Mark Sanford Continues His Lonely Path

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford continues to provide an interesting and politically viable counterpoint to the ongoing slide into socialism as this reasonably fair New York Times story outlines (their editorial earlier in the week was not quite so fair).

The South Carolina Republican Party is an odd beast, especially as represented in the state legislature. There, a mix between true-blue Republicans and Republicans of convenience (plenty of turncoats from the Democratic Party who simply traded party affiliation but not their slavish adherence to big, corrupt government as the savior of the people) holds sway. The Governor--one of the last true fiscal conservatives around, is trying to use the very limited power he has under the SC Constitution to decline some 1/4 of the $2.8B in stimulus money headed to his state---or barring that (as it seems that he may not actually have to power to refuse it), channel the money into retiring some of the state's massive debt load.

What stories of this nature rarely do is actually talk about the facts of why Sanford, Palin and other Republican Governors have been less than enthusiastic about the stimulus money. These are not guilt-free gifts from Washington; the money comes with significant policy-changing strings, strings that will create in the citizenry an expectation of more to come long after the stimulus money runs out. Who will be left holding the bag? Why the citizens of South Carolina, of course.

Sanford's strategy is politically risky, but when you hear him talk, you get the sense that he'd rather be an out-of-work politician than a successful one who supports bad policy and wasteful spending. But I also sometimes wonder exactly how risky his approach is...I find myself clearly supporting the merits of his case, but also thinking the politics of the issue run his way. Let's face it....if he'd like to be President someday, it is a long-shot proposition. Why? Because it often is irrespective of who is running. So why no distinguish yourself from virtually every politician in America? Why not be seen as the Republican Party's leading deficit and debt hawk, at a time when even Democrats are beginning to blanch at the President's reckless profligacy? No other Republican in the field has been as insistent, as eloquent, and as consistent on this matter. When Sanford finds himself going from house to house in Des Moines in January of 2011, he'll find a most hearty welcome from the Republicans who will help pick our next candidate.