Ready or not, the RGA has arrived

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is known for his bluntness. The Yazoo City native has a quick wit and a sharp tongue. A staffer’s nightmare, but a voter’s dream. It’s that intuition, the way he connects and understands people, that led him to the sweeping GOP revolution in 1994, and two successive victories as governor.

Now, he is required to apply both skill sets as he narrows his sights on governor’s offices across the country. Can victory be achieved in 2010? And, if so, can Iowa put a notch in Barbour’s win column?

As the most powerful Republican governor in the country, Barbour is banking on it.

“We think this is one of the best opportunities in the country,” said Barbour when asked if Culver was vulnerable. “I will be surprised if in 2010 this isn’t one of the best pick-up opportunities in the country.”

Culver, he noted, is slipping in the polls. Barbour’s experiences as a political activist, and running his own campaigns, have given him an acute sense of smell when it comes to blood in the water.

Between now and November of 2010, when 38 governors races will be up for grabs, dangling for the taking, Barbour has his work cut out for him. Unexpectedly handed the title of RGA chairman’s title yesterday, Barbour senses opportunity.

And Iowa is on his radar.