I Stand By What I Said

I still do not think Mark Sanford treats his staff with respect, though clearly yesterday's jaw-dropping news conference changes the picture a little bit about what is going on in his world.

The only other thing I can think is that the job of governor does not belong to him, and shouldn't be more important than how to repair his relationship with his wife and his sons. Someone else can be governor. But for the Sanford boys, there's only one Dad.

How You Treat Other People Shows Who You Are

At a Republican Governors Association gathering after his 2002 election victory, Mark Sanford asked me a few questions about how to set up his communications and press shop. What struck me most is that he told me he was hoping to give speech writing and media relations duties to one person, and hoping he could do it as cheaply as possible.

The tale of his recent vacation to Argentina -- after his staff told reporters he went on the Appalachian Trial -- reminded me of that encounter.

What it told me then was that South Carolina's incoming governor didn't think much of the roles anyone will play to help him accomplish the job.

And he still doesn't think much of them. He put them in the untenable position of lying for him -- they would have been better off saying they didn't know for sure -- and so far it's not clear he cares.

Gov. Sanford is entitled to a vacation, even a vacation away from everyone. And he doesn't have to give even his staff the minute details of a trip. But he runs a multi-billion corporation known as the state of South Carolina, and someone should have an idea of where he is. And they shouldn't be put in a position to have to lie for him.

Yet another chapter in the book of stories about people who think the axis of the Earth runs through their head.

I get dizzy following this one.

In Greenville County, state Rep. Gloria Haskins is being challenged the GOP primary by Wendy Taylor Nanney, the daughter of Bob Jones University dean Bob Taylor. Meanwhile, Rep. Haskins' son, Bryan, challenges Taylor in a GOP primary for his County Council seat.

Nothing personal, Haskins and Nanney say, just politics.

I need to sit down.

Irrational exuberance about Obama's win

The margin is stunning, -- but let's put this sort of stuff in perspective: African-Americans made up more than 50 percent of the voters in today's primary. But the African-American voting age population is only about 27 percent of the total South Carolina voting age population.

This in part makes this somewhat silly. Obama won a historic victory, but he also had fewer serious competitors, more time to campaign, and a base of voters clearly united behind him. McCain and Huckabee had fewer days to campaign, an additional serious competitor and a base clearly uncertain about where to go.

It's a long time until November.

UPDATE: In 1988, Jesse Jackson won more than half the Democratic vote in caucus.

The former Boss with Chuck Norris

Gov. Beasley and Chuck Norris report in from backstage

read more | digg story

South Carolina and the Fair Tax

Everyone in the conservative elite press is beating up on Mike Huckabee now. Today the Wall Street Journal took another whack, mostly targeting the Fair Tax plan.

On one part, the Wall Street Journal is just plain exaggerating:

In 2004, Democrats came from nowhere to nearly beat South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint by pounding his support for the fair tax.

First of all, DeMint won by TEN points. Secondly, his opponent was the state Superintendent of Education, Inez Tenenbaum, a bright, capable elected official who had been active in state politics for 20 years. Whether attacking the Fair Tax was effective or not is sort of beside the point -- DeMint won handily against a skilled opponent.