Andrew Sullivan on Mark Sanford
The story on South Carolina governor Mark Sanford is now out:
After going AWOL for seven days, Gov. Mark Sanford admitted Wednesday that he’d secretly flown to Argentina to visit a woman with whom he’d been having an affair. He apologized to his wife and four sons.
Some in the media are urging that this is not really a story. It could have happened to anyone, which is true. And when it happens to most politicians it isn’t much of a story in my opinion. On the other hand, it’s not every politician who preaches sexual purity, “family values.” The Republicans have been thumping their chests and claiming moral superiority and that’s a valid reason for skewering cheating Republicans. Andrew Sullivan points out the hypocrisy:
The party that has gone on and on and on to prevent me getting married, and prevent my own marriage from being recognized by the federal government is the party of David Vitter, Mark Sanford, Rush Limbaugh and Larry Craig. It’s like taking lessons on sexual maturity from the Vatican. And, yes, Sanford was a dedicated opponent of gay couples being allowed to marry.
This must be what people on the religious right are thinking about when they accuse homosexuals of trying to destroy marriage. Apparently they think that if homosexuals are permitted to marry each other, it’s going to cause happily married men to fly to places like Argentina to meet with their mistresses while leaving their loving families back here in America to wonder about the true meaning of Father’s Day. At least, that’s how I imagine religious crackpots think about this. How else could homosexuals ‘destroy’ marriage?
No, grumpy…they’re thinking, “Hell, if we let gays get married, we won’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to making straights feel GUILTY about having sex!” Leverage, man. Gotta think in terms of leverage.
I would agree with Eric concerning most politicians personal probems, as long as the public isn’t financing them and providing an above the law mentality that provides for onging opportunities for the fulfillment of those personal problems.
As these cases so often do, they usually end up going back to the money trail.
And now, the brilliant :::cough, cough::: Rush Limbaugh finally gets to the bottom of Mark Sanford’s lapse of judgment. Sanford snapped because his efforts to move the country in the “right” direction have been undermined, nay, completely derailed, by our evil president. OF COURSE the governor needed comfort in the arms of a paramour. Who wouldn’t?? It’s Obama’s fault!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/25/limbaugh-blames-sanfords_n_220993.html
Except that it isn’t, and I think Maureen Dowd sums it up best:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/opinion/28dowd.html?_r=1
Maureen Dowd DOES hit it well when she talks about Mark and his alter-ego, Marco:
And my only problem with her piece, and with the mindset it mirrors, is that last bit about sinning liberally, as if “real” conservatives are the fighters of evil and liberals are out there sinning away and fighting only for our right to do so.
What “Marco” did to his family and state was despicable, and while I understand her play on words, using “liberally” in the sense of “amply,” she still insinuates the obsolete meaning of “without moral restraint.”
Even though according to the dictionary, that meaning is obsolete, it remains the meaning neo-cons love to have equated with their non-conservative brethren, and it annoys me to no end.
Sanford and God have been busy figuring everything out.
“One thing Mark Sanford isn’t doing is resigning. Why? Because God Himself wants Mark Sanford to stay on as Governor of South Carolina. Just ask Mark Sanford.”
This is a highly humorous read by Chris Kelly, called “God is my Doorman.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-kelly/god-is-my-doorman-mark-sa_b_223472.html
Another family values conservative politician goes down in flames. This time it’s Michael Duvall is a conservative Republican state representative from Orange County, California. These family values “experts” need to shut up about sexual permissiveness of others and get their own houses in order.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/gop_lawmakers_graphic_sex-bragging_caught_on_tape.php?ref=fpa