A look back on the terms of recent governors shows just how tricky it can be to get this mixture of political support, skill, personality, and luck right. Bill Clements (1979-1983, 1987-1991) played an historic role as the first Republican elected governor since Reconstruction, but being out front in the shift in Republican fortunes made for a tough time getting along with Democrats in the legislature. This situation was not helped by his lack of political experience and his aloofness from legislators. Both Clements and Mark White (1983-1987) were swamped by the major economic downturn that lasted from the mid-1980s through the early 1990s.
Ann Richards came in on the tail end of the economic crash but benefited from her engaging, often aggressive personal style, and from a political approach that energized core Democratic constituencies such as ethnic and racial minorities and women. She established a solid if unremarkable legislative record, but despite what seemed like ample personal popularity, she was defeated for reelection by George W. Bush. Bush benefited from his compromising approach with key Democrats, a carefully calibrated set of political objectives, and, uniquely, anticipation of his impending run for the presidency during his final legislative session as Governor.
Yet despite Bush's popularity, successor Rick Perry faced his first legislative session amidst a sense that Bush's successes had been overrated. Cleaning up after Bush's attention-grabbing tax reduction measures was necessary - and it was Perry's responsibility to boot. In a number of ways, the early part of Perry's term was shaped by his need to come out from Bush's shadow without directly criticizing the popular Texan who now occupied the White House.
reading this paragraph I cannot tell what is the answer
Recent governors have
a. exerted more control over their state parties. b. exerted less control over their state parties. c. strengthened their state parties. d. disbanded their state parties.
To determine the answer, we need to carefully analyze the information provided in the paragraph. The paragraph talks about the experiences of different governors and how they navigated their terms. However, it does not directly state whether recent governors have exerted more or less control over their state parties, or whether they have strengthened or disbanded their state parties.
Therefore, based on the information provided, we cannot determine a specific answer to the question. The paragraph mainly focuses on the relationships and dynamics between governors, legislators, and the state parties, rather than the level of control or strength of the state parties themselves.