Governors defer to officials who can actually get big things done

Evidence

One way is that no Governor could sit in the Executive Chamber long without discovering just how hard—how incredibly hard—it was, even for a Governor, to get things, big things, done. No Governor, having made this discovery, could look at what Robert Moses had gotten done without being impressed, without feeling admiration for his ability, without a recognition of his extraordinary capacity as a public servant. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 1405

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The best bill drafter in a state government can displace the governor’s own laurel — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 622; Statespeople act as trustees rather than self-interested spoils collectors — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 105; Planters ran a state within a state that ousted uncooperative officials — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1426 (+3 more)

Broader Connections

• Statespeople act as trustees rather than self-interested spoils collectors #qualifies (0.75) — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 105
• Planters ran a state within a state that ousted uncooperative officials #exemplifies (0.70) — Ann Laura Stoler, Along the Archival Grain_ Epistemic…, 1426