"What To Do When The Governor Goes AWOL!"

It's time to Break It Down!

Today is the day, apparently, when Governor Mark Sanford invokes his General MacArthur privileges. He has notified those who are charged with notifying the rest of us that, in the words of the great General, “I shall return.” Wednesday!

The current Governor of South Carolina is an interesting fellow. Of course the Palmetto State has its share of differently creative thinkers. I mentioned Mr. Rusty DePass in this space last week. As you may recall, Mr. DePass, made a comment on his Facebook page about the First Lady being related to the gorilla that escaped from the Columbia, South Carolina Zoo. To his credit, he later admitted having seen the error of his ways. OK, maybe it was unconvincing, but at least he went on record, even if the apology was garden variety tepid.

Let us get back to the South Carolina Chief Executive. Governor Sanford, who was considered at one time a potential Republican candidate for the 2012 Presidential race, has had quite a year. He made numerous headlines by being the only Governor who opposed the Stimulus Plan so vigorously that he carried his opposition all the way to court.

In the wild, wooly, and more than occasionally wacky world of politics, the odd is often the norm. Given the starkly partisan climate that has permeated the nation during the early stages of the Obama Presidency, it is not so unusual for politicians and pundits alike to assume the “that’s my position, and I am sticking to it” posture. Given the demographics of South Carolina, and the economic duress of the nation in general, and South Carolina in particular, it might seem logical to assume the Governor would see the efficacy of using Stimulus funds to address trenchant problems in his State. But maybe not!

Ultimately, the matter was taken out of Governor Sanford’s hands earlier this month. After two days of hearings, on June 4th, the South Carolina Supreme Court voted unanimously to require Sanford to accept the funds. The court held that he has a duty to execute the State Budget, which includes provisions for using finds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (familiarly know as the Stimulus Bill).

The cynical among us might posit that is exactly the outcome the Governor expected, perhaps even desired, and moreover that his protest was skillfully crafted to provide himself a great deal of “face time,” pandering to the Republican base. All the while knowing the system, as it were, would never allow such an ill-conceived outcome. Of course, only a cynic would contemplate such a convoluted contrivance…right?

The Court’s defeat of the Governor’s position on the Stimulus package may have been the most high profile Stanford beat-down from a national perspective, but arguably, the South Carolina General Assembly trumped that State’s highest Court. Last Tuesday, the State’s bicameral legislature, in a one-day session, overrode 10 Sanford vetoes, and adjourned for the year. They are not expected to return until January. The Senate voted 39-3 to override, while the House acted even more emphatically, voting 105-4.

Two days later, the Governor went incommunicado. It is important to note, during this period, his wife, South Carolina First Lady Jenny Sanford, Joel Sawyer, the Governor’s Spokesman, and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), which provides security for the Governor, all reported being unaware of his whereabouts. Undoubtedly, when the Governor returns tomorrow, someone, probably the Governor, will deliver a tersely worded statement, in an effort to quell the discussion related to this matter.

It remains to be seen how effective any bromide can be in such a case. Perhaps though, the Governor and his speech-crafters will provide the curious residents of his State the definitive primer on, “What To Do When The Governor Goes AWOL!”

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday.

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Sanford

http://www.scgovernor.com/

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/23/south.carolina.governor.hiking/index.html?iref=werecommend

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/23/sanfords-walk-woods-draws-south-carolina-capital/

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/06/22/2009-06-22_awol_gov_sanford_has_south_carolina_in_tizzy.html

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics/AP/story/1100791.html

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,527220,00.html

http://www.scgovernor.com/

http://votingundertheinfluence.blogspot.com/2009/06/governor-sanford-awol.html

http://themoderatevoice.com/36544/sanford-sanity/

http://www.thestate.com/166/story/836631.html

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/governors/sanford-returns.html?wprss=thefix

http://www.peoplefordepass.org/biograghy.htm

http://www.wistv.com/global/story.asp?s=10526195

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ZSNmf32pw