It's not clear precisely what the governors will do, but a large number of them, while conceding that Obamacare is now the law, seem uninclined to help it get going.

Other fights will come over energy policy. With new drilling techniques bringing huge new supplies of recoverable oil and gas, the governors are likely to be at war with Obama's Environmental Protection Agency.

And then there is the federal budget. The governors don't control it, but they have balanced their own budgets, and many say they are ready to accept cuts in federal funds for their states. They'll be pushing the diminished Republican forces in Congress to keep cutting.

Finally, the governors want a greater role in the 2016 presidential process.