Governor’s absence is no crisis
In the midst of a season where national unemployment is pressing against 10 percent, where GM is about to eliminate 4,000 white-collar jobs, where the number of mass layoffs (50 or more employees from a single employer) is at record levels, where a new President “sharpens” his rheotric on Iran but is powerless to do more, where Congressional Democrats attempt to cram-down radical legislation on energy and health care and where crises loom large and small, this question captivates national attention:
Where was South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford for four days? He was spotted in Atlanta. He was believed to be on a “secretive Appalachian Trail hike.” Or in Argentina. He may have been somewhere writing, clearing his head, or otherwise relaxing after the close of the tough legislative session.
His whereabouts nevertheless prompted pundit speculation on the network news that the getaway seriously damages his chances of winning the Republican presidential nomination in 2012. Term limits prevent him from running for reelection in 2010. One of the politicians most alarmed by the governor’s absence is the lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer, who wishes to succeed him and who may not be Sanford’s choice.
Those who might like to see Sanford’s presidential prospects aborted early make much of his disappearance without staff or security. While no President should try such a getaway, the universe doesn’t revolve around a governor, any governor. Even on the Appalachian Trail it’s possible to keep up with the news and thus be informed whether there’s a crisis or some emergency that requires a governor’s attention. Naturally we’re all curious. And when he returns to work today, some explanation is warranted. But, really, it’s no crisis. It’s a celebrity-watch story.
Two governors — Sanford and Sarah Palin — are in that phase of their political lives where every action is magnified to high drama. Palin, for example, elected to reimburse the State of Alaska $8,143.62 for air travel accompanied by her children. An ethics complaint filed against her alleged that she’d abused her power by charging the state for them on 19 trips that were of debatable state interest. The Alaska Personnel Board found no wrong-doing. But, hey, she’s a serious contender for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. The fleas come with the dog.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2010 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
282 comments Add your comment
conservative democrat
June 24th, 2009
8:44 am
True, Jim …”But, really, it’s no crisis…” Probably just another republican sex scandal or maybe another “bondage” story. Maybe Sara Palin was involved in the bondage…now that would be a celebrity watch story.
Steven Daedalus
June 24th, 2009
8:59 am
He went to Argentina, guess the guys in South Carolina aren’t exotic enough.
Tricky D
June 24th, 2009
9:13 am
“He may have been somewhere writing, clearing his head, or otherwise relaxing.” Yeah, by himself during the Father’s Day weekend and no one knew where he was. Obviously, not even his Chief of Staff because he said the Governor went hiking. Goes to show you, politicians and their staffs lie more often than not. Democrat or Republican. If he was just ‘relaxing’ as you say, then why not just say that upfront. I’m sure he’ll say that its some aide’s fault for saying he was somewhere that he wasn’t, but it sure looks like his staff was scrambling for an explanation. Bush spent an entire year in Crawford clearing brush, yet Obama is blamed for taking his wife on a date night. And its no problem when a Governor goes on the lamb for 5 days and can’t be found. On the taxpayer dime mind you, yet Wooten is telling everyone to cool their jets. With South Carolina having the highest unemployment in the country, its good to know the Chief Executive of that state has the time to fall of the radar for awhile.
Get Real
June 24th, 2009
9:14 am
I thought you were a family values man Wooten? The guy dissed his kids on Father’s Day to go relax in Argentina by himself. Thank goodness he wasn’t a ‘brotha’ or you’d have been all over him about how irresponsible he was.
Peter
June 24th, 2009
9:28 am
Gosh Jim a real statement…….She is a DOG with fleas !
dave
June 24th, 2009
9:29 am
Relax guys, he could have done what the President did on Fathers day, while people were dying in Iran, play golf. If Bush had done that, you guys would have gone crazy, ops you guys are already there. Never see as much “hate” as from the gentle “progressive” who lurk here… get a life folks.
1984
June 24th, 2009
9:30 am
IS this really a story? The governor goes on a vacation and people are talking about him committing career suicide? Nothing has come out of this except for Chris Matthews blowing his load all over Joe Scarborough. This is a NON-Story much like the Swine Flu. The only reason any of this is making headlines is the fact that he is a Republican and all conservative Republicans must be killed on site by the Government News Organizations like NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN AND PMSNBC. Obama Hussein is killing off his democrat support and the world is now seeing what a buffoon he really is.
1984
June 24th, 2009
9:33 am
I really do wonder why no one is talking about how idiotic and inexperienced Obama Hussein looks to the world right now. Sanford is a governor of a small southern state. Obama Hussein is the leader of the “free” world right now. It’s just a matter of time before another terrorist attack hits us. If NK ends up bombing us I bet he pulls a Ray Nagin and hides in the bathroom with his head tucked away in the toilet.
EVIL REPUBLICANS TIME IS UP
June 24th, 2009
9:33 am
YOU KNOW THAT THE REPUBLICANS ARE THE NEW DOWN-LOW GAY PARTY,PRETEND YOU ARE A HAPPY MARRIED MAN WITH A WIFE AND KIDS,BUT SECRETLY LIVING A DOUBLE LIFE OF GAY HAPPINESS,LOOK AT THE REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM IDAHO WHO WAS CAUGHT IN MINN TAPPING THE STALL FOR MALE SEX,LOOK AT THE MARRIED REPUBLICAN SENATOR FROM FLORIDA THAT GOT CAUGHT WITH HIS MALE YOUNG COLLEGE STAFFBOYS,SEE IT IS A PATTERN HERE THAT THE GOP G.AY O.PEN P.ARTY DONT TALK WHAT THEY WALK!
Mister Earl
June 24th, 2009
9:35 am
If you complete a quick google search on “sex tourism”, Buenos Aires came right up! Check out this snippet I grabbed from cybertraveltips.com: “ANOTHER IMPORTANT FACT THAT IS DRIVING BUENOS AIRES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST SOUGHT OUT SEX TOURISM DESTINATIONS IS ITS TOLERANCE TOWARDS HOMOSEXUALITY” The evidence is really piling up…
conservative democrat
June 24th, 2009
9:44 am
Tricky D
You wrote, “Yeah, by himself during the Father’s Day weekend and no one knew…”. He was probably with his other family…you know the secret one nobody knows about. And, “no problem when a Governor goes on the lamb (SIC, should be lam) for 5 days…” maybe that’s a family of sheep he’s sired.
jackets
June 24th, 2009
9:44 am
Tricky D, way to jump the gun with assumptions….who said this was on the “taxpayers dime”? How do you know he didn’t pay for the trip himself (which Im sure he did). The man DOES get vacation and he doesn’t have to explain to you or anybody else why he went anywhere. Besides, are you a South Carolina taxpayer? If not then cheer up, its not your money anyway.
Churchill"s MOM
June 24th, 2009
9:48 am
” The fleas come with the dog.” Are you saying our next President is a dog & she has fleas? Your love of Obama is showing.
**********Handel 2010*********Palin Mccain 2012***********
Mister Earl
June 24th, 2009
9:48 am
1984 – whatever.
Do you really think the vanishing Governor of South Carolina has anything to do with President Obama?
Give it a rest.
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
9:53 am
After all those losses and bailouts, rank-and-file employees of
Citigroup are getting some good news: their salaries are going up.
The troubled banking giant intends to raise workers’ base salaries by
as much as 50 percent this year to offset smaller annual bonuses, The
New York Times reported, citing people with direct knowledge of the
plan.
The shift means that most Citigroup employees will make as much money
as they did in 2008, although some might earn more and others less.
Like Citigroup, financial companies, including Bank of America and
Morgan Stanley, are raising employees’ base salaries to try to shift
attention away from bonuses. So are banks like UBS and other European
competitors.
The Citigroup proposals, discussed internally this week, present a
crucial test for the Obama administration, which has vowed to rein in
runaway compensation at companies that have received large
taxpayer-financed bailouts.
catlady
June 24th, 2009
9:55 am
If you lie about little things, think how much more you will lie about big things. Someone lied. Why, shades of Bill Clinton! Let’s impeach him!
Who is more clueless–Mr. Sanford, his wife, his security detail, or the electorate? If they are wise they are preparing the recall petitions. You don’t need a governor who flakes out.
The SC police really look like the Keystone Kops on this one, don’t they? Susan Smith again. (”Some black man hijacked our Governor!”)
And all he had to do was put out a statement that he would be gone on a well deserved vacation for a week. What an idiot! Why is the South cursed with idiot governors? (This is a rhetorical question. Look at the political affiliations of most.)
I hope he had a good time, and it was worth shooting himself, as guaranteed by the 2nd amendment, in the “Presidential” foot. Or some other part of the body.
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
9:56 am
American International Group’s efforts to sell its broker-dealer
business, AIG Advisor Group, have run into difficulties, raising the
prospect of mass departures among its financial advisers,
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
9:57 am
JPMorgan Chase leads a list of the world’s strongest banks, while the
Royal Bank of Scotland reported the biggest loss of any lender last
year, according to the British magazine The Banker.
Koz
June 24th, 2009
9:57 am
It’s ok, because we all know Bush caused the train crash in Washington
catlady
June 24th, 2009
10:01 am
Koz: It was a “train wreck”. Oh, wait, you aren’t talking about the economy, are you?
Copyleft
June 24th, 2009
10:02 am
“Governor’s absence is no crisis.”
Absolutely correct in this case… because the less time Sanford spends “governing,” the better!
catlady
June 24th, 2009
10:03 am
All this business about hiking was a misunderstanding. The SC Legislature told him to “take a hike.”
conservative democrat
June 24th, 2009
10:05 am
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work,
How come you left out this story, “…The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said Wednesday that developed economies will shrink less sharply this year than it previously expected, and will grow next year.
The projection was the first upward revision to the OECD’s growth forecasts since June 2007, before the financial crisis began. The International Monetary Fund is likely to follow suit when it releases new forecasts July 7.
However, the OECD warned governments and central banks against prematurely withdrawing stimulus packages, which it deemed essential in averting a deeper, more prolonged recession.
The OECD, a leading think tank and policy forum for its 30 member states, stressed that the recovery will be “both weak and fragile for some time,” and could be derailed if bond yields rise sharply in response to mounting government debt, or if consumer spending falls more rapidly than expected in response to rising unemployment.
Many risks remain, the OECD warned. Chief among them is the possibility that the financial system could be more vulnerable to a rise in business and household defaults than the organization assumes in its new forecasts.”
Pubs=Psychotalk
June 24th, 2009
10:21 am
Two governors — Sanford and Sarah Palin — are so out of touch and stupid when confronted with basic decisions in 2009 that they, and every other pubtard candidate are dead on arrival for political office. Disappearing and not telling your wife where you are, however, is standard operating procedure for a pubtard politician–and a rite of passage.
conservative democrat
June 24th, 2009
10:23 am
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work,
You missed another one, “WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An unexpected jump in U.S. durable goods orders last month backed hopes that the economy was healing and this message was reinforced by a pick-up in home mortgage applications last week.
New orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods rose by a much stronger-than-expected 1.8 percent in May, Commerce Department data on Wednesday showed.
Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast durable goods orders would decline 0.6 percent last month. May’s increase, the third gain in 4 months, followed a revised 1.8 percent gain in April.
U.S. stock index futures rose on the much stronger-than-expected durables report, the dollar pared gains and U.S. government bond prices fell, although trading was also somewhat overshadowed by a Federal Reserve policy statement due later.
“The economy is bottoming here, and we’re looking for the Fed to maybe change its statement slightly and maybe start to suggest a more neutral balance of risk. A nod, basically, to an exit strategy,” said Kim Rupert at Action Economics LLC in San Francisco.
The Fed is due to deliver its policy decision about 2:15 p.m. EDT. It is expected to leave interest rates unchanged in a range between zero and 0.25 percent, and many economists think it will lean against rate hike speculation by
emphasizing they will stay low for an extended period.
The U.S. central bank is also likely to stress that the economy remains fragile, although acknowledging signs that activity is picking up here and there.
Manufacturing, which accounts for about one-third of the economy, provides a good barometer for overall business health, and the May durable goods orders report showed solid gains.
New orders excluding transportation advanced 1.1 percent last month, compared with a forecast for a 0.4 percent decline, buoyed in part by a 7.7 percent rise in new machinery orders. This was the largest percentage increase in that category since March 2008, the Commerce Department said.
New orders excluding defense were 1.4 percent higher, versus a Reuters’ poll prediction for a 0.4 percent drop.
More importantly, non-defense capital goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched proxy for business spending, jumped 4.8 percent in May, the largest gain since September 2004. May’s sharp rise compared with forecasts for a 0.6 percent drop and followed a revised 2.9 percent fall in April.
“The numbers point to a stabilization, but certainly not a robust recovery,” said Keith Hembre, chief economist at First American Funds in Minneapolis…”
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
10:29 am
A Senate investigative committee has concluded that excessive
speculation by commodity index investors has inflated the price of
wheat and distorted trading in the wheat futures markets.
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
10:31 am
Protein Sciences, a small biotechnology company facing possible
bankruptcy and liquidation, has been awarded a $35 million U.S.
contract to develop a faster way to make vaccines for pandemic
influenza.
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
10:32 am
Lawyers for Bernard L. Madoff, who has confessed to running what may be
the biggest Ponzi scheme in modern history, asked a judge for leniency
when he imposes a sentence on Mr. Madoff at a hearing next week.
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
10:33 am
Ikea said it was suspending further investment in Russia, apparently
because of pervasive corruption and demands for bribes.
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
10:34 am
After months of bitter struggle that included a threat to shut down The
Boston Globe, The New York Times Co. and the paper’s largest union
reached a tentative contract settlement.
Big Bucks GOP doing the Lords work
June 24th, 2009
10:36 am
conservative democrat
10:23 am
Thanks for your help, I just do little short stuff. Keep up the good work.
RK
June 24th, 2009
10:37 am
Andre Bauer shouldn’t be anyone’s choice.
Elephant Whip
June 24th, 2009
10:51 am
“where a new President “sharpens” his rheotric on Iran but is powerless to do more”
Gee, I wonder why he is “powerless” to do more (if, indeed, he is). Maybe it’s that useless war in neighboring Iraq and the other half of Neo-Nam, Afghanistan. Who put us there, Jim?
Pubs=Psychotalk
June 24th, 2009
10:57 am
“Don’t Cry for me Jimmy the Wooten”
It won’t be easy, you’ll think it strange
When I try to explain how I feel
that I still need your love after all that I’ve done
You won’t believe me
All you will see is a girl you once knew
Although she’s dressed up to the nines
At sixes and sevens with you
I had to let it happen, I had to change
Couldn’t stay all my life down at heel
Looking out of the window, staying out of the sun
So I chose freedom
Running around, trying everything new
But nothing impressed me at all
I never expected it tt
Mah people wuz starvin; the schools sucked as bad as JawJaw’s; and Steven Cobert and Colbert Nation constantly makes fun of our state full of hick rednecks so ah rejected a million bucks in stim funds only to be ordered by mah Soopreme Court tuh accept it and then ah runs.
jc_atl
June 24th, 2009
11:06 am
More roadkill from the GOP presidential hopeful list.
A man leaves the country to “get away from his kids” on Father’s Day weekend, leaving his staff and security clueless, but to the local apologist writing for the AJC it’s no big deal. Right. How stupid are conservatives to buy this load of crap?
Dusty
June 24th, 2009
11:07 am
Jim Wooten,
You really got this one right. The absence of the SC governor is not a crisis to anyone but snoops. South Carolina is doing just fine. I do worry a bit about some of the bloggers here.
Every imaginable sex connected incident is mentioned by liberals whose minds can’t seem to get away from such thoughts.
Clean it up, ladies & gentlemen. The governor took a vacation. Maybe you need one too.
Pa
June 24th, 2009
11:11 am
You can bet your britches he was off a-doin’ somethin’ he ought not a been.
@@
June 24th, 2009
11:12 am
The funniest thing about all the hoopla, Jim, is that no matter where I go, liberals are implying SEX. Kinda lends credence to the study done proving that conservatives have better sex lives while liberals LUV talkin’ bout it among “their circle” of online friends.
Apologies for being crude but when it comes to liberals blogging and screwing political opponents is not a life I’d call productive.
Talk about delving into personal lifes….
UnEFFIN’ believable? Absolutely!
Pa
June 24th, 2009
11:13 am
You’d thank ol’ Wooten an’ Dusty would jest set back an’ wait a spell before sayin’ this feller weren’t up to nothin. “Cause the fact is, they don’t know. I don’t neither, but hit shore do look funny. Smells thataway, too.
Pubs=Psychotalk
June 24th, 2009
11:15 am
Instead of the pubtards shaking their fists at Iran without a scintilla of a specific suggestion as to what they want Obama to do besides denounce the clerics or perhaps spend 3 trillion bombing Iran and sending in troops we don’t have, simply ending the pubtard Hummer SUV addiction to oil would take down the theocrats. That would mean theocrat pubtards could take down theocrat Ayatollahs by ending their theocrat addiction to the theocrat’s oil as Tom Friedman says.
deegee
June 24th, 2009
11:19 am
I am no governor of a state but I do manage some projects for my employer. It would be irresponsible for me to go on vacation without notifying my employer and making sure that someone is in charge during my absence. Don’t you think that would have occurred to a personal responsibility type of guy like Mark Sanford? Can someone please recite those republican values again for us?
Name One
June 24th, 2009
11:20 am
I’m not a Dem or Republican. I work with public safety, and when there is a crisis, the governor needs to be available. Whether it’s a bad storm/hurricane, forest fire, mass shooting, a large highway/train/airport accident, the governor needs to be reachable ASAP, or at least have the Lt. Gov. be in charge.
Wooten is clearly an apologist for Sanford. His actions are indefensible.
Pubs=Psychotalk
June 24th, 2009
11:28 am
Cloture on Harold Koh, Dean of Yale for Counsel to SOS, by 75% of the Senate. Another pubtard defeat. Next comes Dawn Johnsen who blogged on how Bush shreded the Constitution clean up the mess the pubtards left at OLC DOJ. Johnsen moved her family to DC last week, and Franken will be seated soon.
And what is Jaw Jaw doing about it? Suxby is rambling about the JawJaw Southern cheerleading squad. LOL.
The Anti-Wooten
June 24th, 2009
11:40 am
The Wootnenanny is right about just one thing, there was no crisis, thankfully. Had there been some type of crisis that required the activation of the SC National Guard components(among other gubernatorial duties)Sanford would already be on the road to impeachment.
I’d be the last person to deny Sanford a vacation no matter where he wandered off to. If he wanted to go alone, fine, but the facts are that he should have designated Bauer as the “go to” person in his absence. It didn’t have to be announced publicly or at all but he left without taking care of the business of the state. I’m not going to delve into lurid speculation since Sanford himself caused plenty of that all by himself.
Please, please run Lil Boy Lost Sanford for POTUS in ‘12. I could really use the laughs.
Is there any Republic that you and Dustbin won’t defend?
1984
June 24th, 2009
11:40 am
Mister Earl, are you missing some brain cells? Maybe a class in reading at your local community college would help you understand basic reading skills. MORON, if you’d read what I wrote then you’d fully understand that I was making a point about Obama Hussein and his idiotic presidency. Mark Sanford is a NON STORY!
EVIL REPUBLICANS TIME IS UP
June 24th, 2009
11:42 am
I’M GAY AND I HATE EVERYONE AND I HATE MY MOM AND HER LIFE PARTNER. I AM GOING TO SUE EVERYONE AND GET MY MONEY TO BUY MY DRUGS! YOU REPUBLICANS ARE MEAN AND I HATE YOU. I WANT TO SHOOT YOU WITH MY POTATO GUN AND MAKE YOU EAT WERMS. I HATE CLOUDS AND UNICORNS.
Ernesto
June 24th, 2009
11:44 am
Pubs=Psychotalk, how are Palin and Sanford out of touch? They both have high poll numbers and are very popular in their states. They both make great decisions and are there for the people. I can’t name ONE democrat governor with higher approval numbers.
DB
June 24th, 2009
11:48 am
But tf he had not been a republican you would have skewered him.
Ernesto
June 24th, 2009
11:52 am
DB, who would have skewered him? How about the corrupt democrat governors of Illinois and NY? They actually committed crimes and yet you idiots on the left worship them.
Really Jim??
June 24th, 2009
12:01 pm
And if Sanford had a big D after his name instead of an R for Republican I am SURE your opinion of his absence would be exactly the same – right Jim??? NOT!!!!
Billy Bob
June 24th, 2009
12:02 pm
Get Real
Gov. Sanford was somewhere and the MSM didn’t know where – maybe he was even in several places. Most executives take some time for themselves to generate new ideas, strategize or just relax. Maybe the governor was even in the midst of exploring a presidential campaign with some political strategy gurus. At the end of his day, though, he’s still married, a father-in-residence to his children and provides financially for them ALL. Just an everyday occurence for those who believe in personal responsibility. Call him conservative.
Now, if this was a ‘brotha’ taking care of his wife and children, we’d call that a miracle.
JLK
June 24th, 2009
12:05 pm
I’m surprised at you, Mr. Wooten. Gov. Sanford was an absentee father of Father’s Day, and you neglected to place the blame squarely and scathingly on the shoulders of his sl-t wife. Clearly it would be HER fault he was in another country and completely inaccessible to his four children. Or is this something you implied by shrugging off his actions as no big deal?
DB
June 24th, 2009
12:10 pm
Ernesto, ANY currupt politician should be skewered; I’m tired of the people on the right & left having double standards for their side. And BTW, I am not an idiot or a left wing person or a ditto head.
Pubs=Psychotalk
June 24th, 2009
12:15 pm
Sanford-Palin or Palin-Ensign or Sanford-Ensign or Ensign-Sanfo rd 2012. Yes We Kin. Yes We Kin.
Ah kin see Buenos Aires from Columbia, S.C. yes ah kin, yes ah kin.
Dark Knight
June 24th, 2009
12:21 pm
LMAO!!!!!!!!!!! ! Conservatives are hilarious!!!!! Jim Wooten is even funnier however in his assertion that Sanford absence is “no big deal”. Unless he was hiking in the Andes, riding a llama, my guess would be that Sanford’s trip involved some form of sexual deviance, somewhat akin to what David Carradine was involved in. Oh man what a tangled web we weave, huh conservatives. Figures though, everyone knows the reason they go so hard on the issue of gay rights is because a good 75% of them are closeted homo-sexual’s anyway
Ernesto
June 24th, 2009
12:31 pm
Pubs=Psychotalk Chad Harris, Ensign is an idiot for cheating on his wife. But guess what Bozo. He’s not a governor. Palin isn’t stupid. At least she has the sense to know how to run a state. Hell, Obama Hussein has managed to take us to 10% unemployment AND skyrocket the deficit. ALL IN SIX MONTHS! Looks like Obama is the stupid one.
CHAINS WE CAN BELIEVE IN! WOO HOO! YES WE DID….KILL THE COUNTRY! YEE HAW!
Ernesto
June 24th, 2009
12:32 pm
DB, what did Sanford do that was corrupt?
He did nothing illegal or corrupt. Again, this is a non story.
Pubs=Psychotalk
June 24th, 2009
12:36 pm
Actually, a more exciting place for Sanford’s whacky secret getaway would have been Silvio Berlusconi’s Rome mansion and partied down with Patrizia D’Addario. And while conventional wisdom would have routinely put the Lt. Gov. in charge, any state Sanford isn’t in is much better off.
He’s gotten into the category of whack job along with Rick Perry and Alaska hillbilly dimwit Palin.
Palin is in reality on the cusp of obscurity. She cannot get elected to anything in Alaska or anywhere else. She has made an enormous contribution to the power base of the Democratic party.
reebok
June 24th, 2009
12:36 pm
if sanford and palin are top contenders for the GOP nod for president next time around, then the party is in much deeper trouble than anyone thought and is on its’ way to a permanent 25% minority status.
reebok
June 24th, 2009
12:38 pm
different topic…sean hannity just said that this is obama’s recession…hey, he’s been in office for 6 months, so that’s cool. but when the rocovery comes, watch hannity and his clones announce that it was dubya’s visionary economic policies that turned things around. or wait…maybe he’ll credit reagan! LOL
Raz Algoul
June 24th, 2009
12:50 pm
reebok, considering that both governors share high approval ratings and both are conservatives I’d safely say that either candidate is in fine shape. I mean, in 2012 the American people will be begging for change we can believe in. Obama is the new Ray Nagin.
Raz Algoul
June 24th, 2009
12:51 pm
Pubs=Psychotalk=Chad Harris is out of his mind. Literally. He/She thinks he/she is a doctor.
Pubs=Psychotalk isn’t really a doctor but she plays one on AJC.
Mister Earl
June 24th, 2009
12:54 pm
1984 – the thread is about Governor Sanford and you’re talking about President Barack Hussein Obama. (Yes, his middle name is Hussein. So what?)
The Sanford non-story is gathering quite a bit of attention for a non-story.
Gimmeadollar
June 24th, 2009
12:54 pm
What a dummy wrote: I really do wonder why no one is talking about how idiotic and inexperienced Obama Hussein looks to the world right now. Sanford is a governor of a small southern state. Obama Hussein is the leader of the “free” world right now. It’s just a matter of time before another terrorist attack hits us. If NK ends up bombing us I bet he pulls a Ray Nagin and hides in the bathroom with his head tucked away in the toilet.
****************
And G. Bush preferred reading a children’s novel during the terroist attack in ‘01 and then proceeded to attach the wrong country. Go figure
Mister Earl
June 24th, 2009
12:57 pm
“this sure is odd.”
“It’s all part of the lonely mystique of Governor Sanford,” said Cole Blease Graham Jr., a professor of political science at the University of South Carolina, on Tuesday. “He has taken many positions as governor that are similarly lonely, almost contrarian.”
But Mr. Sanford’s disappearance set a new standard for unpredictability, Mr. Graham said.
“In a state like South Carolina, where everybody knows everything about everybody,” he said, “this sure is odd.”
1984
June 24th, 2009
12:58 pm
Mister Earl, the reason its getting attention is because he is a contender for 2012. He is against Obama Hussein and Obama Husseins crappy socialist programs. Hell, Obama Hussein has managed to take us to 10% + unemployment AND triple the deficit. ALL IN 6 MONTHS. THAT’S CHANGE I CAN BELIEVE IN.
Gimmeadollar writes: What a dummy wrote:
THEN WRITES: terroist attack
LET’S SEE, ONE SPELLS CORRECTLY AND THIS GIRL CAN’T SPELL TERRORIST.
HMMMM, I GUESS WE KNOW WHO THE DUMMY REALLY IS.
1984
June 24th, 2009
1:00 pm
Mister Earl thinks Sanford is odd yet ignores all the odd things Obama Hussein is doing. I think I’d rather have Sanford as my governor than I would a sitting president who is causing high unemployment and making us less safer in the world.
1984
June 24th, 2009
1:02 pm
While idiot liberals focus on a non story like Sanford, the rest of the country focuses on Obama Husseins idiocies and inexperience.
Warren Buffett to CNBC: U.S. Economy In “Shambles” .. No Signs of Recovery Yet
In a live interview on CNBC today, Warren Buffett said there has been little progress over the past few months in the “economic war” being fought by the country. “We haven’t got the economy moving yet.”
While the economy is a “shambles” and likely to stay that way for some time, he remains optimistic there will eventually be a recovery over a period of years.
Buffett says the nation should concentrate on creating jobs.
Buffett also revealed that he had a cataract operation on his left eye about a month ago. He joked that he thought it might help him see “green shoots” for the economy, but so far he hasn’t seen any hopeful signs.
Taking a firm position in an ongoing debate in the financial markets, Buffett says he’s not concerned at all about deflation, but does think inflation will be a problem in coming years.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/31526130
ScottR
June 24th, 2009
1:08 pm
Way to go Jim. The conservative apologist as ever. You’d have tarred and feathered any Governor with a “D” by his name doing the same thing. True that it should hardly be front page news, but it is bizarre behavior and any reasonable person with his number of years in some spotlight, albeit in a smaller state, should have known the PR nightmare it would create. THAT is why this is a story….a profound lapse in judgment is worthy of note for anyone considered even as a possible Presidential candidate.
1984
June 24th, 2009
1:13 pm
I’m in love. But that DOGGONE RESTRAINING ORDER keeps getting in the way. Hate. Yea thats the ticket. Everybody is stupid! Dum liberals. I’d be getting some love now if it were’nt for them. Looks like your stuck with me.
ncgreybr
June 24th, 2009
1:15 pm
Let’s turn this around for a minute. Sanford is the DEMOCRATIC Governor of South Carolina and he has been gone for several days without telling his wife or staff where. Still got the same answer, Jim?
Peter
June 24th, 2009
1:18 pm
Come on Jim…….He couldn’t have sex with under age Girls or Boys in S. Carolina…..You know the” Republican Family Values ” thing !
Gimmeadollar
June 24th, 2009
1:19 pm
Why caint my cuzins just letz me getz me sum goat sex? Ah mean ah just caint get me no luvin from dem farm animuls. Itz jus not far.
Chris C
June 24th, 2009
1:20 pm
Update, 12:05 p.m ET.: South Carolina state Senate Democratic leader John C. Land III just issued a very strong statement regarding Sanford.
Said Land:
“The people of this state deserve complete honesty from Governor Sanford. The Governor’s office misled the media, the Lt. Governor, and the people of South Carolina. Never in my 32 years as a state Senator have I witnessed a Governor and his staff act in a more dishonest, secretive, and bizarre manner. There is something very wrong here and serious questions need to be asked about the Governor’s 6 day disappearance.”
Update, 10:51 a.m. ET: South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford will hold a press conference at 2:00 p.m. today from his office in the statehouse in Columbia.
Original Post
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.
“I don’t know how this thing got blown out of proportion,” said Sanford upon his return stateside, explaining that he had mentioned to his staff that he might be going hiking along the Appalachian Trail last Thursday before changing his mind at the last minute. Asked why his staff released a statement Monday night saying that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, Sanford told the State: “I don’t know.”
Um, ok.
This latest turn in what can now only be described as a bizarre story creates far more questions than it answers. Among them:
* Why didn’t Sanford check in with anyone during the five days he was “off the grid”? The Fix has been to Buenos Aires — the Paris of South America — and can attest to the fact that there are shops with e-mail terminals and international phones on nearly every corner. Why would Sanford not, at least, call his wife (and four boys) on Father’s Day to let them know his whereabouts — especially given that he was a nine-hour plane ride (or more) from home?
* Why did Sanford’s staff insist on Monday that they knew where he was and had been in contact with him? A source within the South Carolina government said Monday that no one on Sanford’s staff had spoken to the governor since last Thursday and they did not know where he was, and yet everything that came out of Sanford’s office after the initial hubbub seemed to suggest that all was well. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer accused Sanford’s staff of misleading him regarding the governor’s location on Monday, a claim that now seems to be right.
* What did Sanford’s office tell people like state Sen. Greg Ryberg and South Carolina Comptroller 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?
These are just a few of the questions that Sanford now must answer in the coming days. The fact that he disappeared for six days made for an interesting — and somewhat odd — story. 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.
“With the lack of judgment he’s shown, Sanford is now seriously damaged goods,” said one senior Republican strategist about the incident’s impact on the South Carolina Governor’s political future.
Argentinian Visitors Bureau
June 24th, 2009
1:20 pm
I hope Mr. Sanford enjoyed the low cost female companion services and easily obtainable mind bending substances here. Argentina is a great place to “clear your head”.
“Hiking” here is much easier, because there is no U.S. media. We always strive to ensure your family values stay in place.
Mister Earl
June 24th, 2009
1:20 pm
Gimmeadollar, AMEN SISTER! Just da odda day ah wuz gettin it on wit my donkey when sum gop voter camed ober and said ah cud not getz me no mo donkey pun tang. AH say itz just not far, its just not!
Ray Pugh
June 24th, 2009
1:21 pm
……………………………………………………………………………………………
………………………………░▒▓▓▓▒░………………………………………………
……………………..░▒▒▓▓▓▓█████▓▓▓▒▒▒▒░…………………………….
……….▒▓▓▓▓▓███▓▓▓▓▓█████████████▓▒…………………………
…….▒▓▓▓▓▓█████████████▓▓▓▓▓██████▓▓░……………………
…..▓██▓██████████▓▓▓▒░..░░░▒▒▓▓███▓▓█▓▒………………….
…..██▓███▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒░░░▒▒▒▒▒░░▒▒▓██▓▓██▓………………….
…..████▓▒▒▒▒░░░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓█████▒………………….
…..███▒░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓███████▓░……………
..▒██▓▓░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓███████▓…………….
…▒██▓▒░░░░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░░░░░▒▒▒▒▓▓▓███████▒……………
……▒█▓▒▒▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▓▓█▓▓▒▒▒░▓▓▓██████▒…………….
……..░█▓▓▓▓▓██▓▓▒▒▓▓███▓▓▒▓▓▓▒░▒▓▓▓▓█▓██▒…………….
……….▒▓▓▓▓██▓▓▓▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓█▓▓▒▒▒░▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▒……………..
…………▓▒▒▒▒▒░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░▒▒░░▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▓▒░……………
…………░▒░░░░░▒▓▒▒▒▒▒░░░▒░░▒▒▒▒▒░▒▒▒▓▓░.▓▒…………….
…………..▓▒▒▒░▒▓▒░░░▒▓▓▓▒░▒▒▓▓▒░░▒▒▒▒▒▓▒▓▒……………..
………….▒▓▒░▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▒▒▓▓▓▓▒….▓█▒…………….
…………..▒▓▓▒▓▓▒░▒▓▒░….░▓▓▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▓█▓………………..
……………▒▓▓▓▓▓▒▒▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓██▓…………………..
……………..▓▓▒▓▓████████▓▒▒▓▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░…*****’ GUY
……………..▓▓▒▓▓███▓▓█▓▓█▓▒▓░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░………SUCKS!…….
……………..▒▓▒▓▒▒▓▒…▒░..▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░…/…………………..
……………….▓▒░▒▒▒.░▒░░▒▓▓▒▒▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒▒………………………
………………▒▓░░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▒░.░▓▓▓▓▓▓▓▓░.▓▓…………………….
…..▒▓▓█████▓░▒▓▓▒▒▒▒░░░░▒▓▓▓▓▓▓▒…..▒▓██▓░……………..
███████████▒▒▓▒▒▒▒▒░▒▒▓▓█▓▓▒▒………..▒███████▓▒░….
███████████▓..░▓█████▓██▓▒░……………..▒█████████████
███████████▓░…….▒▓▓▓▓██▒………………..░█████████████
████████████▒…………..▒████▓░…………….▒▓████████████
████████████▒…………░████▒.▓▒………….░.░████████████
███████████▓░………..░▓▓▓█▓░.░░……………..████████████
Eliot Spitzer
June 24th, 2009
1:22 pm
Gee whiz, you JAWJAW hicks are so damn stupid. I would have killed to have this be my only problem. I was too busy banging high dollar hookers with tax payer money. But this, damn I wish this were my problem.
marcus graham
June 24th, 2009
1:23 pm
Jim please-I am sooooooooooooo glad that you are retiring. You are dead wrong on this one. A responsible chief executive officer, leader or whatever terminolgy you want to use should not disappear without anyone (INCLUDING HIS WIFE) disavowing his whereabouts. I have grave concerns that staff members were ‘left in charge’ during his absences and had the freedom to decide what other leaders (if any) to involve in any decision. People that have sought public office should understand such scrutiny comes with the territory. Probably most telling is that this secret getaway wasn’t even on the governor’s private calendar. I find your reaction to this story quite appaling!
Peter
June 24th, 2009
1:26 pm
Hey Jim, I am thinking yesterdays and today’s baloney you write Goes together……..should read something like……” Governor Sanford, mostly in Bondage, somewhere in the South ” .
Yep a real Southern Gentleman takes off on his wife and Kids on Father’s day……and tells no one where he is…… Lucky for him nothing disastrous happened to his state…… I guess he got lucky in more ways than one.
Barney Frank
June 24th, 2009
1:26 pm
Otay, here ifs my offer on da housing pwabwam. Don’t blame me I am a innocemt bwistandar.
Fannie, Freddie asked to relax condo loan rules: report
(Reuters) – Two U.S. Democratic lawmakers want Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to relax recently tightened standards for mortgages on new condominiums, saying they could threaten the viability of some developments and slow the housing-market recovery, the Wall Street Journal said.
In March, Fannie Mae (FNM.N)(FNM.P) said it would no longer guarantee mortgages on condos in buildings where fewer than 70 percent of the units have been sold, up from 51 percent, the paper said. Freddie Mac (FRE.P)(FRE.N) is due to implement similar policies next month, the paper said.
In a letter to the CEO’s of both companies, Representatives Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Anthony Weiner warned that a 70 percent sales threshold “may be too onerous” and could lead condo buyers to shun new developments, according to the paper.
The legislators asked the companies to “make appropriate adjustments” to their underwriting standards for condos, the paper added.
In an interview with the paper, Weiner said the rules have “had a real chill on the ability to get these condos sold,” at a time when prices of condos have fallen enough to attract potential buyers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Housing/idUSTRE55L39120090622
John Edwards
June 24th, 2009
1:27 pm
Peter, yeah pardna, I do undastnd what your selling. I mean, how could annnnnyone go off without there wife. I love my wife and would neeeeeeeeva cheat on her.
William Jefferson Clitoris
June 24th, 2009
1:29 pm
Now see heeeea, I did not have sexual relations with dat woman. Not one time. Oh wait….indeed ah did have sexual relations with dat woman.
Is this racist?
June 24th, 2009
1:32 pm
Looks like a monkey urinated on another monkey.
Monkey urinates on Zambian president
A monkey urinated on Zambian President Rupiah Banda as he spoke to reporters outside his State House offices on Wednesday.
“You have urinated on my jacket,” a startled Banda told the monkey, one of many that makes their home in the trees outside his offices.
“I will give this monkey for lunch to Mr Sata,” he joked, referring to opposition leader Michael Sata, who Banda defeated in last year’s elections.
Kevin
June 24th, 2009
1:38 pm
This explains why the column is called “Thinking Right”. When will the AJC have a column called “Thinking Logically” ? I might re-subscribe if there was such a thing.
conservative democrat
June 24th, 2009
1:39 pm
Orwellian scarey guy 1984,
Buffett is also on record saying our prez is up to the job, and that he’s surrounded himself with the best econ minds (i.e. Volker, Summers, etc.) that will get us out of the mess that W. got us into. If you’re going to quote a man, don’t take it out of context and turn it into a lie. Remember is was Hank Paulsen who told us we were on the verge of economic collapse on September 16, 2008. That was before Hussein Obama was even elected. So, how exactly does this economic crisis fall in Obama’s lap. Clearly it doesn’t. It is because W. tried to wage two wars simultaneously while cutting taxes. That had never been tried before. You are a witness to how well it worked. NOT.
Peter
June 24th, 2009
1:45 pm
Hey John Edwards………. Up both sides cheat…..Clinton a fine example……
The Interesting part is Jim saying it is OK to ditch the wife and kids on Fathers day……not Impeach ! And he is according to Jim, a Republican Presidential candidate like Animal Killer Palin……..WOW….some pretty poor choices the Republican’s have going !
Pretty funny stuff !
deegee
June 24th, 2009
1:45 pm
What do you expect from a political party that blamed 9/11 on Bill Clinton while W had been in the White House and receiving intelligence reports for 9 months? The dittoheads are so predictable.
Mister Earl
June 24th, 2009
1:45 pm
1984 – why must you resort to the juvenile, immature and self-depreciating tactic of name-calling?
Hussein
Hussein
Hussein
Hussein
Hussein
Hussein
feel better now?
Dan
June 24th, 2009
1:45 pm
Ok, I live in SC and I am tired of the attention this non-issue has gotten. Sanford had a harder than usual session and every year goes and recharges, which I am in full support of. The people who made this an issue were on of his RINO critics and the Lt. Gov. who has so little respect for the law I don’t see how he can seriously be considered to uphold the Constitution. Let this story die and give the gov. time. Also, his critics are mad for the gov’s. “we only know there is one branch of Gov’t in SC” remarks.
Dark Knight
June 24th, 2009
1:47 pm
From NBC’s Domenico Montanaro
Check out this set of facts. Fact 1: Gov. Mark Sanford went missing Thursday and hasn’t been seen since. Fact 2: His staff has since told us that the governor has been hiking the Appalachian Trail. Fact 3: Sunday was “Naked Hiking Day” on the Appalachian Trail. We kid you not.
The Christian Science Monitor: “We’re not suggesting that the formerly missing Governor of South Carolina specifically ditched his family and security detail to go hiking on Naked Hiking Day. But that’s what he ended up doing. … But many wondered aloud how this traditional, family-loving, Republican governor of a southern state could miss Fathers Day. After all he’s got four children! Was something sinister in the air? Then it took a Farrelly brothers screenplay type of twist. Sanford had not disappeared. According to his spokesman, he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Coincidentally, on Naked Hiking Day. It’s a big tradition. Many hikers celebrate the summer solstice by hiking au naturel. It just so happened the solstice occurred on Fathers Day — one of the days Sanford was hiking.”
As the South Carolina blog The Palmetto Scoop points out: “The governor who dropped off the face of the Earth for five days was reportedly found Monday night by his staff hiking along the Appalachain Trail. That explanation of Mark Sanford’s disappearance has puzzled many folks in South Carolina and across the country. Why would a sitting governor just up and disappear to the mountains without telling a single soul — including his family? Well, The Palmetto Scoop have discovered the answer to all the secrecy: the governor may have gone for a naked hike. No, really. An Associated Press article from last week heralded Sunday — Father’s Day — as ‘Naked Hiking Day’ on the Appalachian Trail. Yes, Naked Hiking Day.”
John Edwards
June 24th, 2009
1:52 pm
Peter, whats wrong with killing animals? I mean, you do eat meat, yes?
1984
June 24th, 2009
1:53 pm
Mister Earl, Hussein is his middle name. Idiot. How’s that for name calling. Moron.
1984
June 24th, 2009
1:54 pm
deegee, 911 was Clintons fault. Its the same reasoning you idiot libs use on Bush. You claim this recession is all Bush’s fault even though Obama Husseins policies are in play now. He undid all of Bush’s policies and here we are. 10% unemployment and a record record record deficit. Oh, and Obama Hussein hasn’t brought the troops home.
1984
June 24th, 2009
1:55 pm
conservative democrat, yeah, and now Buffett changed his mind. I guess that wasn’t “change he could believe in.”
clyde
June 24th, 2009
2:11 pm
Jim is correct instating that this will not hurt his Presidential chances.He started with zero chance.
Peter
June 24th, 2009
2:12 pm
Yes John I eat meat, but not wolves, do you eat wolf meat ?
I have never ever seen wolf meat for sale in any store have you ?
1984
June 24th, 2009
2:14 pm
Peter, the wolf population has exploded. No harm in shooting some wolves. Hell, I run over dogs all the time. Damn dogs.
clyde, anyone has a chance to win the presidency. If a black/white muslim community organizer who never provided his birth certificate can win, anyone can.
jc_atl
June 24th, 2009
2:17 pm
Today is reported as the coldest day of the year in Buenos Aires, which has 2 miles of coastline to drive on. Sanford is sunkford.
Sanford/Palin 2012 – that’s a ticket every Democrat can support.
1984
June 24th, 2009
2:19 pm
I could support anyone who gets this country out of massive debt and bring back jobs. Obama Hussein has managed to do great damage to America in 6 months than Bush ever did in 8 years. Dumb ass.