Reply #6: For the most part he's a D.C. outsider [View All]

He also is familiar enough with how things work in D.C. to have an advantage that none of the others do. First, he served 5 full terms as the governor of a state, as well as part of a term when he was sworn in after Snelling died. He has the executive experience leading a state whereas the others don't. This is a huge advantage Dean has. Because he has been active in the Natl. Gov. Assoc., he is well known in D.C. and has worked with many politicians on various things. At the same time, his role was more of an advisory one, including taking different positions and being a spokesperson for those positions. However, he hasn't been involved in the votes and political grandstanding and game playing that is all too common among DC lawmakers. That's what makes him an "outsider". Basically, he's a DC "outsider" who has seen the "inside" operate first hand, and knows how it works. This makes him even better prepared for the job.