Republican South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford aroused suspicions earlier this weekend when staffers could not identify the Governor's whereabouts. They later said that he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Some reports indicated that the Governor was trying to get away from a hectic legislative session. However, how often does a sitting governor essentially disappear for a few days?
Today, reports were released indicating that Sanford had been in Argentina for the weekend. In a press conference, the governor admitted that he had an extramarital affair with someone in Argentina. Sanford has stated that he will resign as the head of the Republican Governors Association.
Sanford's behavior is mind boggling. Did Governor Sanford seriously think he could disappear to a foreign country without arousing suspicion? Sanford is a major public figure and he had to know that his Presidential aspirations would place him under a microscope every day. How could he possibly make such a blunder? It's impossible to know, but politicians frequently get into these problems when their ego's become too large or they just do something plainly dumb. It is unfathomable that so many politicians, like Sanford, are willing to gamble their careers away for an extramarital fling.
Is Sanford's political career over? It's too soon to tell, but his 2012 Presidential ambitions are likely finished (rightfully so). Sanford is a huge embarrassment for the Republican Party and South Carolinian's, but he has done the most harm to his family.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sanford Admits Affair
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1 comments:
Sanford's political career in South Carolina is all but over, and one's conventional wisdom most probably says he is done and finished as a public voice. Even though he will most likely resign, Sanford's bonafide fiscal conservatism, his dubious affair, and past will most likely keep him on cable news shows for years (a la Eliot Spitzer).
The bigger question is how this will play in the 2010 gubernatorial race, and how this will affect the Republican Party in South Carolina in the short term. I still think the Republicans have the upper hand, but they seem like an increasingly dysfunctional party in the Palmetto State, that will be looking to DeMint and Graham for guidance.
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