I really did not want my first blog to be political, but this story is just too interesting to pass on. The governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, held a press conference on Wednesday to admit that he was cheating on his wife. Sadly, this has become a norm in American politics. Both major parties are foul in the unfaithful department (Clinton, Spitzer, Sanford, Ensign, Edwards, Craig, etc.), so I will not take the finger-pointing route. I am fully aware of the glaring hypocrisy, but that debate is not necessary for this situation. I also do not believe that cheating on your spouse immediately constitutes resignations or impeachments. While the cheat is certainly a sleazy, lying bastard, having an affair is a private matter. It does not automatically mean that said politician is incapable of doing his job, or that the affair affected job performance. Now, with that preface out of the way, I believe that Mr. Sanford should be impeached ASAP.
I have been watching this story closely since it broke, due to how fascinating it is. While there is plenty of debate about rather he should resign, the arguments that I have seen supporting or opposing Sanford losing his governorship focus almost solely on his prior statements about other politicians’ affairs and his use of state money to help finance his affair. While those facts are highly damning, I believe the most substantive reason for him to be fired has been ignored: he went off the proverbial grid for a week. “Appalachians” Sanford just vanished without telling anyone where he was. Not his wife (for obvious reasons), not his staff (I have a hard time believing that, but I digress), no one. He did not even take his bodyguards with him. He was supposedly unreachable for a week. That is beyond unacceptable. He, just like every other US governor, is beholden to the duties of his office and needs to be accessible at all times in case of disaster, major decisions, etc. Sanford is responsible for around four million constituents (here) at all times for the duration of his tenure. If vanishing for an entire week is not a massive breach of contract, I do not know what is. While on a smaller scale, a governor abandoning his responsibilities to the state is like the President abandoning his responsibilities to the country. His actions were not merely irresponsible; they were highly irrational and potentially dangerous. Off the top of my head, I am unable to think of a single job where you can vanish for a week without notification to anyone of your whereabouts. There were only two acceptable reasons I could come up with that would excuse his sudden disappearance: either President Obama asked him to secretively go somewhere in the world for top-secret negotiations, or there was a serious threat upon his life. Outside of those scenarios, I cannot think of a solitary good reason for him to be off the grid for that long. Sanford has a responsibility to each and every person that resides in his state, and he aborted his responsibilities so he could fulfill the desires of his less intelligent head.
There are plenty of things that are put up with in politics, many of them absolutely absurd. I oftentimes scratch my head at how various elected officials keep their jobs, let alone are reelected. Nevertheless, there must be a line drawn somewhere. Sanford completely shirked the responsibilities of his job (that he was both elected to and is paid for) for a scandalous fling in Argentina. He essentially left his state and the people that reside within it vulnerable. One would be hard pressed to find many actions more reckless for a person in his position to make. If there is a way for the South Carolinian government to block his resignation (which I am assuming he will not offer anyway), it should. He should not be given the option. For this particular situation, the state officials need to make an example out of Mr. Sanford. They need to impeach him. South Carolina’s governor showed that he cared more about unfaithfully stimulating his package than about his four million constituents, and now the state officials need to show him the door publically. This should be an example to rest of the country that says, “No matter whom you are, or what your political affiliation is, it is your duty to serve the people of your state. Once you willingly (and foolishly) break that agreement, your services are no longer required.” Will this actually happen? Probably not. After seeing the fiasco that was the fallout of Katrina, it has been proven that being responsible for your constituents is not a requirement for office anymore. One can always hope . . .
