Today, a group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington — or CREW — released a report they say “provides in-depth analyses of 11 elected officials who have pushed their states’ best interests aside in favor of their supporters, families, political parties and bank accounts.” (Read it here.)
Guess who made the list. No really, go on, guess.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry
Yep, that’s right. Texas’ own Gov. Rick Perry has been deemed one of the 11 worst governors in the country. Imagine that.
So what are the transgressions that landed Perry on the list? Here are the highlights: he allegedly disregarded campaign finance laws and aided a business that was especially generous to his campaign; he refused to operate transparently, and has blocked access to information related to a death penalty case; he rejected federal stimulus funds in a manner that appeared to put partisan politics ahead of the interests of the citizens of Texas; he has perpetuated the revolving door between government and special interests; he accepted travel and campaign donations from a business that received benefits from his official actions; he used campaign funds for a personal trip with questionable relevance to his campaign for office.
You can download a PDF at the CREW website that gives more detailed info on each charge.
Of the 11 governors on CREW’s “worst of” list, nine are Republicans. The other two are Democrats. The list includes Republican Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Republican Gov. Donald Carcieri of Rhode Island, Republican Jim Gibbons of Nevada, Republican Boby Jindal of Louisiana, Democrat David Paterson of New York, Republican Sonny Perdue of Georgia, Democrat Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Republican Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Republican Mark Sanford of South Carolina and Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger of California.
Now, aren’t we as Texans proud to know that our governor managed to make a list alongside the likes of Mark Sanford, who “subordinated his responsibilities to his pursuit of an extra-marital affair,” and David Paterson who “shielded a top aide from assault charges”? Just brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it?
Yeah, but he has nice hair!