When South Carolina governor Mark Sanford made his rambling, tearful admission of infidelity on Wednesday, some people felt a bit of sympathy for him. Sure, he probably had no intention of coming clean until he was caught in the act of returning from Buenos Aires — but, once he finally got around to it, his confession was relatively heartfelt and not as obviously self-serving as we’ve come to expect from straying politicians.
Of course, that was Wednesday. Given time to collect himself, Sanford’s GOP instincts for hypocrisy wrapped in sanctimony appear to have made a full recovery. Via TPM Muckraker, in the course of "apologizing" as the start of a cabinet meeting, Sanford invoked the biblical story of King David, who didn’t quit his reign over his affair with Bathsheba.
Nothing says "Republican" better than citing the Bible as an excuse for clinging selfishly to power, does it?
Meanwhile, in seemingly unrelated news, Sen. Jay Rockefeller — who for good reason is not often viewed favorably in these parts — made an interesting statement yesterday about the healthcare reform debate:
"There is a very small chance any Republicans will vote for this health-care plan. They were against Medicare and Medicaid [created in the 1960s]. They voted against children’s health insurance.
"We have a moral choice. This is a classic case of the good guys versus the bad guys. I know it is not political for me to say that . . .
"But do you want to be non-partisan and get nothing? Or do you want to be partisan and end up with a good health-care plan? That is the choice."
This was a pet topic of mine back in the day when Democrats weren’t yet in control of Congress and the White House, and I think it still holds value — even in their worst moments, GOP politicians wrap themselves in the language of morality, because they know a good portion of the public will respond favorably on a gut level to that kind of speech.
For progressives to genuinely re-frame the long-term public discourse in their favor, I think they need to give those gut-level voters an alternative by casting their beliefs and actions in moral terms as well. The contrast between who’s using morality as a reason for doing the right things — as opposed to those who are using it to cover doing the wrong things — will, I think, be apparent to quite a few of them.
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David he ain’t.
Well, no (duh), but I thought the reference was to Solomon’s father David.
I haven’t heard about Sanford and Goliath or how has written lengthy songs (psalms) in adoration or otherwise to God.
I don’t like it when people in trouble try to use God. But, that’s just me.
Oh, you did an edit, and now my comment doesn’t make sense.
Sheesh.
Of course, David was anointed by God, whereas Sanford was elected by people who expected him not to abandon his responsibilities for the sake of a ten-day nookie session…
demi,
For some stupid reason I thought it was Soloman & Bathsheba and got corrected by my wife. Of course, Soloman was too wise to fall for the likes of an internet friend. Sorry for the mistake. You’re still pretty witty.
No problem. Apology accepted. Which one of us fell for the likes….?
BTW, David didn’t have to step down from being king, but he wasn’t allowed to rebuild the Temple. His son got to do that. And, the hanging gardens, I believe. (could be wrong. :)
Solomon had Internet access? I didn’t know Al Gore was that old. :-P
Did I make another mistake? I thought Sanford met this Argentinian woman on-line and e-mailed her over some time. Whatever.
He was gone that long? Dang. I thought it was more like 5 days. See how I’m not paying close enough attention to this story?
No, no, I’m just having some fun with the Solomon reference. Pay no attention.
He was gone…what, six days?–but he had originally had a ten-day return ticket.
No, no. My bad. I thought you meant you or I had fallen for an internet friend. He might have met her online, but I’d be surprised if he put his life on the line for that. Or, maybe not. When my husband heard the story he conjectured about how hot she must be for him to do this.
???
OK, sorry for the repeat. I posted this at EW’s place and I’ll carry it over here.
Leave it to self serving hypocrites to distort the message of any particular Bible passage. I googled David and Bathsheba and the first couple of hits all emphasized the same thing: consequences.
You can be forgiven, but that’s not the same as a free pass.
Sorry if this is sexist, but the guy must have some large balls to do that and then return. If I was carrying on with someone in another country, had a big responsibility that I ran away from, I doubt that I’d come back. Although…again, I haven’t followed the details, I do remember he said he was driving around crying down there. Do we know if he actually was boinking her, or whether maybe she was less than understanding. Considering that the missus had kicked him out, that might have changed the story down south? Ya know what I’m saying? Things change…money, emotions etc.
IIRC, they met in person at some meeting in the U.S. He asked for her email address, and found he could discuss personal things with her that he could not discuss with anyone else. The emailed for 7 years, and about a year ago, he went to BA and their physical relationship began.
When asked today if she was concerned about the Governors office Jenny Sanford essentially said she didn’t care what she was worried about was her family.
I thought it was forty days and forty fun filled nights…
Maybe. I don’t know any more about what Sanford actually did while in Argentina than you do, and I don’t really trust his word on the matter. One thing that seems very unlikely is that he bought a ten-day ticket with the expectation of going south to make things right with his mistress.
playing hooky or nooky is equally bad under these conditions.
I wonder if Sanford remembers the part of the David & Bathsheba story where David had Bathsheba’s husband sent to the battlefront where he was certain to be killed, in order to get him out of the way?
Do you love her that much, Governor?
OT rethugs calling for a boycott of GM ’cause its getting taxpayer funds: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31…..ess-autos/
they have no morality at all.. far from “two”
“I think it would be much better for the country and for [Clinton] personally [to step down]. I come from the business side. If you had a chairman or president in the business world facing these allegations, he’d be gone.” –Sanford, quoted in the 9/12/98 Post and Courier
What a difference a decade (and a political affiliation) makes.
And hooky for nooky is a very dangerous game indeed.
Sanford seems to think that all he did was sleep around. He didn’t. He also abandoned his responsibilities on a lark, something Clinton never did.
OT The house is voting on C & T
And did Clinton outsource his nooky needs? No!
Ha ha. There are several magical mystical numbers that I’m aware of. 3, 7 12 and 40. There could be more…
It’s pretty hard to rationally explain some of those things that fools in love do.
Damn right. Clinton had the good sense to get his in the Oval Office so he could just zip up and get back to work afterward.
Isn’t it weird how they forget we pay attention to what they say?
It’s so easy to point fingers and then forget when it’s our, um, passions that rear their ugly heads.
I wonder if the former man of integrity will spend the weekend with his wife and kids.
There was already a trial separation underway, and then he did this stunt. I’m not sure Mrs. Sanford wants him there right now.
How many more do you need to win Powerball ? *g*
Love? That’s a deep subject. And, there are many kinds. Including out right fantasy.
I thought she had kicked him out of the gov’s mansion.
OT Cap & Trade passed up for final passage.
seventy times seven
I thought he spent the day with them yesterday.
Dunno. I don’t usually gamble, but regarding comment #32 (Hello Dr. E) There’s only two chances. Slim and none, and they just left town.
dosido !
Love:
“That condition where another person’s happiness is essential to your own.”
-Robert Heinlein
USA All the way, baby! what a multi tasker!
I guess a new measure of scandal is how much it affects the scandal maker’s productivity??? hmmmm.
I hope we get a list of the Dems voting against the Energy Bill … make them talk to their Constituents over the Holiday …
petro!
lol. I think a lot of the politicians look at elections as a kind of lottery. How else to explain how quickly they forget us voters and start partying with the Big Money?
Realllly? Just the kids, or was She there too? Do you remember where you heard that. Nevermind. I don’t care That Much.
I must confess a personal reality. I had said last week that my compassion account still had some. I have some experience with an ex-husband leaving for some bimbo, so my personal experience clouds my empathy on this story.
Wahhhhh.
Well, it’s like Sanford says: in a business, which would you want around, the multitasker or the hooky player?
Thank you, Ron D.
Dude!!!!!!
RonD !
You might enjoy this.
Why Jenny Sanford is a Media Genius
words to live by.
Remember the quaint days where Rs could savage Carter just for talking about nooky? Good times, good times.
How’re you, Petro? Giving thanks for that border a little south of you again?
Quick Question, how many Bottles of Tabasco Sauce does it take to give Boner his special skin color ?
Especially after suffering for an hour, watching Boner add tons of Greenhouse Gas to an
already overburdened Earth …
Oh I know I’m gonna regret this.
OK, I guess one bottle for many drops in the bloody marys or something.
ROFL !!!
Tabasco sauce? I figured it was a bad spray-painting job.
I had a five year will contest against me. During the process, whenever I could do anything nice for my opponents (some subsidiary issue not related to the lawsuits), I did it. Did it specifically to drive them nuts, as they hated me bigtime. Got many laughs (the only comic relief). I suspect there was much of that behind Jenny Sanford’s press statement.
The old Kill ‘em with Kindness routine, eh? I like it.
don’t leave me hangin’, bro! I thought you had a answer to your riddle.
My hubby and I laughed whenever Boner’s on. Hubby says “god, that guy always looks tanked! How does he get through the day?”
A king lives in a castle.
-G
House approves climate change & energy bill 219 to 212
Your answer was quite good … Boner always looks sauced, inside and out ! *g*
…whenever Boner’s on. Hubby says “god, that guy always looks tanked! How does he get through the day?”
practice, practice, practice…..
{{{{{ NPB }}}}}
42 Dems voting with the nays …
Hell may have not fury (like a woman scorned), but the best revenge is to go make a good life.
Yep, or in the case of Jenny Sanford, kill ‘em with sanctimony.
Hah!! good one. And I have a chance to share it before I forget it! thanks!
A pox upon ye, Blue Dogs!
Yep. She out-Bibled him. The piety is about knee deep now.
Hey, ha. When we do the right thing for the wrong reason, it still feels good.
Yeah, she really threw the Good Book at him. I’m sure she doesn’t like his hypocrisy any more than we do.
This is crass, but I’m loving it. No Pat Nixon act here.
time for a coke! Hi twain!
Looks more like ass deep to me.
Yep. This is better than a hot fudge sundae.
Hi. I’ll have a little tequila in mine, please. :)
ass deep in the jawboning?
Let’s not make the methaphor’s too mixed. :-)
I think another part of the price David eventually payed for the whole Bathsheba thing was the rebellion and tragic death of one of his favorite sons, Absalom – the offspring he and Bathsheba produced. Possibly his firstborn, although it has been many years since I knew this stuff cold and I didn’t bother to go look it up.
This is the most important thing we’ve ever seen on Firedoglake.
Seriously.
We as progressives have the moral high ground. We don’t have to try and retake it, we already have it. We support freedom, peace, love, happiness, we support life… hell, if reality was a movie, we’d be wearing white hats so large you couldn’t see our heads.
But in reality, we never push this. We let the bad guys take over morality! It was the inherent nobility and Good- Good with the capital intended- that drew me to the left. I’ve always been a devout Christian, and when I finally grew up enough to learn about the political world, I pitched my tent Progressive. We are the good guys.
But we never talk about it! Why? Is it fear of sounding like jerks? Is it… I don’t know, I’m straining here. If anyone could tell me, I’d be much obliged.
Sorry about the rambling- I almost feel like I’m too new here on Firedoglake to be posting such a big message- but this is a core issue for me. We need this.
Geez, David raped Bathsheba and had her husband killed. Her husband and her father were both part of a very small elite fighting group that David fought with before he became King. I think they were called David’s 30 or something like that.
So Sanford compares himself to a guy who raped a woman who was the wife of one close friend, but was also the daughter of another friend. He tries to cover it up and when that doesn’t work he has the husband killed.
Oh and how many wives did David have?
Do these Christians READ the bible they are so fond of quoting?
Maybe because people who have a solid feel for morality don’t insist that everyone adhere to a single code of conduct in matters that are more private than public.
As I believe Demi offered up earlier, dude had some major sac.
He walked away from his wife, his sons (on Father’s Day weekend no less), and his job as governor to go hit it again for days on end!
Then, he comes back, admits to it all, but effectively says “Now lets all go back to work like nothing ever happened.”
Wow! Talk about a pair of huge hairy ones!
(Not that this matters, but from what I’ve seen she is most choice!)
Sanford flew down to Argentina despite Jenny telling him repeatedly that if he did so the marriage w ould be irrevocably broken. Apparently he had hounded her since Jan uary about going down to Argentina to “break up” but she sensibly nixed any personal meeting. So he lied to her and claimed he was going hiking. The legal and administrative complexities are myriad. Does Jenny get to keep residing in the Governor’s mansion? Who pays for Sanford’s room in Motel 6 ? Can Jenny block his bank account that he used to carry on the affair (plane tickets and the “emergency return” fare?).
I’m dubious about his claim that the affair only started a year ago, as well. What about the earlier visits to Argentina on tr ade missions? The trip to Rio when he was a Congressman (a convenient locale for a meet-up)? The “dove hunts”? We now know that Sanford is a pathological liar…to his wife, even…so why believe him on this point?
I guess I should read more carefully. Jenny said tht her hubbie wanted to go to see his lover, nd I assumed that was to “break it off”. But Jenny also said “one can’t have three in marri age”. It seems that Mark may have suggested that she accept he had a mistress and keep it under wraps.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/ne…..5668.story
In the press conference it’s also unclear if Sanford said the affair was over. He implies that he never ended it. From her own interview I’d say that ther e is no way she’ll have him back…and the hypocrisy will continue.
I didn’t see it mentioned but I’m willing to bet he made these trips on the taxpayer’s dime which is a no no too. This guy is a bonafide wienner.