabobs of negativism". He wasn't smart enough to come up with that line on his own. It was written by William Safire.

[Chisox08]

48. It's a tie between George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich

but Pat Quinn is making a run for it by going after the pensions of State Employees.

[nickinSTL]

134. got down to reply 48 before any mention of IL

maybe that's because it's hard to narrow down with all the former governors who've served prison time

[Chisox08]

190. IL just has a history of bad governors.

It must be something in the water at the Governor's Mansion.

[watercolors]

49. Rick Scott, Florida, need I say more!!!

[Helen Reddy]

53. Gov. Snotty McWalker McWanker n/t

[hobbit709]

55. Governor Goodhair, without exception.

[KamaAina]

95. Wasn't Dumbya governor down there?

[WI_DEM]

59. I think that Scott Walker is the worse governor WI has ever had--period.

[Archae]

72. Even worse than "Stick it to 'em" Thompson?

[Viking12]

81. far worse

Tommy was a wanker but never tried to unions, education, and women the way Walker is trying to do.

[Poiuyt]

137. Yes, Walker is MUCH worse than Thompson

Thompson was a drunken idiot. Walker is an outright fascist who wants to do whatever he can to give the state away to the billionaires. I've lived in Wisconsin for 60 years, and for the first time, I feel pessimistic about the state I love. I really fear that we'll fall to the bottom of the heap.

[TheMightyFavog]

171. At least Tommy supported high speed rail.

I guess that's one of the few positive things I can say about that jackass.

[putitinD]

62. Rick Snyder in Michigan is even worse than John Engler

[Siwsan]

73. And that takes some doing!

Until Engler, we were relatively lucky with Republican governors. Of course, that was when Republicans were relatively sane. As I recall, Bill Milliken endorsed President Obama, in 2008.

[Snotcicles]

93. Worst ever in the history of mankind. nt

[kiva]

65. Jim Gibbons in modern-day Nevada.

I'll need to think about historical idiots.

[mcar]

66. Rick Scott

Jeb! is a close second but he seemed to handle hurricanes fairly well.

[RZM]

68. In recent history, Bob Taft

Scandals out the wazoo. Kasich isn't far behind.

[Brother Buzz]

70. If you plan to pursue your political aspirations you damn well better learn

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2380967

[steve2470]

101. see post 94 in this thread nt

[GObamaGO]

172. Well Played!

[bamacrat]

71. Obvious answer is George Wallace.

But Robert Bentley is pretty bad, and is definitely biased and bigoted toward Mexican's, but Wallace takes the cake.

[BainsBane]

167. Yep, this takes the prize

Biggest asshole to ever occupy a governorship.

[bamacrat]

187. Oh, my glorious state.....

Don't forget our current governor, Robert Bentley, who really is not a fan of the Latinos. Then, throw in Guy Hunts misuse of the Education fund and you have three award winning douche bags.

[ieoeja]

74. IL: Len Small (R)

When they tried arresting him, he stacked the State Police with Klansmen and called them in to protect him. Al Capone told him to surrender assuring him that he would never be convicted.

At trial his two defenses were:

1. He deposted tax payment checks directly into his accounts rather than deposting them into a state account and then taking the money. Since he did not take the money from the state, but directly from the taxpayer instead, then he wasn't really guilty of stealing from the state.

2. If the Governor does it, it isn't illegal. Sorry Nixon, Gov Small beat you to that defense by decades.

He was found non-guilty by a jury through a mix of partisanship, bribery and intimidation (thanks, Al!).

[madinmaryland]

76. Spiro T. Agnew (Maryland) Though it was before my time.

[Lebam in LA]

77. Reagan

Although Wilson wasn't much better

[Blue_In_AK]

78. Our current one, Sean Parnell,

followed by Frank Murkowski. Sarah was a ditz, but she let the Dems in the legislature pass some pretty good bills. Parnell is trying to undo even the small bit of good that Sarah did. We haven't had a good governor here since Tony Knowles.

[JI7]

79. California, Arnold is the Worst probably

wasn't around when Reagan was Governor but from what i read he wasn't as bad a governor as he was as President which isn't saying much. there was pete wilson also.

but maybe because Arnold is more recent and was governor during my entire grown up life so his disaster is more clear to me . there just was nothing good he did.

[haele]

100. Reagan - and Dukmajian.

Both were dedicated to breaking down the state peice-meal and selling off our resources and benefits to the highest bidder. Corporate stooges who could care less about people who actually had to live and work in the state, but didn't have enough money to garner any interest.
Of course, the state legislature wasn't much better, either.
Only good thing to say about Pete Wilson was that he was somewhat concerned about the environment, but he still pretty much let Enron and the power companies have their way.

Haele

[hrmjustin]

80. I did not like Pataki.

[Cleita]

82. Reagan, CA. n/t

[Ptah]

83. Evan Mecham- AZ

Evan Mecham gained national attention several days after inauguration
by fulfilling his campaign promise to cancel a paid Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
holiday (MLK Day) for state employees. The holiday had been created in May 1986
by executive order from the previous governor, Bruce Babbitt, after the
state legislature had voted not to create the holiday. Following the
creation of the holiday, the state Attorney General's office issued an opinion
that the paid holiday was illegal and threatened to sue the incoming governor
over the cost of the paid holiday, as it had not been approved by the legislature.
Despite the issues of the legality of how the holiday was created,
Mecham replied to comments from civil rights activists and the black community
after the cancellation by saying "King doesn't deserve a holiday."
This was followed by him telling a group of black community leaders,
"You folks don't need another holiday. What you folks need are jobs."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Mecham#Martin_Luther_King_Jr._Day

[lpbk2713]

84. Rick Scott (Fla) --- King of the Assholes

He was branded a thief and a liar beyond any doubt and damned if the
mindless willfully ignorant didn't make him Governor anyhow.

[Terra Alta]

85. Our current one -- Pat McCrory.

[WinkyDink]

86. Yet another vote for CORBETT the MAD SELLER OF PA!

[catbyte]

88. Prior to 2010 I would have said John Engler. Now it's Snyder, hands down.

Miserable, lying POS.

[DearHeart]

91. From IL...take your pick :) nt

[steve2470]

94. for Oregon, John Whiteaker

I was bored, so I did your homework for you. McKay is the worst in the last 60 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_McKay

As Governor, McKay took a balanced approach to state government. He was a strong advocate for resource conservation; however, he also supported cutting of old growth timber to create jobs for Oregonians. McKay actively opposed the Federal Government's plan to create a Columbia Valley Authority.

I was impressed at the quality of Oregon's governors, even the Republican ones. This guy was a Republican. I didn't feel like going any further back in history.

eta: OK this guy tops McKay

John Whiteaker

Although nicknamed "Honest John", this did not deflect his controversial stands on issues of national importance. Whiteaker held pro-slavery views which did not sit well with a population mostly in the abolitionist camp.[1] Opponents often used this to attack him as a traitor as the United States descended into the Civil War.

There ya go, Whiteaker arguably the worst Oregon Governor.

[legaleagle_45]

115. Oregon Republicans

Used to be quite progressive in the spirit of Teddy Roosevelt. Governor Tom McCall was a legend for his enviornmental activism and Senator Hatfield was a leading voice against the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, that branch of the Republican Party in Oregon is dying if not already dead.

[steve2470]

116. yes I saw that, I was impressed

It's telling I had to go back so many years (1949–1952) to find anyone who might qualify.

[davidpdx]

157. We've been very lucky in Oregon in terms of governors

McKay was in office 60 years ago and Whiteaker 150 years ago.

In the last 60 years:

Paul L. Patterson December 27, 1952 February 1, 1956 Republican
Elmo Smith February 1, 1956 January 14, 1957 Republican
Robert D. Holmes January 14, 1957 January 12, 1959 Democratic
Mark Hatfield January 12, 1959 January 9, 1967 Republican
Tom McCall January 9, 1967 January 13, 1975 Republican
Robert W. Straub January 13, 1975 January 8, 1979 Democratic
Victor G. Atiyeh January 8, 1979 January 12, 1987 Republican
Neil Goldschmidt January 12, 1987 January 14, 1991 Democratic
Barbara Roberts January 14, 1991 January 9, 1995 Democratic
John Kitzhaber January 9, 1995 January 13, 2003 Democratic
Ted Kulongoski January 13, 2003 January 10, 2011 Democratic
John Kitzhaber January 10, 2011 Incumbent Democratic

The great thing is by the end of Kitzhaber's 3rd term we will have had a D governor for 28 years and 2 days, just under the record for the longest time held by the Republicans at 28 years and 5 days.

[steve2470]

181. yes you have been

Does Oregon have a more involved populace in governance issues ?

[davidpdx]

182. I don't think anymore than other states

We've just gotten good D candidates. Kitz almost lost in 2010 to former Trailblazer Chris Dudley. It was pretty close a little over 22,000 votes. I asked someone the other day if he plans on running for a 4th term (governors in Oregon are limited to two consecutive terms, so he was able to run again after sitting out 8 years) and they said no one knows yet. Fortunately there are other good candidates if he doesn't run. He'd only be 66, the governor who served between his terms in office, Kulongoski was 69 when he left office. I'd be shocked if Kitz runs again. Twelve years as governor is a long run.

[hatrack]

97. John (Vomit) Ashcroft

And I'm maybe a mile or two from . . . BROWNBACK COUNTRY.

[Glitterati]

99. Zig Zag Zell

Zell Miller

[Spider Jerusalem]

146. Not Lester Maddox?

[Glitterati]

179. Hard choice

Neither one of them knew when to go away.

Both utter embarrassments who destroyed their own legacies.

[Tikki]

102. reagan practiced his witchcraft on us first, deukmejian stole from us, wilson turned

into a dealer man, schwarzenegger is an asshole who bobbed for issa and cheney.

Governor Edmund Gerald "Jerry" Brown, Jr. will have been my Governor for 8 of the
40 years I have lived In California and I am so very proud to have learned so much
about being the citizen I am from his leadership.


Tikki

[loyalsister]

106. Matt Blunt

We also had John Ashcroft who was a terrible senator but a decent governor. He called the General Assembly back into session to raise taxes rather than make cuts.

[TheDebbieDee]

124. +1. This $hitstain son of Sen Blunt contracted the services

of the Missouri Division of Motor Vehicles to be provided by a company that was owned by one of his friends. I've always wondered how many state workers lost their well-paying jobs in that deal.

I also wondered what the starting pay was/is for the new workers and whether or not they get any benefits.

[loyalsister]

125. Those are very good questions

I wonder if there's a ways to find out?

[rurallib]

108. For Iowa, Governor for life and current title holder Terry Branstad

there has been a push for him to run for president folks. Get ready. He is as dynamic as paint drying and damned near as smart.

[nickinSTL]

135. Branstad is STILL gov in IA?

Geez, he was governor there back when I was in college in the early 90s!


***on looking him up, he was apparently gov back when I was in middle school

He apparently took a break from being gov. for a while & came back, and hasn't been gov the entire time since first taking the office in 1983.

[rurallib]

136. and this version is the tea bagger version.

[lumberjack_jeff]

109. I'm lucky to live in Washington.

Probably Dixie Lee Ray.

[Thinkingabout]

110. George W Bush and close second Rick Perry

[Tree-Hugger]

112. Another vote for Toxic Tom Corbett of PA

PA better not make the same mistake in 2014.

I read recently that he has the approval rating of any Governor in PA history. It's something like 23%. Supposedly, he os going to start working towards improving his image. Well, quit cutting aid to the needy and to education in order to fund your prisons and fracking, you pedophile protecting asshole.

I REALLY hope Kane becomes his worst nightmare.

[Mopar151]

119. Mel Thompson in NH

My redneck uncle described him as a "mean little man". Secretary of State in the J.Birch "Shadow Cabinet", advocate of South Africa's aparthied regeime, ran the State House flag ragged flying it at half staff at his every whim. Tried to obtain nuclear weapons for the NH National Guard.
Built his business (Equity Publishing - lawbooks) by stealing a customer list from his previous employer.

[JesterCS]

120. Kucinich - Ohio n/t

[steve2470]

121. he's never been Governor of Ohio nt

[alarimer]

122. The current one, Pat McCrory

Or Pat McCrony as we're starting to call him.

[musette_sf]

123. Ahhhnaahhhhld

[CaliforniaPeggy]

130. Oh hell yes!

[WCGreen]

126. In my life time I would have to say Bob Taft in the 80's and 90's.

[kairos12]

127. Win for the AZ- Jan Brewer

[BainsBane]

164. That's one woman I'd like to see deported

If any country would take her.

[kairos12]

188. Only Teabagistan would take her

[BainsBane]

193. If only we could create such a place

to send them all.

[kairos12]

194. Unfortunately for me, Dumbf...istan is a province of teabagville, and it's here in the AZ

[BainsBane]

197. I feel for you.

Have you seen this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2413278

Arizona has to be at least -50 for it's effect on your mental health.

[kairos12]

198. I have not seen that--I would put an exponent factor on that number here in the AZ

[gateley]

129. Dixy Lee Ray. Brilliant woman, horrible governor.

She was a Democrat but waaaaayyyyyy conservative. Loved nuclear energy (former head of the AEC).

People were so shellshocked they DIDN'T elect one of the great Democrats of all time, Jim McDermott, but instead elected John Spellman (looking back, a not-so-bad Republican) to succeed her.

[juajen]

131. Bobby Jindal

[rustydog]

132. Tim Eyeman (Washington) Not really a governor, but hijacks the legislature through

his self-serving and self-enrichment initiative machine.

[bluestate10]

133. Mitt Romney. All fluff. Left us deep in debt and bad mouthed us when he grovelled down south

for votes. But, we got lucky when we elected Deval Patrick, now we're high on the hog as one of the most economically solid states in the Union.

[charmay]

139. I wouldn't have believed that anyone could have beaten Tommy Thompson in WI

But Walker the Wanker did it. He wins for dumbest too!

[ceejdre82]

140. uh....I live in Illinois, so this is too difficult to choose just one.....

So much coruption.... currently two former governors serving time!

[Recursion]

142. What was it Jon Stewart said?

If you're having a conversation with two former Illinois governors, chances are you're in prison.

[easttexaslefty]

141. GW, obviously.

Perry, second worst ever.

[L0oniX]

143. Rick (sociopth) Scott ...and Jeb (idiot son) Bush 2nd place. n/t

[BainsBane]

163. I feel your pain

I lived in Florida under Jeb Bush, but Scott is beyond comprehension.

[Hestia]

144. Mike Huckabee n/t

[SteveG]

145. In DE, Sherman Tribbit

He was a Democrat, but very anti-union and of the old school southern democrats. He was defeated by liberal Republican Russell Peterson, the last Republican Governor I voted for. This was in the early '70' when the republican party till existed in DE.

[AnnieBW]

148. Marvin Mandel

Democratic governor of Maryland. Removed from office for mail fraud and racketeering.

Followed closely by Spiro Agnew.

[sad-cafe]

150. Sam Brownback

hands down easy winner for WORST

[pandora nm]

154. Susana Martinez - New Mexico

Teabagger Governor luckily restrained by a still-Democratic legislature.
The Secretary of State who rode in with her (Diana Duran) has done everything she can do to subvert our elections.

Look out for this menace. As "first female Republican Governor ever" she is the darling of the " new face of the Republican Party".

[ellisonz]

155. Welcome to DU!

I wouldn't be surprised she gets serious consideration as a GOP VP nominee in 2016.

[pandora nm]

158. Thanks for the welcome!

We need to have a good gubernatorial candidate ready to defeat her. You are right, but she is really, really lame.
If she's what they have, they have nothing!

[ellisonz]

159. Good to hear!

Aloha.

[TheMightyFavog]

169. Scott Walker may be an ass, he wasn't William A. Barstow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_A._Barstow

When Barstow ran for reelection in 1855, he was initially declared the winner against his Republican opponent, Coles Bashford, by a mere 157 votes. However, Bashford claimed the result was fraudulent, and it was soon substantiated that Barstow's win was due to forged election returns from nonexistent precincts in the sparsely populated northern part of the state, in addition to other irregularities such as two separate canvassing boards claiming legitimacy in Waupaca County and attempting to submit conflicting certifications. As rival militia units converged on the state capital in Madison, threatening to start a civil war within the state, Barstow was inaugurated in a full, public ceremony on January 7, 1856. On the same day, Bashford was also sworn in quietly as governor in the chambers of the Wisconsin Supreme Court by Chief Justice Whiton. The Wisconsin attorney general filed quo warranto proceedings in the Wisconsin Supreme Court to remove Barstow, who threatened that he would not "give up his office alive." After challenging the court's jurisdiction without success and noting that the tide of public opinion had turned against him, Barstow declined to contest the fraud allegations and sent his resignation to the legislature on March 21, 1856, leaving the lieutenant governor, Arthur MacArthur, as acting governor. On March 24, the court unanimously awarded the governorship to Bashford by a count of 1,009 votes.

And Arthur MacArthur, the man who succeeded him? Not only does he hold the distinction of being Wisconsin's shortest serving governor, (4 days) he was also the Grandfather of this guy:

[Rowdyboy]

170. Haley Barbour-Facist MISSISSIPPI had the title until he term limited out and was replaced by

"Preacher" Phil Bryant, a godly man who fights for embryos and Jebus.

[graham4anything]

173. Mrs. Christie Todd Whitman. The racist rich Reaganite in New Jersey.

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

174. Cecil Underwood

a coal company tool who helped popularize mountaintop removal in WV

either him or Arch Moore, the five times convicted felon and father of GOP senate hopeful Shelley Moore Capito

[Are_grits_groceries]

175. Off the top of my head,

I'd say Pitchfork Ben Tillman.
He'd be a hard one to top, or go below, but I won't say he's the worst just in case.

[sigmasix]

176. they follow me

I lived in Indiana until 2007 and the nut they just put in the governor's mansion seems little worse than mitch daniels. We moved to michigan and the state was taken over by a teabagger governor the same year- he continues to damage democracy and education in michigan. We moved to Florida in december and the nut down here seems the worst florida has ever had- and the worst I've ever seen. Why do Teabaggers hate America?

[steve2470]

177. You might want to revise your "poll" to the last 50 years or so nt

[Skittles]

178. I'd say the current one, Goodhair Perry

reason: because he failed to keep knowledge of his idiocy in Texas - he let the entire world in on his idiocy

ooh - I had to edit to say I exempted Dubya because of his theft of the presidency - he's my worst president

[kas125]

180. Mitch Daniels!!! But I'm sure Pence will be even worse, if that's possible.

If there is a way to be worse than THEIR man Mitch, he'll find it, I'm sure.

[The Flaming Red Head]

189. Jindal

[Jennicut]

196. For Connecticut it would have to be John Rowland.

Went to jail for lying about all sorts of corruption. I think he was Governor from the mid 90's until about 2004, a Republican.

[Mojo Electro]

199. I live in Florida...

Not much else I can say about bad governors....