Delusions of Grandeur
Mark Sanford explains his refusal to resign as governor of South Carolina in Biblical terms. King David didn’t resign after the Bathsheba affair did he?
In case you thought it was some kind of accident, Sanford restated his analogy in a press release.
Late Update: In a statement issued after the meeting, Sanford doubled down on the David analogy:
I remain committed to rebuilding the trust that has been committed to me over the next 18 months, and it is my hope that I am able to follow the example set by David in the Bible – who after his fall from grace humbly refocused on the work at hand. By doing so, I will ultimately better serve in every area of my life, and I am committed to doing so.
Ummm….yeah.
Tags: Family Values, Mark Sanford, Republican Crazy, South Carolina
Religion makes you stupid.
Oh, and if memory serves David’s mistress was pregnant… I think she had his kid if I’m not mistakens. Somebody will check me I’m sure.
Is the gov’ner trying to tell us something.
Uh, David also killed her husband.
Frankly, I’m appalled by the gall of this man.
Wasn’t Bathsheba King Solomon’s mother?
I agree with him. He has a job to do and needs to get back to it. He committed no crime and as a rule I believe that this is not grounds for resignation or removal. That example goes back to Biblical times.
If he chooses that path, he has to know that with around 11% unemployment there is considerable discontent in the legislature even among his own when he fought taking stimulus money in court after he lost the vote. They want to club him and he handed them the club. I hope he did a head count before he puts his team through this type of fight. That is the political consideration. He is young and can live to fight another day. A prolonged investigation of this may not be helpful to his future.
Well, David a plurality of South Carolina Republicans disagree with you and want the guy who ditched his state to resign immediately. A majority of SC conservatives want him to resign. The GOP-dominated state legislature is itching to be rid of him.
Seriously, who wants a governor who secretly abandons his state and takes taxpayer-funded trips for the purpose of personal pleasure?
Zack Roth at TPM has the essential breakdown of Sanford’s statement:
It was a self funded trip not tax funded. I have always maintained that violating the first general order is a big problem for him. Do not quit your post until properly relieved.
I am not speaking for any SC voters. I am speaking out of principle. I have said the same for Democrats in the same situation. Why would I change on Sanford?
Most voters still think he as ethical as other politicians by 73 to 18% so he can still recover.
You say a plurality and that is true if you change it from Republican voters to all voters. The plurality of Republicans don’t want him to resign according to Rasmussen A large number are undecided and a solid number continue to support him.
“Still, 46% of South Caorlina voters believe Sanford should resign from office, and only 39% disagree. Another 16% are not sure, perhaps waiting to see what else emerges from the story that seems odder than most political scandals.
Sixty-four percent (64%) of Democrats believe the Republican governor should resign. Half of Republicans (49%) and those not affiliated with either major party (53%) disagree. “
I think a majority of SC Republicans who are gunning for his job think he should resign. Me, I just think he’s creepy. “Oh yeah, I do too have a girlfriend! You wouldn’t know her, she lives in Argentina.”
Well Republican David, this socially progressive, fiscally conservative Republican is asking him to leave. As a party we are getting so many black eyes, I really don’t want to enable battered partisan syndrome. And…he was wrong, big time wrong.
It was covered above, but I’ll say it, too. If he is comparing himself to King David, does that mean we should all start looking for the lifeless body of his lover’s spouse?
He compared himself to one of the highest (I said “one of the”) figures in the bible. Next week, after he continues to be lambasted, what will he do, carry a cross to a press conference?
I wonder have we had the death of analogy when I wasn’t looking? Do metaphors have no meaning? If King David’s repentance was accepted and he did great things afterwards with his problems, why can’t the Governor with far lesser problems? That is not a tough equation guys.
JC no one says that he was right.
He will have to make two calculations. One is since the guy is a millionaire, he doesn’t need the money. Should he take a sabbatical for his family? That is not always a good idea. That should be made with a therapist and his wife. The second is a political one. Given his weakened position after the stimulus fight, can he hold on and be viable in the future. I don’t know what other shoe can drop. He does.
You may remember that Spitzer left so he could avoid an indicitment. I did not call for his resignation unless it became a criminal issue. I stated that an affair is not a disqualification. I do not recall people giving me any grief over that position. I reject partisanship on this. It is these guys playing the partisan game of celebrating a man’s personal tragedy. I find it unseemly. http://www.delawarepolitics.net/leader-who-was-in-charge-of-moral-standards-caught-naked-in-brothel/
E. Spitzer was a unique case because he prosecuted to the hilt people like himself. He went out for hire which is sleazy. Sanford did not. He just fell in love. I can’t hate a guy for that. He made a bad decision. He was humiliated for it. He deserved to be. He doesn’t deserve to be run out of town like some criminal. He can’t run for reelection. He is in his last term. His Presidential ambitions for 2012 are dead. Why single him out for destruction? There are a lot of people on both sides that we gave a pass. Gov. Glendening. got one.
Wiki– On January 25, 2002, Glendening divorced his wife and married one of his deputy chiefs of staff, Jennifer Crawford, making her Glendening’s third wife. Crawford was 35 at the time, considerably younger than the then-59-year-old Glendening, and she was pregnant at the time of their wedding. She gave birth to a baby girl, Gabrielle, on August 18, marking the first time since 1879 that a Maryland governor had a baby born during his term of office.
The man has repudiated what he did. You have no right to hold the grudge. It was not an offense against you. Glendening just sort of moved on. May I ask which is more of an embarrassment? I agree with Pat Robertson and Bill O’Reilly on this one. This is out of proportion. The man needs to repair his family and do his job. If he can’t do both then he should repair his family, but that is a personal decision not a punishment. He has an amazing wife and I hope he sees it.
Sanford is paying back the state of South Carolina $9000 for one of his trips to Argentina. Not only did he get the state to fund his trip, but when he was there he did business with agribusiness interests, which is her job. What a nice, cozy relationship they had going there.
Like I said, I don’t give a flying fig about his personal life. He screwed up royally. He decided to disappear, mislead his staff and the state and didn’t make any plans to cover. That’s his problem.
And yes, since he’s a family values hypocrite the schadenfreude is sweet.