Yes, I mentioned that static variables in a function would not extend to multiple functions.

You can share a variable between a restricted set of top level functions by grouping those functions in a single object file that does not expose the variable in question.

I think my only objection is that your phrasing implied what's different is the explicitness of the scoping, when it's actually the flexibility of how functions can be defined (unsurprising, from a lisp).