GOP strategist: Sanford now ‘damaged goods’
Published: June 24, 2009
Updated 5 months ago
Washington Post political blogger Chris Cillizza thinks South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s explanation for where he “disappeared” over Father’s Day weekend made the situation turn from bad to worse.
“The news — first reported by the State newspaper — that Gov. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) had spent the last six days in Argentina not, as his staff had previously said, hiking the Appalachian Trail turns what was a bad story for the governor’s future political prospects into an out-and-out public relations disaster,” Cillizza writes at The Fix.
Cillizza has the following questions:
Why didn’t Sanford check in with anyone during the five days he was “off the grid”?
Why did Sanford’s staff insist on Monday that they knew where he was and had been in contact with him?
What did Sanford’s office tell people like state Sen. Greg Ryberg and South Carolina Adjutant General Richard Eckstrom that convinced that duo to put out statements yesterday condemning the media coverage of the event as making much ado about nothing? And, how much blowback is there from Sanford defenders who now have, to put it nicely, egg on their face?
Cillizza notes, “The fact that — whether willfully or accidentally — Sanford’s staff misled the public about his whereabouts is a major problem for a candidate considered almost certain to run for president in 2012.”
In addition, Cillizza carries a quote by an unnamed GOP strategist regarding Sanford’s future: “With the lack of judgment he’s shown, Sanford is now seriously damaged goods.”
But perhaps Cillizza is wrong. It could be far worse.
On Tuesday night’s edition of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart and Wyatt Cenac speculated on what might have happened during the governor’s long weekend.
One theory was that Sanford “chased a coyote into the woods to f**k it.”
This video is from Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, broadcast June 23, 2009.
Download video via RawReplay.com
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LOL - Seems to be Sanford’s always been damaged … brain damaged, that is.
The man crackrd under pressure!
that is cracked
No…. crackered is equally correct for Sanford.
The entire Republican Party is composed of “damaged good.” Sanford is just an extreme example of one facet of the damage: irresponsible whackos.
It stood out because the solstice fell on Father’s day. So… Newsies… check his activities on past solstices. Could be nothing… could be fun!
Oh yeah right - He does this every summer solstice. How stupid do you think we are.
This governer needs to be impeached. He has been grossly negligent in his duties as governor. At the very least he should have let the leutenant governor know what was going on or where he could be reached. This man should not be holding a public office.
Gov. Stanford didn’t go to Buenos Aires alone and was there to have some private fun drinking using drugs and some Sexual Healing. Yes Stanford knew he wouldn’t have the Media or Press to deal with out of the country. Notice he never told the State Dept. anything and even his Staff was told to lie for him. For a week the State of South Carolina had no acting Govenor. But Stanford will use God’s Name and those famous Christian Family/Moral Values Republicans always push out when they commit crimes or sin and the American people buy it all. Now if any non Republican did this they would have to resign. Look how well Republican Christian Leader Senator Ensign is doing now as we can be happy when men have mistresses and pay their husbands and kids until they get tired of the sex and move on to another woman. Yes as the wife smiles and says God said a woman is to obey her husband.
“Look how well Republican Christian Leader Senator Ensign is doing now ”
Well, he did get a round of applause from his Republican colleagues at a luncheon yesterday. They were probably appreciative that his affair was with a woman instead of an adolescent boy.
The major issue is that a state executive disappeared for a week, without alerting anyone, including the second in command or the people’s representatives, the State Legislature, that he was going. Why can’t a reporter like Cilizza see that this is a far more serious issue?
What about the state’s business? What about if a natural disaster had occurred? The governor’s staff’s lies are also bad, but his abrupt, unannounced disappearance–FOR A WEEK–is far more serious.
There’s simply no excuse for what he did, wherever he gallivanted off to, for whatever (bizarre) reason.
Maybe he’s a secret “Log Cabin Republican”.
Well, if that’s the case, honey, he needs to out the “log” in his cabin.
Was he chasing poontang???? Or was it one of those secret GOP/Nazi meetings?
When I heard “coyote” from Cenac (who then snickered), I thought he meant to say “cougar”..
From various news accounts, that looks to be true? .. well, he’s old so she can’t be TOO much of a cougar (and is probably a kitten, knowing cheaters)
Did you catch the part where Sanford said that he talked HER out of the affair?
Oh Mark, you’re just digging a deeper hole. Please continue.
I can’t wait to hear the lady’s side of the story. Assuming it was a lady, of course…We are talking about a conservathug, after all… These thugs are criminally twisted.
Is Gov. Sanford the face of the GOP?
http://www.youpolls.com/details.asp?pid=5609
.
his staff that lied for him should be fired immediately and if they lied to officials they should be charged with perjury