Jun 24th, 2009 at 3:11 pm
Sanford!
I suppose I should have a post up about this. That press conference sure was odd.
At any rate, marital infidelity is a bad thing but it’s also fairly common and honestly not the greatest crime in human history. Sanford’s stimulus antics were, in my opinion, a lot worse. Still, the sheer hypocrisy of conservative “family values” talk always does rankle.
87 Responses to “Sanford!”
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June 24th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Somebody better come up with a very cruel nickname after this stunt.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Yeah, I’m not going to make fun of this anymore. This is no mere case of a politician banging some page or intern. It sounds like the guy actually fell in love with a grown-up woman, and he and his wife have been in family counseling. Sad and tragic for him, his wife and his family.
And the usual “conservative hypocrisy on family values” line doesn’t have much bite either. Conservatives extol family values, but most don’t claim they are immune from error.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
You have to admit, it’s pretty cool that the guy was able to score with a woman in a foreign country that he met over the Internet. How many people (indeed, how many readers of this blog) fantasize about just that sort of thing but know it will never happen. For Sanford, it did.
No doubt there are some who fantasize about nailing Mrs. Sanford while she is emotionally vulnerable, and perhaps even fantasize about being called “Dad” by Gov. Sanford’s angry and disillusioned children. To those sick people I can only say that this is a human tragedy and it’s not funny at all and shame on you!
June 24th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
Now do you see what gay marriage does?
Now do you see?
Wake up, America!
June 24th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
I loved all that crap about god’s law being there to protect us from ourselves. Like it would never occur to a real human being that the emotional and sexual betrayal of your life partner is a cruel and bad idea without god having some kind of rule about it. More proof that these guys are just sociopaths.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Please let the mistress’s name be Elizabeth.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
I can safely say that NO ONE will ever score with an attractive woman in Buenos Aires by talking to people here on Matthew’s blog.
In that regard, This blog is about as Family Friendly as you can get.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
I agree that Sanford having an affair is not a big deal. The Governor leaving the state without warning and not making provisions for emergencies is. Not tomention that he probably used state funds in all of this.
Take it to the bank: by this time next week Sanford has resigned.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
And the usual “conservative hypocrisy on family values” line doesn’t have much bite either. Conservatives extol family values, but most don’t claim they are immune from error.
No, the hypocrisy is that they expect other people (e.g., gays, Bill Clinton) to be immune.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I’m DEEPLY disappointed that the News Media is not playing that tango song from “Scent of a Woman” as background music to the coverage.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I’m going to echo Dan Kervick (and Josh Marshall) and say that I found Sanford to be sincere and very human. Yes, he was probably forced into the public confession by circumstances, but when it came time he did it right. I think it’s a terrible thing that he ran off and left SC without a governor, but everything else is his and his family’s business. I hope for everybody involved’s sake that he gets his personal and family life back on track.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
If it will help reduce the power and influence of the rightwing family values Taliban, then Sanford deserves to be mocked mercilessly. I hope he is shattered.
Sometimes the arrogant and self righteous have to go all the way to the bottome before they learn humility and compassion.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
Re Mark Sanford
At least it was a girl.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Well, people have been saying the Republicans have been having problems keeping the support of latino voter. Kudos to Gov. Sanford for trying to bring a latina into the big tent.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
Yeah, I’m not going to make fun of this anymore.
Pathetic weakness, Kervick. Turn that sympathy upside down: contempt! For the greater good!
June 24th, 2009 at 3:32 pm
I’m so angry at the way the pundits have suddenly decided that Sanford deserves credit for “honesty.” The man was caught in the act by a reporter at the airport, after switching flights to try and dodge the press. He blew off his official responsibilities for a week without telling anybody where he was going. Nobody should care that he did to cheat on his wife or that he cuts an empathetic figure at a teary press conference; naturally he needs to resign.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Still, the sheer hypocrisy of conservative “family values” talk always does rankle.
Indeed. Bury Sanford and his asshole party. Mock him to no end and leverage the situation to help make this world a better place (e.g., Gay marriage and what have you).
June 24th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
His story is that he went to Argentina to break off the affair and he now plans to work with his wife n repairing their marriage.
If that is all true it is a compelling human story and he should be given privacy to work on it.
But that is the personal side. on the professional side he was incredible irresponsible. He should at the very least have told the Lt Gov he was going to be gone and arranged for him to take over. Going forward, governor is a more than full time job, and if he has this much distraction going on he should resign so someone who can devote himself to the job can take over.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Guess he’s not opposed to all forms of stimulus.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Fuck me, this might fix Argentina’s economic problems. Come fall, every philanderer in the country will be booking to Buenos Aires …for the uh..culture.
The girls in Moscow are not as friendly now that the economy has improved.
Although the travel guides don’t discuss this for some reason.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
So if Vitter, Ensign, Sanford, etc. can all keep their jobs, can we give Spitzer his job back?
June 24th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
The man, who publicly claimed to be heterosexual, had an extramarital affair with another woman where no money was exchanged, nor was he trying to maintain a secret second family. He carried this on in a way that made him seem like an unhinged, dishonest loon and actually put the state in a certain amount of danger by not letting people know his whereabouts and not formally handing over the reins of power to his Lt. Governor while he was out of the country, and for that he deserves condemnation. But the actually affair itself was surprisingly human. I can’t agree with Josh Marshall’s decision to “give credit” to Sanford for his honesty, however: this entire kerfluffle occurred because of his dishonesty. He only “owned up” to it when he was caught at the airport.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
If nuthin’ else, his time management skills suck. Buenos Aires? Why the hell does he think the Mayflower Hotel exists? Or his office, for that matter?
June 24th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Re Led at 11: “I think it’s a terrible thing that he ran off and left SC without a governor”
———–
Fuck South Carolina. Any shithole that would send Lindsey Graham to the Senate deserves to be drowned by several hurricanes.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
But the actually affair itself was surprisingly human.
I can go with that. The dereliction of duty was “human” too, in the sense that “human” includes “capacity to fuck up massively”.
The past half-year of media grandstanding, though? Well, he apparently had his own stimulus package.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Lemme know when Sanford prosecuted someone for getting laid in Buenos Aires. Or Vitter and Ensign, for that matter.
Actually, Sanford should resign, and probably will. As overrated as the importance of Governors are, there are occasions when having a Governor’s whereabouts unknown would make a big difference. Senators? Hell, if they did nothing but stayed away from the office while getting laid, we’d all be better off.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
It’s hard out there for a Republican family-values elected official who wants to grab headlines with an affair. Sanford had to one-up Ensign, and he did so magnificiently with his Argentina secret one-week trip. Kudos all around.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I’m just glad it’s a little less likely now that this wingnuttiest of wingnuts will ever get near the nuclear football.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
So if Vitter, Ensign, Sanford, etc. can all keep their jobs, can we give Spitzer his job back?
This. New York needs Spitzer.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I’m surprised by the talk that this problem made him seem more “human.” Was there a doubt about him being human in the first place?
June 24th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
I’m so angry at the way the pundits have suddenly decided that Sanford deserves credit for “honesty.” The man was caught in the act by a reporter at the airport, after switching flights to try and dodge the press. He blew off his official responsibilities for a week without telling anybody where he was going. Nobody should care that he did to cheat on his wife or that he cuts an empathetic figure at a teary press conference; naturally he needs to resign.
Yeah this guys is nuts, like Big Hair Blagojevitch. They think the rules don’t apply to them. That they won’t get caught. Like Bill Clinton. Like Spitzer. Like John Edwards. And naive suckers make excuses on their behalf. Yes they are just human, just the vain arrogant asshole variety of human.
This guy wanted to turn down stimlus money “so we don’t mortgage our children’s future”? What about his children now?
And Don Williams, South Carolina is a very cool state. It helped elect Obama in the primary and I’ve known exceptional people from there. You should visit Charleston, very nice.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Hmmm.. I’m starting to get an idea of WHO may have put the news media onto Sanford’s absence.
From http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjQwMWUyNzVhODk0NWZjOWFhNmZiZGM0MzdkOWFhMDk=
[ One Republican strategist based in South Carolina wonders if Sanford didn’t let many people in state government know of his absence because of tensions with Lieutenant Gov. Andre Bauer.
"There’s a lot of reason for Sanford to not want to let Bauer run things, even for a couple of days," said the strategist. "He and Sanford don’t get along, and never have. In South Carolina, governors and lieutenant governors don’t run together on a ticket, they’re nominated separately. I can see why he might not want to go through the motions of putting him in charge, but you don’t get a say. If you’re going to be incommunicado, doesn’t this become a matter that’s referred to in the state constitution? It’s hurricane season here. It wasn’t long ago there was a wildfire not too far from Myrtle Beach. It’s not like stuff can’t happen over four days. You sign on for being on call 24-7 when you run for governor – if you don’t want to deal with that, then don’t run for the office… Having said all that, you could argue that it is something of a public service to not put Andre Bauer in charge for any period of time." ]
So may Sanford was acting partially responsible — he left but he at least didn’t leave Lt Gov Andre Bauer in charge.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Mark McKinnon must feel stupid.
The South Carolina governor isn’t an irresponsible lunatic for wandering off the reservation—he just made himself a better bet for president in 2012.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I actually feel sorry for his wife and kids. AWOL on Father’s day, for this? Ouch. Nevertheless, he screwed up and hopefully they can either put the pieces back or go their separate ways peacefully. That’s their personal issue. Now as far as his official duties, I think the irresponsibility of this whole episode will cause him to resign.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Another gem of a quote from the National Review page cited above:
[Another veteran strategist who has worked with Sanford in the past thinks that this is normal for Sanford, but that his usual behavior looks different under national scrutiny.
"His m.o. when he takes a few days off is to do it very under the radar and totally check out, but this time political opponents — of which there are a lot more after this stimulus battle — whipped up a firestorm on a slow news day and the immediate responses from his camp didn’t do much to calm things down," said the veteran of Palmetto State politics. "I do think these political opponents overreached on this one, though, and any political damage they hoped to cause the governor will be mitigated by the transparency of their motivated attacks." ]
June 24th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
How do we know for sure that the affair is with an Argentinean woman? Sanford called her a “dear friend.” Was it only the reporters who said “woman” or did Sanford use that word to describe his lover?
June 24th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Indeed, the implication is that the quintessence of humanity is honesty in the face of moral failure. What a crock. Sanford was acting most human when he was lying and fucking. That is quintessentially human behavior.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
The past half-year of media grandstanding, though? Well, he apparently had his own stimulus package.
Yeah that was already said at 19.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:06 pm
Don Williams, South Carolina is a very cool state. It helped elect Obama in the primary and I’ve known exceptional people from there. You should visit Charleston, very nice.
Pretty much everything outside Charleston, not so nice.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Still, the sheer hypocrisy of conservative “family values” talk always does rankle.
Matthew, Matthew, Matthew.
Don’t make me spend 5 minutes searching for those posts where you said that you think charging politicians with hypocrisy (on any metter) is way overblown and seriously flawed.
It’s almost like you are being… hypocritical.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
From http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ap_on_re_us/us_sc_governor_where
“As governor, Sanford has had seemingly endless run-ins with the GOP-dominated Legislature, once bringing pigs to the House chamber to protest pork barrel spending. ”
ha ha ha. I’m starting to have a grudging liking for this guy.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
Saying “sorry” after you get caught isn’t quintessentially human? Everyone does that.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
what someone does in their private life shouldn’t matter one iota.
unfortunately, republicans actually impeached a president, essientially because they wanted to snoop into his private life. and they have demagogued the whole set of family values issues for their own political benefit and it is that hypocrisy that rankles. nothing more, nothing less.
they need to stfu on this issue and start basing their political campaigns on real issues.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Poor guy having lots of breakup sex in Argentina.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:14 pm
At this rate, the Republicans aren’t going to have anyone to run in 2012. Or everyone will be eligible to run!
June 24th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Sanford is a rookie. Or he wanted to get caught.
All he had to do was say, in advance, that he was going to Argentina on an international South Carolina Business Development trip, schedule a meeting with one rich businessperson, and none of this would have hit the press. Governors travel to sell their states to businesses abroad all the time.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
It’s not fair. I’ve always claimed to be the governor of an impoverished southern state when I’m chatting online, and I haven’t scored yet. But it’s no problem for this bozo. I think online chats need an ombudsman or something.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Re Don Williams
Fuck South Carolina. Any shithole that would send Lindsey Graham to the Senate deserves to be drowned by several hurricanes.
Ah come on, just because Senator Graham allegedly like boys.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Frankie -
This is too hard for politicians to do. Yes I am including democrats. Getting everyone to focus on superficial issues is the easy way out so they can keep getting re-elected.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Governor Mark Sanford is a Bible-quoting hypocrite who liked to pose as a champion of the Ten Commandments. That’s why this is news.
After the last election, he gave this advice to fellow Republicans:
June 24th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Following the link I found another gem at the Corner:
Now I don’t know this guy so he might not be a hypocrit, but it’s still very strange to see something like that on the National Review site.
It’s like Palin’s daugther getting pregnant: suddenly all conservatives have become very supportive of single teenage mothers (but not really).
June 24th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
I’m surprised by the talk that this problem made him seem more “human.” Was there a doubt about him being human in the first place?
Well, yes. Obviously there’s no doubt about him being literally human, but in the details, this seems different from most politicians’ affairs.
Most politicians’ affairs can pretty clearly be divided into three categories: a guy so drunk on power and ego that he wants a pretty young kept woman on the side (Spitzer), a moral majoritarian with a deeply repressed kinky side (Gary Aldridge, Mark Foley), and/or an asshole trading up his wife when he becomes too good for her (Gingrich, McCain). Sanford’s case, on the other hand, looks like a normal marriage falling apart for normal reasons: he met someone else.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m falling for Sanford’s line on this whole thing. Maybe further details will make him look worse. And none of this should be read as defense of his disappearing act; I hope that even a teenager elected governor of a state would have the presence of mind to let someone know who’s in charge when he leaves abruptly. But as for the affair itself, it just seems sad, and not in the typical politician’s way.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
One doesn’t fly overseas for a week to end a relationship. He’s lying. Again.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:44 pm
At any rate, marital infidelity is a bad thing but it’s also fairly common and honestly not the greatest crime in human history. Sanford’s stimulus antics were, in my opinion, a lot worse.
True! But don’t they go together, in a way? This guy was actively working to bankrupt his own state, put thousands of his own constituents out of work and let South Carolinian children go hungry, while he secretly jets off to bang his South American mistress in a Buenos Aires hotel.
Is anyone surprised that Republicans are baffled by the very concept of “empathy?”
June 24th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
they [Republicans] need to stfu on this issue and start basing their political campaigns on real issues.
Word.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
How do we know for sure that the affair is with an Argentinean woman? Sanford called her a “dear friend.” Was it only the reporters who said “woman” or did Sanford use that word to describe his lover?
He called her “she,” so that would certainly imply a woman.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
In the interest of fairness I guess I should mention John Edwards, but I’m not sure if he fits into one of my three categories either. The first is the closest, but it’s not a good match. Ensign looks like more conclusively like the first type of affair. There’s not so much of the “pretty young kept woman” thing, but having sex with his secretary, whose husband has also worked for him, is just as much of a power trip if not more. Maybe those three categories of mine aren’t that meaningful.
June 24th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
We need to stop caring whom politicians are f*cking, as long as long as they’re not f*cking us.
In the mean time, I am enjoying watching the family values franchise self-destruct.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
RedState is a pretty entertaining read right about now.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
RedState is a pretty entertaining read right about now.
Brother (or sister), you ain’t lyin’.
Melt. Down. I had no idea they had so much invested in an obvious clown like Sanford.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Or a transvestite.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
re Duvall at 60:
I like how one of the tags on that post is “Lying Democrats.”
It’s better than a trip to the zoo over there sometimes.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
He called her “she,” so that would certainly imply a woman.
Or a transvestite.
Pre-, or post-, op transsexual might be fun, too.
June 24th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
josephdietrich Says: One doesn’t fly overseas for a week to end a relationship. He’s lying. Again.
That was my reaction as well. How long does it take you to break up with someone and get back to your “hope to be reconciled” family?
June 24th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
Its not that he “probably” spent government money this affair. We know he did. He took a government vehicle to the airport and I’m sure there were state funds involved in his press conference.
The issue isn’t really whether he spent state funds, he certainly did. It is more a question of whether he spent a little or a lot.
That said, I feel no sympathy for this guy. He should practice before he preaches.
I really wish we could know exactly what percentage of our legislature in having affairs or making sexual advances on children, or whatever. Because it is almost certain that the number practicing is much larger than the unlucky few that get caught.
June 24th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Why do cheats in public office — public servants — ask for time to heal? It’s like a ritual. We aren’t the ones who cheated? And why does cheating require healing? Did she bite it??
June 24th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
One doesn’t fly overseas for a week to end a relationship. He’s lying. Again.
Not necessarily. Being the standup family values guy that he is, Sanford may well have flown to Argentina to spend a week screwing the shit out of her as a prelude to dumping her.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I’m sure plenty of you have managed a small enterprise before – family grocery, Starbucks, whatever. General rule – when an employee gets caught having an affair or getting up to some legal but naughty business, you keep your thoughts to yourself and move on. But when he goes AWOL for several days and takes no responsibility for his job – which he was doing a piss-poor job of anyway – you fire the mofo, right?
Does South Carolina have some kind of provision offering State government workers a period of paid “healing” time after they’ve vanished from their jobs for a week, misleading their colleagues and spending some amount of public funds to have an intercontinental affair? Shit, even Denmark doesn’t offer that. I’d expect that the boss should be subject to the same rules as his staff.
(Insert “staff” jokes here)
June 24th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
But when he goes AWOL for several days and takes no responsibility for his job – which he was doing a piss-poor job of anyway – you fire the mofo, right?
One certainly hopes not.
June 24th, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Poor Rush Limbaugh. If this stuff keeps happening, I think fatty is gonna have a heart attack. Here he is on hardball, apoplectic and purple with rage. Sanford apparently was the GOP’s JFK. If only….at 7:30
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/#31532146
June 24th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Sanford is the John Edwards of the right.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Sometimes the arrogant and self righteous have to go all the way to the bottome before they learn humility and compassion.
That would make a good bumper sticker.
June 24th, 2009 at 8:40 pm
Somebody better come up with a very cruel nickname after this stunt.
How about: Hiking the Appalachian Trail?
June 24th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
How on God’s earth did The State newspaper get ahold of that email? Oh my…
June 24th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
To all of those who are sorry for the poor guy who is having an affair. I don’t care about him having the affair, his business, just like Clinton’s and his wifes own business.
BUT, this was one of the guys who called for Bill Clinton to be impeached for a blow job, but let President Cheney and his chimp to kill a million people in Iraq in the name of the American people.
Utter hypocrites who deserve NO credit for admitting the truth when they get caught, but want to tell the rest of how to live.
Screw that!
June 24th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
For all those shedding a tear over Sanford’s supposed honesty and humanity, the only reason he came clean was because the emails between him and his mistress were going to be published tomorrow. It’s PR 101 that you need to get in front of a damaging story to limit the fallout and put it in the best possible light. Some people are so naive.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:16 pm
I propose either horario de verano or Argentina año verde
because they sound dirty.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
I don’t know about you guys, but I hope that a wise Latina woman, such as Maria, with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.
June 24th, 2009 at 11:44 pm
Any pictures of this broad? Is she hot?
June 25th, 2009 at 12:34 am
but let President Cheney and his chimp to kill a million people in Iraq in the name of the American people.
Never mind your ludicrous histrionics, Mark Sanford was anti-war.
June 25th, 2009 at 3:34 am
I can’t help but think back on SNL’s old “bad idea jeans” sketch. “Sure – I had decided to end the affair. But rather than call, I thought the best way to do it would be to go AWOL from my wife, kids, job and the state of South Carolina for 6 days.”
June 25th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Omigod!!!
WHAT WILL WE TELL THE CHILDREN?
June 25th, 2009 at 9:41 am
# pseudonymous in nc Says:
June 24th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Please let the mistress’s name be Elizabeth.
I don’t get it. Why?
June 25th, 2009 at 10:26 am
No, he should just not preach, whatever he practices.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Sanford’s antics don’t bother me at all. The Call of the Wild Thing is pretty potent stuff.
I don’t want him within sniffing distance of the White House, but that’s another story. If South Carolinians still want him as governor, more power to them. I just wish all these crash and burn tales would lead to a tremendous lowering of this country’s Humbug Quotient. And spread it around evenly, left and right.
June 25th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Please let the mistress’s name be Elizabeth.
I don’t get it. Why?
Edwards, is who I assume he meant. Or maybe Dole.
June 26th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
this reflects hyocrisy on conservative family values talk? Sanford advocated a crackdown on adultery? Social liberals approve of adultery? i don’t quite get the logic matt please enlighten us.