Gov. Mark Sanford has become notorious during his four-and-a-half year reign for picking PR fights with the state legislature. He may be the only governor in history whose legacy will be bringing hogs to the State House.
Now, the governor is apparently using the treasurer’s special election to escalate his war with the General Assembly.
The vote to select a new state treasurer will be held tomorrow by the 170 members of the legislature, and Sanford has done his best to influence the outcome by playing the race card - offering an African-American as a last minute wild card candidate.
And more than that, the gov’s shady political operatives are apparently waging anonymous assaults against the legislature’s likely selection: Rep. Converse Chellis of Dorchester. In fact, a popular South Carolina blog reported that a “gubernatorial gopher boy/ dirt-digger” even tried to frame The Palmetto Scoop as the source of one of these cowardly attacks; a juvenile trick that borders on computer identity theft.
More recently, Sanford’s political operatives may be stirring the pot again with a whisper campaign that Chellis, once elected, would immediately fire the Budget & Control Board’s current executive director. The website SCHotline reported today that it “has learned from credible sources” that one of Chellis’ first acts as treasurer will be getting rid of S.C. Budget and Control Board Executive Director Henry White.
White, 45, an attorney, has served in Gov. Sanford’s administration for the past four years as Chief Legal Counsel and more recently as Chief of Staff. He was recently selected as executive director of the Budget and Control Board with the support of Governor Sanford, Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, and then Treasurer Thomas Ravenel. [SCHotline]
We can’t verify the rumor, but that’s not really important. What matters is the fact that the feud between the governor and the legislature has become a fiasco. And the public may soon grow weary of these childish games.
The worst part about this nasty campaign of rumors and anonymous assaults is the failure to focus on what’s best for the state. The special election is now all about Sanford v. the General Assembly and not about the issues or the merit of the candidates. And that’s not good news for South Carolina.
Sphere: Related ContentThis entry was posted on Thursday, August 2nd, 2007 at 3:48 pm and is filed under Executive, Legislature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Chellis CAN”T fire Mr. White…only a majority of the board can.
The Governor has shown he is a snake in the grass. This week alone he has:
1. Nominated a black man that he knows cannot win. By allowing this token to have his name placed in the race, the Governor tries to spin it as a great step forward in race relations. If he cared about that why did he not APPOINT SCOTT INSTEAD OF WINGATE when he had the chance?
2. Allowed his office to release information on Chellis, and spin it in a negative light. In actuality, no one knows whether Chellis is guilty of anything!
3. The Governor has had his “people” raise the “memo gate affair” again in an effort to bloody the nose of the General Assembly again…and by using “unnamed source”, has spun it in a fashion that hurts Chellis, and the general assembly.
Snake in the grass does not begin to cover Mark Sanford.
All he wants to do is be VP…and he will do ANTYHING to see that it happens. Anything.
If someone wants to make the VP slot, wouldn’t they be expected to have some accomplishments to show for it?
If that’s a standard that a VP pick will be held to, I’m not sure what the present Governor has to show for himself.
Mark Sanford has nothing to show for his efforts in SC . So his resume will be about his BATTLE, against that “good ole boy system”.
It is straight from the pages of “ALL the Kings Men” (Robert Penn Warrens GREAT book about southern politics). It is simple populism. Mark Sanford is George Wallace with a rich man’s twist….and excepting any accomplishments.
All you have to do to understand Mark Sanford is to say to yourself…how can Mark look like David fighting Goliath in this situation. And that is what he will do. That fits the script they have settled on as his best chance to be VP.
Too bad that same question is not…how can Mark Sanford make a difference for the people of SC.? But to ask Mark Sanford to care more about us, than himself, is simply asking to much.
Mark Sanford makes a difference for the people of SC by standing up for the principles that they elected him to stand up for. I’m ok with that.
In another point, this Treasurers election is ridiculous. There should be a special elections of all the people in SC not just 170. It is a sad day in our state when the only qualification that is necessary to hold the treasurers office is being in the legislature since 1997. If it went to the people, they would likely reject someone like Chellis who does not have a record of fiscal restraint or responsibility.
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I agree with rickybobby . we should have a special election for the people to decide who will be the next treasurer for south carolina .
You can sling mud at Mark Sanford all you want, but people in the real world like him very much. Remember that he delivered the pigs to the State House in his last term and we liked it. The proof was in then poles, when he won his chance at a second term. You GOOD OLE BOYS can whine all you want, but Sanford is the real deal.
So, your standard of excellence in a governor…is bringing pigs to the state house?
Silly you.
What we want is a governor that can be effective. I despise the good ole boy system…but you cannot hold the General Assembly accountable for the failure of Mark Sanford. When the Gov begins to lead, the people will follow. His “battle” against the good ole boys system is just for show…if he were interested in change he would be engage BEFORE decisions are made…not afterwards.