Today, our governor, increasingly detached from reality, lashed out at the media. At least, he did according to CNN’s Peter Hamby:
(CNN) – South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford lashed out at the media on Friday, admonishing reporters at a press conference for their coverage of the multiple investigations into his travel expenses.
“One of the frankly disappointing things I’ve seen in several instances here over the last 60 days of my life since I’ve been through this thing is that in some cases it’s not been about objective journalism, its been about advocacy journalism with an agenda,” he said.
Sanford was in the town of Conway revealing his plans to waive confidentiality in a state Ethics Commission investigation into his use of state airplanes and taxpayer-funded travel, a move that will allow to the public to view the results of the probe.
But the governor, who has adopted an increasingly combative tone in recent days, also blasted members of the state legislature for being hypocritical, accusing them of spending state money on travel as well. He called on members of Senate and House to make their travel documents public.
Then he turned his sights on the South Carolina press corps, with whom he had a largely cordial relationship before he turned the state’s political world upside down in June by copping to an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman. He chided the media for its coverage of his travel record and said he has been an excellent steward of taxpayer money, unlike previous administrations…
… and I trust Peter’s account. He’s young, but steady.
The nerve of this guy Mark Sanford. With all of this insanity that he’s dragged us through because of his own narcissistic little drama, and which he keeps dragging us through, he has the unmitigated gall to lash out at the hard-working people who are merely reporting it to the people of South Carolina. Every day, he amazes me a little more.
I call your attention in particular to this passage:
Sanford singled out John O’Connor — a political reporter for South Carolina’s largest newspaper, The State — and accused the newspaper of covering the political back-and-forth over the travel controversy while skimming over Sanford’s arguments defending himself.
Sanford took one question, but refused several others. But when O’Connor asked a question about private flights that Sanford failed to report on public disclosures, the governor became irritable.
“John, we’re not going to play your game,” he said, jabbing his finger in the reporter’s direction. “I don’t work for you.”
Ah, but see, governor, that’s the thing — you do work for John. And you also work for the other four million-plus people of this state, which includes Andre Bauer, and most emphatically includes the many, many of us who believe your one great remaining chance to perform a service for this state is to take Andre up on his offer and resign. If you do that, we no longer have to be subjected to this farce of having you as governor, and will be spared the risk of having Andre elected in 2010.
But as each day goes by, with each outburst from you that we witness or hear of, our hope that you will come to your senses and do the right thing fades.
We deserve better than this.
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I don’t care how many girlfriends Mark Sanford has. He can have sex with the whole country of Argentina for all I care.
But what I do not like is when he blatantly lies (or has his spokesperson unknowingly lie) about his whereabouts during an absence or when he uses taxpayer money to fly about as he wishes. One thing that makes me angrier than most is when elected officials think that they own that money and are ruling over the rest of us. And for that reason, I’ll be happy the day Mark Sanford is thrown out of office.
But right here, Mark Sanford is right. This isn’t about the wasting of taxpayer money or even the lying. This is about the sex story. Without the Argentine babe, Mark Sanford’s airplane rides and untruthfulness about his whereabouts would be a non-story. And that’s too bad. That kind of unethical behavior should not be tolerated. But it is so obvious that when he is the only one getting investigated for these things of which others too are guilty it is not about the plane rides. I wish we would investigate all of them right along with Sanford and give them all the boot.
But that’s not going to happen. The rest of them aren’t getting caught with their pants down. And that’s what South Carolinians (and Americans in general) care about.
But like I said, I don’t care about public officials’ screwing around. I do care about the money that I give up so they can live it up. And for that, well, screw them.
Right on, Brad!
“Governor” Mark “King David” Sanford sure does have nerve. I guess we know what he thought of us voters all along–although it was kind of obvious to some of us.
You see, he doesn’t *work* for us–he doesn’t work at all.
“L’etat c’est moi.”
The governor does not work for the media… which is exactly what he meant and said. It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Of course he works for the citizens, but he doesn’t work for the journalism institution.
“With all of this insanity that he’s dragged us through…” Now that’s funny. The media (mainly the reporters at The Re-State) have been rehashing every meaningless detail and making headlines out of it. Poor little, singled out, John O’Connor must not do anything but scour through every detail of Sanford’s life for the past few years.
Sanford has requested this latest investigation be made public. Let’s see if those casting stones will go through with it once they realize that they elected an idiot to represent them. Let’s see these same legislators and senators answer the same questions they are asking Sanford. Does anyone really want to hear about McConnell’s private life? I bet they become much more tame now that they realize the people who voted them into office will be the same people watching this and remembering what they said or asked come election time.
I see Brad was about to lose it when he wrote that last paragraph defending John O’Connor. I bet that was a sight! Probably even steamed up his glasses.
Any more word on The Re-State closing around Christmas time due to financial difficulties? Too bad it can’t be fast-tracked. If they’re as big of pansies as Brad, they’ll all be working at McDonalds this time next year.
LOL, someone is an angry person.
BillC, your effort to stand up for Sanfraud is amusing. I guess poor Ensign and the 90K gift his parents gave to his mistress is a moot point as well because it’s just MSM bias. Vitter’s dalliance with a prostitute is media created hyperbole. etc.
And what’s the deal with spending time on this “pansy” blog? Don’t you have a town hall to interrupt?
Randy, do you mean that retarded, sister-station of WIS, reporter who gave a stoned thrashing of the governor during a luncheon today? Just goes to show you what it takes to become a “journalist” these days.
Not an angry person, just tired of the constant badgering of anyone… governor or not.
I’d rather hear Brad discuss the financial disaster his former employee is in. Rumor has it Columbia will be without a newspaper sometime around Christmas barring a miracle.
Birch is exactly right – this would not be a story if Governor Sanford had flown to Argentina to fish for trout or shoot doves, as some legislators have done.
The media has templates, and one of them is The Affair Scandal. This one is not playing out the way they wanted it to, because Mr. and Mrs. Sanford are not playing along.
Show me the media investigations of legislators flying on useless junkets to Europe, or using state aircraft and vehicles to take their friends hunting, fishing and golfing.
As usual, the politician, an elected representative of the people, tries to make citizens believe that the press — who actually represent the people in questioning authority — is a lockstep group of organized anarchists. If they only realized how disorganized we are!
I see very few members of the press representing the public interest, ever.
In this Sanford scandal, all I see are a few reporters trying to keep a story going after their sex angle went away, and some reporters who are tight with established legislators and hate Sanford for opposing legislative abuse of power.
Is this far enough back for you, Steven Davis II?