If you read Elizabeth Holmes’ recent story in The Wall Street Journal, you know that the reason Mark Sanford couldn’t endorse John McCain back before the S.C. primary — and he was asked not once, but three times — was that his schedule was just so darned tight:
Mr. Sanford says the time commitment needed to fully support a
presidential campaign was too great, given his responsibilities as
governor and as a father. "If you hop in, it’s not like you can just
sorta hop in halfway," Mr. Sanford said in an interview. "If you gotta
do it, you really gotta do it."
… "You do not have an unlimited number of hours," he said.
…Even though the time commitment to campaign with Sen. McCain would be minimal — maybe a week — Mr. Sanford still refused.
I wonder what McCain — or any of the other GOP candidates who could have used a kind word from the gov back in those days — would think of this release I just got:
Contact: Danielle Frangos
For Immediate Release – April 23, 2008
KATRINA SHEALY ENDORSED BY GOVERNOR MARK SANFORD
LEXINGTON, SC – Governor Mark Sanford today endorsed Katrina Shealy in her campaign for State Senate.
“I’m supporting Katrina in this race quite simply because I believe she’s committed to the conservative ideals of lower taxes and limited government that people I talk to in Lexington County believe in very strongly,” Gov. Sanford said. “I believe Katrina will be a real leader in terms of working to make South Carolina a better place to do business, work, and raise a family, and to that end I’m pleased to endorse her.”
Katrina Shealy thanked the Governor for his endorsement, saying, “I am so pleased to receive Governor Sanford’s endorsement. The Governor’s support is truly a validation of my pro-business and pro-taxpayer message of fiscal responsibility. I look forward to working with the Governor to improve our state’s business climate and help create new jobs and opportunities for our hard working families. I believe the Governor’s support is a major step towards the Republican nomination for the State Senate.”
Katrina Shealy is the former Lexington County Republican Party Chair running for State Senate in District 23. Katrina resides with her husband Jimmy in the Red Bank area of Lexington County.
# # #
Well, I guess that we should all feel glad that the infamous "list" never materialized. If the governor’s just going after Jake Knotts, that’s way better than trying to remake the whole Legislature in his image.
One thing I will say for Jake, though — he did manage to find a few minutes in his busy Sanford-baiting schedule to endorse Sen. McCain, well before the primary.
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You claim restructuring is the most important thing the state can do to move forward. You rightfully complain about the Senate killing it by a very narrow margin in multiple blog post last year.
One of, if not the biggest Republicans roadblocks to restructuring was and is Jake Knotts. So the governor is doing something proactive to try and make restructuring happen. And your reaction is to whine that Sanford is focused on making change happen at the state level rather than being focused on a potential national career.
I’d suggest you look in the mirror sir. If you really care about fixing South Carolina’s government you should be applauding a governor going after Knotts. It is obvious that you like to endorse future governors and then tear them down in order to do it again. Just because your streak was broken when Sanford was re-elected doesn’t mean you should continue to be blind to reality.
"I know you are, but what am I?"
Just kidding.
Seriously, you don’t see any irony here? And do you think I’m supposed to approve of the gov stiffing my man McCain just because he adopted our restructuring cause?
So he ran on a restructuring platform. Great. He hasn’t done as much to make it happen as have Bobby Harrell, Laurie Funderburk and Vincent Sheheen. As Jim Harrison notes, the governor’s been more of a drag on that cause than an asset.
Yeah, we were on the same sheet of music in 2002. We were in sync back in 2000, too — when then-congressman Sanford co-chaired the McCain campaign here in S.C. But this time around, he sees a chance to trail his coat for Rudy Giuliani, and he holds back, giving that lame excuse about not having time.
There’s nothing in the world wrong with his backing somebody against Jake. My point here is that he can find the time when he wants to. And I continue to believe that McCain winning in SC was a hell of a lot more important than whether Jake is re-elected.
Brad… shut up.
Forgot, nice new picture… looks like you just sat down on a broom handle.
Brad,
Obviously McCain winning is more significant than whether or not Knotts does. But if you are a governor trying to pass restructuring, McCain as president isn’t going to help. Senator Katrina Shealy taking Knott’s spot does.
As you pointed out, when Sanford was a representative to the federal government he made an endorsement in a federal election. He is now in state government – and is making endorsements in state elections not federal ones. That seems pretty reasonable to me.
What isn’t normal is when a guy like Senator Graham sticks his nose into state legislative races by saying that anyone who calls himself a Republican must be worth returning to office no matter how that person votes. That is what a party hack says.
It’s also ludicrous to argue that Sanford hasn’t greatly helped the restructuring cause. Or that any single legislator has anything close to the kind of impact on it that Sanford has. If he isn’t in office, it’s not at all an issue on legislators’ agenda. Sandifer wouldn’t even be talking about whether or not the govenor was a drag on the issue becasue there would be no issue…or not bill that passed the House yesterday.
There would have been no DOT Chairman pushing for an audit when legislators are wronlgy calling him a liar. No committee studying the Budget and Control Board and pointing out the savings from eliminating it as an outdated and ineffective administrative body. Of course, if Thomas Ravenel could have controlled himself the bill probably would have already passed the Senate too because the staff working for Sanford’s director Henry White would have been pushing it.
Not to mention that the Senate was a vote or two away from passing constitutional officer restructuring. So Sanford is out there working to get one of those votes today….and you use that as an opportunity to complain about what he didn’t do in a federal election. Don’t YOU see the irony here?
If you would support Sanford when he’s right sometimes you might start to earn a little credibility with readers of your paper.
P.S. Speaking of, “your” restructuring cause? I don’t doubt you were talking about it before he was. But that is a telling comment.
All I know is that McCain, Sanford, and Shealy have this fresh and promising attribute:
###They are not lawyers###
Why does Sanford think it is necessary to keep the subject of his non-endorsement of McCain alive? Can he not just let it die by refusing to make further comment about it? His obsessive need to return over and over again to a subject that wasn’t worth the first story makes me think he’s getting a little weird. And I don’t for a minute buy the “no time” thing. He doesn’t appear to me to be doing much else. David
Sanford isn’t keeping it alive…I don’t know that he talks about it. Brad is the one that keeps harping on it.
Probably so.
I think I know why Brad keeps on about it
…he’s so in the tank for McCain that he’s evidently taken offense at Sanfords’ non-endorsement. Sanford may not be keeping it alive, but if he has explained himself by saying that he just can’t find the time to endorse, then Brad should take this as a strong hint that there will be no future Sanford endorsement and just drop it.
Still gotta say though, the “no time” thing still makes our Governor look like he’s a tater tot short of a value meal. David
Governor Sanford is all-too-cognizant of whom Senator McCain is rolling out the ‘red carpet card’ to in South Carolina.
All I can say is,
“Senator McCain, please be aware of who is frothing at the mouth to grab on to your ‘coattails.'”