The Best Job in Politics

Alan Rosenthal is Professor of Public Policy and Political Science at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University. He has collaborated in activities with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), the Council of State Governments (CSG), and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation (SLLF) and worked on projects and studies for legislatures in about 35 states. Currently, he is working with NCSL, the American Political Science Association (APSA), and the Center for Civic Education on the development and communication of a new public perspective on representative democracy. In New Jersey, he chaired the Ad Hoc Commission on Legislative Ethics and Campaign Finance in 1990, was selected as the independent member and chair of the Redistricting Commission in 1992, and in 1993 received the Governor's Award for Public Service. In 1995 Rosenthal received APSA's Charles E. Merriam Award, which honors a person whose published work and career represent a significant contribution to the art of government through the application of social science research. His recent books include Republic on Trial: The Case for Representative Democracy (Rosenthal et al., 2003) and Heavy Lifting: The Job of the American Legislature (2005).

The Job of Governor What's So Good About the Job? What They Want to Achieve As Governors See It Policymaking Success Exploring How and Why Governors Succeed Playing the Hands They Are Dealt Gubernatorial Powers Legislative Power Party Control and Partisan Division The Structure of State Government Economic and Fiscal Conditions Other Conditions and Events What Governors Bring to the Table Personalities Experience Friends Staff Orientations Pragmatism Adaptability How Governors Put Together Their Policy Agendas What Is the Governor's Agenda Initiatives on the Agenda The Multiple Sources of Initiatives How Agendas Are Developed The Political Calculus at Work Agendas in a State of Play Laying the Groundwork for Their Initiatives Gubernatorial Involvement Relating to Members Dealing With Legislative Leaders Building Relationships With Leaders Imperfect Together Strategies and Tactics of Engagement The Types of Issues in Play Building Support and Exerting Pressure on the Legislature Building Support and Exerting Pressure in the Legislature Tools of Engagement Playing Defense Succeeding as Policy Leaders How Successful Are They What Makes Them Successful Having the Upper Hand Playing the Cards They Are Dealt Having the Right Stuff Asking For What They Have a Chance of Getting Laying the Groundwork Waging Budget and Policy Campaigns Legacy and Beyond How They See Their Legacies How They Are Remembered What Difference They Made Will a New Generation of Governors Be Different? Appendix A: Governors, 1980-2010