Mark Sanford Might Be in Trouble Now

The #1 rule for politician’s after an affair is exposed is stop talking about it. The best thing they can do is to get everything out into the open immediately and then shut up. Don’t even mention it again no matter what. The news cycle moves so fast that the story will usually disappear after a week or two. Then the public pressure typically subsides as well. I guess someone forgot to tell this to SC Governor Mark Sanford.

He gave over three hours worth of interviews in which he admitted that he took more trips to see his Argentine lover than originally thought. He then went on to say that he has “crossed lines” with other women, but not sexually. He also declared his mistress to be his “soul mate” but claimed to be committed to reconciling with his wife. This is a train wreck.

South Carolina’s attorney general is now going to investigate and the legislature is more riled up than ever. The State newspaper (whose coverage has been first-rate) has officially supported Sanford, but only because they think Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who is running for governor, would be worse. I thought Sanford would survive this, but that might not be in his hands anymore as there are indications that the legislature will try to impeach him.

Adding to all of this trouble is that there is no foreseeable way to get rid of Sanford without giving Lt. Gov. Bauer a huge advantage in the 2010 elections. Political allies of Bauer were some of the sources that started this whole story and kept it going. The ethics behind giving him the governorship are troubling.

Sanford has handled this whole situation horribly. It has been personally destructive and given a huge black eye (and even bigger headaches) to South Carolina. Ultimately I still don’t think he will resign, if for no other reason than that he doesn’t seem to like Lt. Gov. Bauer. And he shouldn’t resign. A resignation would affect state politics for years if it had an affect on the 2010 elections. If they legislature wants to kick him out, they have that right but should think about how it will change the landscape of 2010.