Should Mark Sanford Resign?

Proof • June 25, 2009

Some are saying the Governor should:

(CNN) — A day after Mark Sanford admitted to an extramarital affair, one South Carolina newspaper is calling on the state’s governor to resign.
“Mark Sanford cannot navigate a deep and painful personal crisis and lead the state through its economic crisis at the same time,” read an editorial printed in The Spartanburg Herald-Journal. “This kind of personal issue is consuming. It will be more than a distraction from his duties as governor, it will be a higher priority.”

I think Sanford should resign for three reasons:
1) He betrayed his wife and family. If he can’t even keep his promises to them, why should the citizens of South Carolina trust him?
2) He apparently took taxpayer-funded trips to Argentina to visit his mistress. That is a betrayal of his limited government ideology.
3) He left his state leaderless for days, with nobody able to get in touch with him, while he was diddling his mistress. That is not the action of someone fit to be chief executive of a state.

Tags: Domestic Issues, Politics

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Petraeus Last Best Hope

only the most cynical (aka lawyers) view human misery of people as “points gained or points lost”

The SC Gov has lost everything….is that not enough for his political opponents?
Kay

yes he should…
Hannitized

He should, but not for committing adultery….for the following reasons:

I think Sanford should resign for three reasons:

1) He left his state leaderless for days, with nobody able to get in touch with him, while he was diddling his mistress. That is not the action of someone fit to be chief executive of a state.

2) He apparently took taxpayer-funded trips to Argentina to visit his mistress. That is a betrayal of his limited government ideology.
sayanything-4625

1) He left his state leaderless for days, with nobody able to get in touch with him, while he was diddling his mistress. That is not the action of someone fit to be chief executive of a state.

2) He apparently took taxpayer-funded trips to Argentina to visit his mistress. That is a betrayal of his limited government ideology.

Hanni,

I agree with you completely on count one. On count two I disagree that he should resign because it betrays the ideal of limited government. He should resign because it is a betrayal of the public trust and no one, for big government or for limited government, should spend the public’s money to visit his mistress.
SigFan

If the people of SC who elected him call for his resignation, so be it. Allowing the media and the left to force him out to avoid the slings and arrows that are doubtlessly headed his way, and by extension in the direction of anyone associated with the right, is not acceptable to me. I agree with the points you list Rob, but it should be up to the people who elected him and that he represents to make this decision, or up to him alone. If he can stand the heat, and the people of SC are willing to forgive him, okay. After all, people like Kennedy and Marion Barry have gotten caught with there weinie wagging and they continued on didn’t they? Should they have, no. IMO – In order to protect his family from more intrusive scrutiny and shame, if he has any honor left he should of his own choice walk away.
http://insanereindeer.blogspot.com/ Kenny

If everyone who has ever committed adultery were to resign from Congress, we’d need to elect an entirely new Congress.

This is bad why?

Oh, right, a few might stay in office…That does suck…
studakota

That “five days crying in Argentina” line would have been great, if only proper timing , and a sheepish grin, had been added. As it is he’ll be laughed at till Hell freezes over.
HG

Washington is a cesspool. I have seen posts and comments on this site which highlight a ridiculous number of politicians in compromised relationships many with underage interns. If ever there was or will be a culture of corruption it is the culture our elected officials root around in.

Sanford should resign for his behavior in his marriage and in his office.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Petraeus Last Best Hope

yes he should resign and here’s why: This guy is not a Clinton style sociopath (get out of my business) but a fallen Christian who may well be suicidal out of overwhelming guilt for his sin of adultery.

This man suffered a “middle age breakdown”…as old a story as ever told and yet as common as sunrise. He should resign his office, go back to his wife, beg forgiveness and devote himself to repairing the damage done. Good men do this.

People who care need to hurry to save this fallen sinner. He may not be able forgive himself without help.
Pilgrim

If he stays he becomes a punching bag of convenience for the left.

He needs to resign.
robert108

Betrayed his ideology.

Christianity is not an “ideology”, Rob.
Sanford should face whatever legal and political consequences are appropriate for his actions, but the hypocrisy from the left on this must be exposed and criticized. Having a double standard for this behavior based on political affiliation will simply breed a wider double standard. Let’s at least go after the miscreants on the left with equal vigor. I think there’s just a little too much joy in your criticism of Sanford, Rob.

Besides, the lefties would have smeared Sanford even if he hadn’t done anything wrong, just like they have been doing with Sarah. As soon as he rose to a prominent enough position, the hate campaign against him would have been in full force, anyway.
http://insanereindeer.blogspot.com/ Kenny

Christianity is not an “ideology”, Rob.

Of course it is. But he meant conservatism as he said:

2) He apparently took taxpayer-funded trips to Argentina to visit his mistress. That is a betrayal of his limited government ideology.

Having a double standard for this behavior based on political affiliation will simply breed a wider double standard. Let’s at least go after the miscreants on the left with equal vigor. I think there’s just a little too much joy in your criticism of Sanford, Rob.

There’s no joy.

And it’s a shame that the Right is the only side that polices itself. But it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t just because the left defends their rapists, murderers and scumbags.
Pilgrim

Rob,

I absolutely concur that the man has shown that he isn’t fit to govern. Your reasons he should resign are all sound.

The additional factor is, like I said, he’s now cannon fodder for every late night wannabe comedian and every leftists pundit. He’ll be the face of conservatives.

He needs to go, and now.
Dadzilla

Unbeleivable! Our pols lie, cheat, steal, stuff freezers with money, get their wives and children on the boards of companies they have sway over and all we care about is who their sleeping with. Does anybody besides me remember that they voted for the larest spending bill in the history of the planet WITHOUT READING IT!. This is political three card monty, missed direction, to alter our focus on real atrocities commited by our elected bagmen
TheTodd

I think he should resign, but only for leaving his state without a Governor for a week. I have no problem whatsoever with his committing adultery, and am astounded so many people here do.

1) He betrayed his wife and family. If he can’t even keep his promises to them, why should the citizens of South Carolina trust him?

If everyone who has ever committed adultery were to resign from Congress, we’d need to elect an entirely new Congress.

No, it’s not that bad, but marital infidelity is way more common than I think we’d like to admit.

A lot of people commit adultery, Congressmen and Congresswomen included. It’s not an uncommon occurrence in a marriage. I see no reason why adulterers should not be allowed to hold public office, but… I don’t know, habitual speeders (EG) can. It’s not that big of an issue.
badlands4

Yes, but mainly because this is bizarre, bizarre behavior. We have TONS of evidence of how cheating politicians, as there are so many on each side of the aisle, act while cheating and afterwards, and even with allllll that evidence, this has to be some of the most bizarre behavior yet, and you can’t act like this, and be the CIC of the national guard of your state, etc.
Brent

Got to disagree with #3, Rob. If you believe in limited government principles, the good people of South Carolina should do just fine for a few days without their nanny-in-chief.
dragon poker

He should resign, not for infidelity, but for stupidity, hypocrisy and poor judgement under pressure. Glad it happened now and not 30 months from now. He is not presidential material.
Brent

I think he should resign, but only for leaving his state without a Governor for a week. I have no problem whatsoever with his committing adultery, and am astounded so many people here do.

TheTodd = Statist.

This, Rob, is why I think #3 is a bad reason and #1 and #2 are good reasons for him to resign.

If everyone who has ever committed adultery were to resign from Congress, we’d need to elect an entirely new Congress.

And that’s a problem because… Isn’t that the goal?!
badlands4

What if there had been a tornado or other disaster that requires the national guard to be activated? *IF* what I heard is correct, and I don’t know if it is, but if he didn’t notify the Lt. Governor that he would even be gone, then that alone means he has to G-O, because what authority via the state’s constitution, would the Lt. Gov have to act if whatever needed to be done to give him authority was not done?

I feel sorry for his boys. You don’t pick your parents
robert108

Right after Teddy Kennedy resigns and confesses to his murder of Mary Jo.
We can’t allow the MSM to continue to intimidate us.
Lioncourt

Absolutely, just think of all the chaos if North Carolina had tried to invade over the weekend?
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

I think Kennedy should have resigned for that too, but Sanford doing the right thing shouldn’t hinge upon Ted Kennedy doing the right thing.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

We agree, Pilgrim.
http://sayanythingblog.com robport

That’s true, but the other reasons I listed in the post rank above that for me.

Betrayed his wife. Betrayed his ideology. Betrayed his duties as the chief executive of his state.

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