It isn't a holier-than-thou stance to call Gov. Mark Sanford's behavior disgusting. And not because he had an affair. The truth is, he's free to do whatever he wants in his own bedroom or someone else's . But the taxpayers who pay his salary should have what we in the South call the gumption to make sure he wasn't using their money to pay for his peccadillo.
But that's only part of why his behavior is disgusting. In the ever growing cult of celebrity that defines America, anyone with five minutes (or an elected term) of fame is suddenly larger than life, assumed to live a larger-than-life existence defined by photo ops and P.R. And we can't only blame the masses who define their knowledge and interests ( and, unfortunately, probably their education) by People magazine and TMZ.com and the National Enquirer.
It's the people like Sanford who think they are larger-than-life and that their every smarmy move needs to be discussed and -(because, let's face it, it is what he's after ) should be excused because he is not a mere person. Oh, no. He's a GOVERNOR... and a Republican, too, so he must be a family kind of guy, right? Hardly.
What on earth was Sanford thinking when he declared to the world that his Argentine lover is his soul mate?
This was during the time he blithered he was "struggling to salvage his family". Uh-huh. Well, I'm sure his wife and kids feel MUCH better now hearing that his screwing around was with his SOUL MATE and that by "struggling" to stay with his family ( oh, those pesky, inconvenient marriage vows ) he is being ( can you pass me the Kleenex?) torn away from his .. sob... SOUL MATE.
And now we find that in the process of finding his "soul mate" , he was randy, horny, and "inappropriate" with other women. He felt it appropriate to blab those details to reporters, too.
What does this mean, oh, Governor, sir? Did you sexually harass women? Were you constantly on the make while playing the typical Republican "family values" man? Are you so doggone sexy women just can't keep their hands off of you ( I find you just plain butt ugly, but that's just moi)?
Did you even care that this behavior was insulting to the mother of your four-- count them --FOUR kids?
While his sexual activity is no one's business, or shouldn't be, he has proceeded to grant interviews to spew info about his extracurricular sex life. What kind of judgment is this?
And as long as Sanford is putting it and his you-know-what ( tiny as it must be), apparently out on the table for discussion then taxpayers have a right to know if these extracurricular activities were going on when he should have been working.
Back to the celeb culture, a more insidious infection than any so-called swine flu epidemic: Governor Sanford has apparently bought that culture, hook, line and sinker ( there's a joke there within those words but I am going to control myself ) .
He's somehow better than other mere mortals who work in non-government offices and aren't supposed to waste employer's time screwing around on office time and are also not supposed tothen spending work hours talking, seemingly endlessly, about screwing around on office time.
At least his South American lady love had the good sense to say what's personal is personal , end of story.
But Sanford? Oh, no, he had to go to AP and the airwaves to whine his relationship with Maria Belen Chapur, whom he met at an open air dance spot in Uruguay eight years ago ( cue the violins) was more than just sex.
"This was a whole lot more than a simple affair, this was a love story," Sanford babbled."A forbidden one, a tragic one, but a love story at the end of the day."
What does he READ on those long plane trips? Really bad romance novels?
Is there nothing left of circumspect behavior, common decency? What about taste? Or common sense? CLASS???
You have to wonder what sort of itty bitty manhood problem Sanford has that pushed him to 1. admit to being a horn dog for years ( although, apparently, if he didn't actually have intercourse, it wasn't adultery.. uh-huh) and 2. blather personal details about when and where he met his lover, yadda yadda.
He needs to shut up, stop lying about wanting his family back (if he did want his marriage restored, he wouldn't be whining about his lost soul mate), and he must absolutely pay back any penny he spent of taxpayers money while he chasing women.
Mark Sanford joins another long, long line of hypocritical, mouthy, whiny politicians .
I predict he'll next start spouting gospel --oh, I forgot, he's already compared himself to the Biblical David, a man who murdered over lust --and declaring JEEEESUS has forgiven him so all the taxpayers should, too.
Bottom line: he's tacky, he has shown horrible judgment and I wouldn't trust him to walk my dog.
©2009 Sherry Baker, all rights reserved. You must have written permission from the author in order to republish this work.
Published: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Last modified: Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The views expressed in this article are those of Sherry Baker only and do not represent the views of Nolan Chart, LLC or its affiliates. Sherry Baker is solely responsible for the contents of this article and is not an employee or otherwise affiliated with Nolan Chart, LLC in his/her role as a columnist.
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Reader Comments:
Posted By: Adrian Scott
Date: 2009-07-01 14:07:13
For all his concessions that you're complaining about, you mock his honesty? And we wonder why we have morally degrading politicians. If we expect so much from them, to be the elder statesman of an America long-since past, why is it that we've thrown in the towel ages ago and surrendered to a bleak veil of cynicism? Maybe the politicians just figure that they can't be taken seriously at all and surrender to a self-fulfilling prophecy of screwing lobbyists and trading votes for pork.
It has been said that to run for elected office requires a formidable ego, as well as ambition.Then it should come as no surprise to you that you fail to incentivize humility, this is what you shall get. And you really believed in ethics and morality as much as you profess, the question you should be asking is "has his personal affairs impacted the state", not the other way around.
The way you are looking at it makes it seem as if you've sanctified his position of power even though we clearly know most Americans are distrustful of politicians themselves. You can't have it both ways, Sherry. Real libertarians recognize this.
Posted By: Sher
Date: 2009-07-01 21:21:00
THIS JUST IN FROM WASHINGTON POST... and state Sen. Martin is right on the money : "What we saw in that interview was just him being irrational," state Sen. Larry A. Martin (R) said in an interview. "The very idea that he would be that candid, that frank, that brutally honest about his feelings for the woman in Argentina versus his wife versus the other girlfriends, I just find that incredible. Rational people don't do that." "He doesn't need to be talking to reporters," Martin added. "He needs to go find him some professional help. That's just the facts." AMEN to that.