And so ends Gov. Mark Sanford’s political career.
No political story has been this bizarre, and this includes the political deaths of ex-Governors Rod Blagojevich, Elliot Spitzer, James McGreevey, and former Congressmen like John Edwards, Larry Craig, Mark Foley, Gary Condit, Vito Fossella and Tim Mahoney.
Sanford’s case might not be the worst, but it is certainly weirder than all of those. Let’s get this straight: he left town, not responding to messages, e-mails or any other communication. His security detail did not know where he was, and his staffers and wife could only suggest that he went to walk the Appalachians to clear his head. Only when he finally returned did he admit that he really was in Buenos Aires, and that he was meeting with an Argentine mistress with whom he carried out a year-long affair.
Integrity is a vital part of leadership, and Sanford’s episode shows he is certainly lacking. He is not fit to carry the torch of conservatism, let alone the nuclear football. With this incident in his history, his career is over. A week ago, Sanford was my preferred choice for the 2012 Republican nominee for President. Today, he is a governor facing possible impeachment.
While his ability to lead has been comprised, Sanford’s ideals haven’t become any less legitimate. It was the ideals, not the man, which earned my favor. It earned other people’s adulation, too.
“Unlike so many Republican governors today, Sanford and his team take limited government seriously,” wrote Deroy Murdock in National Review back in 2004. More recently, Sanford enjoyed top ratings from the Cato Institute, the Club for Growth and the National Taxpayers’ Union. The Republican Liberty Caucus recently urged him to pursue a 2012 run.
Two months ago, a Forbes columnist compared Sanford to Barry Goldwater in that his view that government needed to be shrunk could potentially guide another political shift in America.
His stances made him the real deal. Read an excerpt from a column he penned last September for the Washington Post. This should be music to any conservative’s ears:
For 200 years, the "business model" in our country has rested on a simple fact: that while one may reap rewards from taking risks, one should also be prepared to face the consequences of those risks. Some of the proposed actions with regard to the credit market turn that business model on its head -- absolving those who took too much risk, or bought too much house, from the weight of their own choices. If Congress passes the proposed bailout, we will be destined to have far greater problems in time, leaving those who are prudent in their finances to foot the bill for those who are not.
Sanford’s attempt to reject stimulus money targeted for South Carolina failed. Along the way, he made more enemies among his fellow South Carolina Republicans. These same Republicans in the state legislature might visit the topic of impeachment in coming weeks. While this might be justified, the Republican lawmakers who checked their principles at the door over the prospect of federal money are not any less wrong today than they were a few weeks ago.
Sanford became popular among voters because of his commitment to balance the South Carolina budget (he did, despite a $160 million deficit that awaited him upon taking office) and eliminate the state income taxes (he didn’t because it would have required a draconian property tax increase). He stood firm on defending civil liberties, including the liberties the Left won’t acknowledge, like the right to bear arms and the right to property. The American Conservative was sold on Sanford in March.
Sanford’s conservative credentials compare favorably to anyone else mentioned as a 2012 presidential contender. He calls the public-education system “a Soviet-style monopoly.” He promoted school choice through tax rebates to avoid the appearance of government control. He passed a “Castle doctrine” bill that was supported by the NRA. He favors a law-and-order approach to immigration, but opposed REAL ID on civil liberties grounds. Though he avoids showy displays of piety, he is reliably pro-life.
But the governor edges closer to pure libertarianism at times. He rolls his eyes at the Columbia sheriff’s department’s zeal in investigating Michael Phelps’s recreational pot use. And he criticizes Alan Greenspan’s management of the “opaque” Federal Reserve. “If you take human nature out of a Fed, it might work,” he explains. “But you can’t. You can have these wise men. But who wants to turn off the spigot at a party that’s rolling?“
Nothing about these views have changed just because Mark Sanford had an affair with an Argentine woman and abandoned his post. Those who suggest that conservatism took some kind of blow with Sanford’s revelation forget that this was never about Sanford the man, but rather about the ideas Sanford the messenger presented.
There are other messengers. There’s Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana, who took Chrysler to court over its White House-fixed restructuring. There’s Rep. Paul Ryan, former Rep. Pat Toomey, former Rep. John Kasich, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, to name a few.
Conservatism is alive and well. While one potential leader failed an important test of integrity, the ideas that unite remain strong as ever.
T. J. Brown's Bio
T.J. Brown is a small business executive by day and a freelance writer by night. He earned a Bachelor's of Arts in Journalism at Indiana University and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago. He lives in Northbrook, Ill. and can be reached at comments@tjbrown.com.
Posted
06-26-2009 12:05 AM
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