The Afterboomers are coming!

Jerry Fox

We have had recent presidents from the “Greatest Generation,” in Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush.  Mixed results and mixed reviews.  Some believe that only one of them was a “great” president.  History will sort it out.

 
Then we have seen baby boomer presidents in Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.  Mixed results and mixed reviews.  Some believe there is not a ”great” president in that pair either.  History will sort it out.

In the new House and Senate leadership we are back among several of the “greatest generation” in key chairmanships.

Is it time to say enough already?  Where are the Afterboomers?  We know they are out there.  And we know that their leadership time is coming.  Other than Barack Obama, who else is out there who could capture the appetite for new blood so evident in widespread and growing support for a first term US Senator with unknown executive competency.  Where are the other emerging leaders in their thirties and forties? 

 
Let’s look at the state governors, the most likely source of seasoned executive leadership. They are tested in the crucible of state budgets, state legislatures, ever present media, unanticipated natural disasters, unfunded mandates from Washington, unfavorable decisions from state and federal courts, and more.  Only 11 are under fifty.  Five were just re-elected; four are sitting governors whose terms were not up in 2006, and two were just elected and are just stepping into the crucible.

 Of those re-elected to a second term in 2006, two are women, and three are men.  Two are Republican and three are Democrat.  So far so good.  They are:

Janet Napalitano, D, Arizona, incoming Chair of the National Governors Association.  No national office background.

Jennifer Granholm, D, Michigan, no national office background.

Tim Pawlenty, R, Minnesota, no national office background.

Brad Henry, D, Oklahoma, no national office. 10 years in state senate.

Mark Sanford, R. South Carolina, three terms as US representative.

The four sitting governors whose terms did not expire in 2006 are all men, and include three Republicans and one Democrat.  They are:

Matt Blunt, R, Missouri, in his first term.  Served in Missouri General Assembly, no national office background.

John Hoeven, R, North Dakota, in his second term.  No national office background.

John Huntsman, Jr., R, Utah, in his first term.  Extensive national experience as White House assistant during Reagan; deputy assistant Secretary of Commerce and US Ambassador to Singapore under George H.W. Bush; deputy US Trade Representative under George W. Bush.

            Tim Kaine, D, Virginia, in his first term.  No national office background.

The two newly elected governors yet to be tested but worth watching closely are:

            Sarah Palin, R, Alaska

            Martin O’Malley, D, Maryland

My quick take on these identifies a few who stand out with experience beyond state government, although the Governor’s job itself is, in my opinion, a highly qualifying preparation for the presidency.  But, if the governor also has had some national level experience in an executive capacity, or in the Congress, that adds additional luster to the resume.  Going further, if any of them have foreign relations experience, that is even better.

So, the top two Republican Afterboomers in my unsophisticated analysis are:

     South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, three term Congressman from that state.

     Utah Governor John Huntsman, Jr., with national experience, both executive and foreign           policy related, under three presidents.

 
And the top two Democrat Afterboomers are:

     Arizona Governor Janet Napalitano, incoming Chair of the National Governors Association.  If      her peers, republican and democrat alike, consider her worthy of their Chair, then she has      got a lot on the ball.

     Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry.  Even with no national experience, 10 years in the State            Senate, with Chairmanship responsibility, is an added bonus.

 
So lets hear some more about these folks.  How do we turn the media on to looking at the Afterboomers.  They are the future.  They are coming.  The time is now.