Just got a call from Carol Klinger at NPR. She wanted to know what I’d written lately about the governor. I suggested checking out the blog.
To make it easier, here are a few key riffs:
- My video commentary, “Love Story II, starring Mark Sanford“
- One headlined “A Little White Guy Who Lies“
- My beef about how the governor gets more vacations than I do, and I’m unemployed
- Just look down at your shoes and walk away, gov
- More video commentary: “Pure Politics“
- The infamous press conference
- My somewhat abstract take on the latest.
And from back in the day, before all the current mess:
- My editorial explaining in no uncertain terms why McCain should NOT pick Sanford as a running mate.
- A column from just before the election, essentially disowning the guy.
- A piece on when he vetoed the entire state budget.
Carol, enjoy…
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Well, how do you like that? You go a few days without reading the paper (on account of being sick), and you miss your shot to be on NPR.
Carol wanted to know a lot of technical stuff about what happens with these ethics charges, and what with being sick over the weekend and the fact that I’ve never been interested in the ethics stuff, she knew more about it than I did. (For instance I had to admit to confusion over why the governor still had to be asked to release the report. Didn’t the court say the Ethics Commission had to release it? I wasn’t really paying attention…)
Anyway, I suggested she talk to Cindi Scoppe about it, because Cindi makes sure to be on top of such detail — is, in fact, probably more on top of them than anyone, and certainly has a deeper understanding of ethics law in SC than anyone writing professionally on the subject.
I was hoping they were looking for glib, which is usually what they want….
Oh, and for those of you who don’t get why I’ve been uninterested… It goes like this: I decided long ago that the thing for Sanford to do was resign. This he has steadfastly refused to do. He will still refuse to do so with these ethics charges in front of him. The Legislature is about to waste yet ANOTHER session talking about Mark Sanford, which means that he wins. He wants them to talk about him rather than accomplish anything, because he doesn’t believe in government. Last session they did nothing but talk about his not wanting the stimulus money. This time it’s all about him again. This is catnip for him.
And in the end, I really don’t think they’ll pull the trigger and impeach him. And I’m not even sure they should, because his ethical sins are all so petty. Ditch him for being a bad governor, say I — but I’m not sure the constitution allows that.
So in the end, all this time and energy, and who knows how much money, will be wasted on Mark Sanford. And he’ll still probably be in office until inauguration day in 2011.
So it is that I keep saying that what we need to do now is concentrate on making the best possible decision we can about replacing him.
I’ve sort of moved on. And when I get that way, it becomes hard for me to keep my attention focused on the day-to-day turns of the screw on a story that I think is an exercise in futility. Especially when I’m not getting paid to do so. It was a little awkward explaining that to Carol. Anyway, I urged her to call Cindi.
(By the way, this cuts to one of the great dilemmas of my current situation: Not knowing how I’ll be making a living going forward, I feel like I have to keep all the plates spinning — keep up with the news, sort of; keep blogging, sort of; apply for every job under the sun; pursue all the freelance I can sniff out; keep doing interviews and speaking engagements when asked, staying out in the public eye — knowing that some of the things are interfering with the other things, but not knowing which to drop.
It’s a bit frustrating…
I actually read the Supremes’ opinion, and I don’t understand why Carol thinks Sanford has any rights to restrict the release of the report. The Ethics Commission has all the rights, as I read it, not the House and not, as Cindi so wonderfully put it, that “whiny manipulative liar,” Sanford.
NPR doesn’t usually go for glib, I would think…
Ditch him for being a bad governor, say I — but I’m not sure the constitution allows that.
No, and thank goodness it does not. “Bad governor” is a subjective term which, in this context, would mean that you had a large number of the 170 mad at you. Any use of the negligible power our governor has of which the legislative leadership disapproved and the future equivalent of Edgar Brown or Sol Blatt would slyly lean across the gubernatorial desk and snarl in bourbon drenched toned “We understand your position Governor, but we would just hate to see happen to you what befell poor Governor Sanford.” No proponent of the power of the executive should wish for this type of legislative power of castration.
I haven’t really thought of this angle before but now that Brad has brought it up I’m a huuuuge Mark Sanford fan. If the general assembly can waste time talking about impeachment that’s less time they have to consider dangerous legislation like some new, counterproductive restructuring plan.
Greg’s absolutely right, of course. I meant for that to be understood in my rather understated reference to unconstitutionality.
bud’s comment reminds me of a liberal professor of my wife’s in college who was for George Wallace in 1972. He figured that Wallace would never, ever entangle us in foreign wars, and that the Democratic Congress (which seemed a permanent fixture at the time) would never let him do anything domestic. He regarded this as perfection.
Yeah, I got a call from the LA Times wanting some reaction to a history thing, but I was in the waiting room. When I called back 20 minutes later, they said the story was already done and filed! These big-city reporters work fast.
My husband heard Cindi on ATC. Apparently the interviewer was aghast that Sanford was noted for doing nothing. What about the stimulus fight, she asked? All politics, Cindi replied. Said the distraction is that the legislators aren’t lining up stuff to do when they actually get in session, but that the spectre of Gov. Andre is going to stop any actual impeachment.
I got to see if I can hear it online. Love Cindi. Woman cuts to the chase. Sure would hate to have her on my tail. Glad we have her keeping watch over the Statehouse, for sure.
Cindi’s great. I’m a little jealous, though. For some reason, I’ve never quite actually made it onto ATC. There was that time we kept missing each other on the phone. And then there was that other time when Michelle Norris came to my office and we had a great chat, and I took some really goofy video, and they all said the interview went great — and then I got bumped by something; I forget what.
My husband went to college in Cambridge, as they say, with Melissa Block, and she moderated a panel at their reunion. Perhaps we should have taken photographs?
You ought to be jealous of Cindi, but I think she seems to be an example of the saying that “a woman has to work twice as hard and be twice as good as a man to get as far;fortunately this is no problem.” You go, girl.
I agree with KB. Cindi is amazingly good.