Mark Sanford and Political Suicide
This story keeps getting weirder by the day and it has changed yet again.
The whereabouts of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford this past week just became a bit more curious, as if they hadn’t already stirred quite a bit of chatter in his home state and beyond.
Earlier this morning, Gina Smith, a reporter for The State newspaper in Columbia, S. C., acted on a tip and confronted the governor at the Atlanta airport as he deplaned from, uh, not the Appalachian Trail as his staff had finally disclosed on Monday night, but Buenos Aires.
In a short interview, he told Ms. Smith that he didn’t know why his staff said he was hiking, although he conceded that he had considered that activity as a way to take a break after a bruising legislative session ended last week.
“But I said ‘no’ I wanted to do something exotic,” Mr. Sanford told Ms. Smith. “… It’s a great city.”
The governor said he had been traveling alone. Ms. Smith said she asked him if he had been staying at a hotel, but he wouldn’t answer her question.
Update: Mr. Sanford’s spokesman, Joel Sawyer, just sent out a notice saying the governor would hold a news conference at 2 p.m. in the Statehouse.
And it will no doubt change again at the news conference.
I have a pretty good imagination but I can think of absolutely no good reason for all of this. At least any that could possibly salvage Sanford’s political career. In fact he has made enough enemies on both sides in South Carolina that he might find himself booted from office.
If a woman was involved, she had better be seriously HOT!
Mark my words, the media buzz word will be “Erratic” before the end of the day.
Category: Politics
I just can’t understand how such a rising star as Sanford could be sooooooo politically stupid. The media will treat his ‘disappearance’ as Sanford’s ‘makaka’ moment and torment him with it until he shuffles off the political stage.
Damn!
Hang ’em up, Mark. I hope the screwin you was gettin’ is worth the screwin’ you’re GONNA get.
“The governor said he had been traveling alone.” In BUENOS AIRES??? His ‘ol lady could hack his ‘nads off with a blunt, rusty butter knife and no jury would convict her:)
What a retard. Nice going, dude…maybe you should take Newt Gingrich off your speed dial.
Honestly, why are all of you up in arms?? What’s the big freaking deal?? The legislative session is over, his stuff did know but did not disclose his whereabouts. His wife and family are fine with him leaving alone for several days.
Do you realize that he is the Gov of the State of South Carolina, not the President of the US?? We all cry out for the smaller government but we find it unacceptable when a state governor goes out of pocket for several days without telling the media?! These couple of days are simply unbelievable! You have the President who has the large chunks of his youth time abroad unaccountable for and it is ok but the possible (possible, not definite) candidate for the same position who goes out of pocket for a couple of days becomes unacceptable?! You have the First Lady bragging about shaking off her security detail to go for a snack outside the wire and it is ok but the SC governor going out of pocket for a couple of days is unacceptable?! Step back, people, and listen to yourself… may be then some sanity will return??
Olga,
The guy is chief executive of a state that operates 24/7. He apparently decided:
-to go on a trip for about a week
-to a foreign country
-for a secret reason
-without telling his staff, his wife, the U.S. embassy in the foreign country, or anyone else
-without leaving his staff a means of communicating with him
-without transferring his authority to someone else so that the state could respond to unanticipated events
If true (I guess we may know at 2pm), that is both highly suspicious and recklessly stupid. The media is right to investigate, especially if the guy might have a shot at the Presidency in a few years.
Also, it’s silly to compare this to young Obama and the current First Lady; neither has/had the legal responsibility to direct government operations.
Lurker,
You do not have to tell the US Embassy that you are in the country unless you are staying for more than 2 weeks and unless you are in a bad country, then you need to do so for your own benefit.
He went on a commercial airline under his real name, so for all intents and purposes, the Fed Gov’t knew where the SC governor was
If nobody knew where he went, how did the newspaper lady get a tip to meet him at the airport upon his return??
You just assume that his wife did not know where he went, you do not know what kind of arrangements they had/have.
The SC Constitution does not require the governor to officially “transfer” his authority when stepping outside the SC borders, the LtGov gets that power automatically in the Governor’s absence in case an emergency action is required
Based on his position and the circumstances, the media has as much right to “investigate” his whereabouts during a vacation as it has the right to investigate YOUR whereabouts during a vacation.
Until you have any evidence of impropriety – financial or moral wise – his off time is none of the media or your business
And this is regardless of whether or not he is contemplating to run in 2012.
Olga,
Does it really matter whether he was legally required to check in with the embassy or give his staff and the Lt. Gov. notice that authority had been transferred? Wouldn’t any responsible person in Sanford’s position do those things? Surely the media may investigate whether a political leader behaves reasonably and responsibly, not merely whether he or she breaks the law.
To be honest, the fact he took off wasn’t really a big deal to me, other than it put his State in a precarious constitutional situation…I suspected he was screwing around based on how many bullshit stories were being floated for his departure. This is what freakin’ bothers me; yet again, another dumbass politican who can’t keep his prick in his pants, will now serve as fodder for the left against those who profess to share some of Sanford’s policial leanings. Thanks Gov. Sanford, you useless adulterer piece of shit. At least have the class to friggin’ disappear completely.
Olga,
He has security when he is in SC for pity sake. Kidnapping percentage in BA is ALOT higher than SC.
AND he is the commander of the National Guard of SC.
AND he wanted to be the President.
I am Brown Neck Gaitor and I approve of Claymore’s last sentence.
Quote of the day from Sanford:
Sniff…sniff…”I’m sorry I ran off to South America”…sniff sniff…”to have a fling with a hot babe”…sniff…sniff…”but I did not pay 4 grand a day to have sex with that women, like another governor I know”.
What a tool.