Bastard
It’s the only fitting word for a man who abandons his wife and four sons on Father’s Day weekend to indulge his “overdrive” on an Argentinian fling.
Mark Sanford: Bastard.
***
If you missed Sanford’s rambling, surreal disaster of a press conference, consider yourself lucky.
He had a hell of a lot more passion and pathos for his mistress than his own wife. He referred wistfully to the “great friendship” and “that sparking thing” he had with the mistress for eight years — during which his wife was raising his four children.
No excuses.
No “but, but, look at all the dirty Democrats.”
This is a disgrace. I called Michelle Obama what she is earlier this week. I call Mark Sanford what he is now.
He called himself “selfish” at the press conference. That’s the least of it.
***
If you can’t honor your marriage vows, how can you expect voters to trust you to honor your damned oath of office?
***
It’s absolutely disgraceful not only that he had an affair, not only that he lied about it publicly, but that he put his staff in a position to lie about it. And anybody who has followed Sanford was given the impression that he was a family man. Always close to his sons, so tight with his wife that she managed every one of his campaigns and even served temporarily as his chief of staff while he was governor. And yet he abandons them on Father’s Day weekend to fly off to Argentinia to see his mistress, and now forces them to live through all this emotional pain in the media spotlight.
***
A reminder about what I said regarding stupid, selfish John Ensign: here and here.
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Do not take the following seriously, it is just idle speculation, much the same way many speculate about our guns being taken away, ending up in Gulags, or being shot in the streets by the Government.
Are we sure Gov Sanford’s paramour was a woman? Where is the proof? Because he said so? Will another shoe drop? Until confirmed that the Gov was visiting a woman the question remains open. Yep, there is exotic, and there is erotic.
Speculation is just silly fun, it is done without foundation and a release of our individual worst fears.
We can ask speculative questions about Fatherhood Czars, painting all of Hollywood with a large brush when nice things are done for a dying child by ‘Hollywood’ types. Yep, granted, it is a form of tongue in cheek, but does speculation advance the discussion, or does it contribute to soliciting specific feelings and emotions?
Mid life crisis on steroids. What a loser.
If he doesn’t resign, the South Carolina lege should consider impeachment.
This Sanford headline knocks “NKorea threatens to annihilate US!” off the top? He’s toast but c’mon, let’s keep our eyes on the various balls being thrown at us.
You know, this episode is a good comparison of those of us promoting the free market sytem vs. those that don’t. We conservatives freely get to choose a better product when the one we had relied on fails us. Liberals never get near that kind of discrimination and surely want to take that option away from the rest. There’s a parallel in there, I’m sure of it.
Sorry, I again have to emphatically disagree.
There have always been pigs in office, but it used to be instant death if it became known. This is an important reason that a complicit media kept mum in the cases of FDR, JFK, LBJ and others in the past.
American morays have been DEVOLVING for years, and our political process has followed suit.
Term limits become more attractive by the day, and I certainly have had some profound arguments with the idea in the past.
I was about to write the exact same thing. Unfortunately, when we do find someone like Palin who is not like them, she is destroyed out of their jealousy and fear. Most narcissists have very low self esteem.
His tan did look unholy and suspicious . That should have been a red flag.
#85, and #87
I don’t think so… Haley Barbour is supposed to be heir apparent to his RGA leadership post. If Palin tries to make a move for that spot now, it would seem a bit too opportunistic. Barbour’s respected. She’d do better to stand back and just let him take the position as expected.
How is term limit going to fix American morals ?
BTW, South Carolina may be the most seismically active of all the states East of the Mississippi.
What would have happened if an earthquake or some other disaster hit while he was incommunicado on his fling.
He didn’t just cheat on his wife, he cheated the entire state.
So he resigns & then what do we get? Another Democrap instead? Great, just what we need.
Is Hannity really condoning what Sanford did??? Hard to believe. Hannity is a strong family man. How can he stick up for something like this? I’ll believe it when I hear it myself.
American eels are as strong as they’ve ever been. As for American mores, that’s in the eye of the beholder.
Bastard among other words are fitting Michelle.
Can we not get ANY politicians with morals in either party???????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I repeat…you and some others are missing the point. He didn’t just cheat on his wife. He was Stooooopid!
*You just don’t do that to the wife and kids; Good that he is sidelined now; Maybe the GOP has asked that the trash be taken out before 2010(Ensign, etc.).
*He would have made a great President of the Southern States when we secede; Oh well!
*Palin/Jindal 2012
Hannity will be with Sanford until the exact moment that the word is handed down from on high that it’s no longer okay to be Sanford.
Rags–I’m with you on the disagreement. All men are not pigs, besides pigs are pretty smart animals.
When I said earlier ‘what’s missing?’ I meant in their lives–it’s not always about sex. My husband wouldn’t have the strength to have an affair in that respect, but I know it’s not just that. He tells me that some men just have to do something that feels ‘illicit’. Or ‘dirty’.
My husband doesn’t stray because he’s tied to his vows, that’s too simplistic. He doesn’t stray because
1)he doesn’t buy into the ‘men are biologically hard-wired to have more than one mate’ and
2)he’s not missing anything in his life.
Where is Uncle Ted?? His opinion carries GREAT WEIGHT in affairs like this…
THat should be “with Sanford”.
bigterpfan–LOL! I think I might faint from laughter.
It won’t. What it would do is break up the strangle-hold on high office that now exists in our political class.
More normal people…in the mold of the “citizen statesman” our Founders envisioned…would have a shot at office, and these elitists we now have dominating our halls of power would have to find somewhere else to play.
I have to believe that such a climate would be a net good.
every watch Lifetime TV?? or as I call it MAD (Men Are Dogs) TV??
maybe he’s afraid of you!!
Good freakin’ grief. Another day, another politician seriously messed up in the head. Any normal, civilized, intelligent, untainted people want to run for office? Are there any left?
Founders were not angels either when it comes to cheating. They did it with their slaves.
I understand your anger, Michelle, but it seems many high-ranking politicians are corrupt in some fashion. Bottom line: Sanford is better for us overall than a corrupt Democrat. Let’s consider the whole picture before we toss him out.
@#*&!?%^ spell-checker.
Admission: I can’t spell. Sue me (please, I could use the practice)….
Kidding….
He killed TWO people. Mary Joe AND her unborn child.
And got away with it. Although I suspect he may be “reviewing” his previous evil acts soon. Very soon.
A few years ago, we had a young, great-looking, moral Mayor of Bloomington. (Actually, the youngest Mayor Bloomington, Minnesota ever had. You can probably Google that and find him in there.) He was an up-and-coming politician with a big future ahead in the political arena. At the end of his first term, he announced he would not run for re-election. This man was a friend of ours. His reason for not running? He discovered that politics was corrupt, immoral and a compromise of beliefs. He couldn’t handle that and continue to be true to himself and God. He is now a successful businessman and very happy. I know you can be a politician and still be morally straight. It is just very very hard.
They likely will. A lot of folks in both parties don’t like him here.
Sometimes I truly fear that Mr. Smith will never ever go to Washington again.
Fixed….
Wow, you are both WAY too cynical and WAY too ignorant of history.
C’mon. Is it your assertion that EVERYBODY IS A HOUND? I would not care to live in that head, if it is.
I agree, it makes no sense, particularly when the drive-by media will be carrying stories for the next two weeks (like they did/are doing) with Ensign.
He needs to get out now.
He has many redeeming qualities. He is one of the few governors who stood up to President Hussein’s stimulus.
NeoFan said: Sean Hannity is of course sticking up for him on his radio show.
If that’s true, and I’ll likely be able to confirm when his show is on cable later, I’ll be finding something else to do for the rest of that hour.
Ooops…I told you a lie. The Mayor I referred to actually served two terms as Mayor and was in the State Senate for one term. It was the Senate that made him realize he didn’t want to be in politics any more. My memory is going…getting old, doncha know!
What a dumbass. He should resign and go take a long cruise to the Bahamas on the Good Ship Monkey Business with Gary Hart, Elliot Spitzer and John Edwards.
That’s for us to decide. Stay tuned.
Got Hannity on now, and I didn’t get that he is defending Stanford.
He has Michelle on in a few minutes…
What about Obama and Vera Baker?
Where is his lil ho now?
From what I can discern, Sanford seems to me to be something of a libertarian and not possessed of the same politics or political instincts that Sarah Palin has (except for the “R” before their titles). I didn’t ever see him as being a real contender for the Republican nomination (and I certainly don’t now). As for what should happen to him, I think that’s up to South Carolina voters.
I am just saying most men are not monogamous by nature. You may be different ( if you never coveted anyone except your spouse ).
Most men politician/leaders are alpha male. And what do alpha male want ?
When I said earlier ‘what’s missing?’ I meant in their lives–it’s not always about sex. My husband wouldn’t have the strength to have an affair in that respect, but I know it’s not just that.
For the most part it’s immaturity, but also because we live in a culture in which happiness is supposed to reside outside of ourselves. No person can make you happy if you aren’t happy, people like Sanford find themselves looking to mistresses when they “aren’t happy” with their wives but the reality is that they usually aren’t happy in general.
But men are also weak, because we teach them to be. They also tend to not be honest, as in telling women they’re ready to settle down when they have no intention to. There are a lot of factors in these case. None of them are really our business.
Sanford was a good governor who articulate free markets and freedom well. That he was man about town only means that I wouldn’t want him married to my sister or a friend of mine, it is really up to his wife to decide if he’s a “bastard’ or not, and this has no bearing on my respect for his politics.
That seems a bit hysterical. Civilized and intelligent people have affairs, get hooked on pills (ala Rush) drink to excess or are sometimes just kind of jerks. The expectation that “normal” people do nothing that you personally find unseemly is why the GOP is shrinking and there will be a Democrat majority for decades.
And before anyone says it, I’m happily married to my wife, who I’ve been together with for 19 years.
Good old fashioned Catholic guilt, plus fear of facing my wife, and the fact that I’d be required to go to Confession, is all I need to avoid straying.
I don’t mind seeing a good looking woman, but I do my best not to even mentally stray.
As I said before, I don’t believe Hannity would support Sanford. I will believe it when I hear it. I have always respected Hannity as a highly moral family man.
Let’s not forget it was Prez BillyBob that popularized and “legitimized” extramarital dalliances… Even his wife, didn’t even flinch (“boys will be boys”)…
Shucks… if it’s OK for the president (snicker, snicker) well, so be it… huh?
I think the original post was misconstrued.
I can’t imagine Obama NOT having had an affair or two. He is just too full of himself and too narcisstic to be faithful to one woman.
That’s pretty close to the mark, although I’d insert “malignant” in front of “narcissist.”
Modern American politics, and the political class that it has produced, have reached such a low point precisely because morals have become little more than an Albatross or a weapon, depending on who you’re referring to:
- If you’re a Republican, morals are an Albatross. If you’ve ever done anything that you wouldn’t want to talk about outside of confession in church, rest assured that the donk media will eventually run you to ground. This reduces the Republican candidate talent pool to: (A) People who could do a good job in politics but whose sense of self-preservation won’t allow them to run for office, and (B) Malignant narcissists who think that somehow the donk media won’t tear them apart when the secret gets out.
- If you’re a donk, morals are a weapon to use on Republicans and nothing more. You get a free pass from media scrutiny of your ethical bankruptcy and moral rudderlessness, but that only lends itself to what the donkey party is today: a growing collection of diseased souls who’d engender feelings of disbelief and disgust even from the residents of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Either way, the American People lose.
“Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac.”
- Henry Kissinger
Rush Limbaugh was never a recreational drug user. He got hooked on pain pills after failed back surgery.
Hannity has defended spousal cheating when it has suited his masters.
bollocks.
Hannity did not defend Sanford at all, do not understand how you all got that from what he said.
He opened the program with the news, played some of the press conference, and then was totally consistent in his criticism of the situation.
Marriage vows are serious, and if you can’t keep your word to your family then who else can trust you?
He did say it breaks his heart to reprort this news.
Michelle is on right now.
You are an idiot.
He has never done such a thing.
I’ve listened to him for 7 years, and I’ve never heard that ever.
Hannity is agreeing with Michelle about Sanford…
Prove it. Links please.
I don’t care if he was visiting Mr. Ed the horse. The point is that he can’t honr a commitment. What’s your point?
When I heard this and the convoluted way that Sanford explained the situation, I was left puzzled that this ever had to happen. Not that we or I know anything that happened in the Sanford marriage, but to make such an effort to maintain a long-distance affair at the expense of one’s own family really indicates a basic lack of judgement and thought.
Perhaps, Sanford wasn’t thinking at all. I don’t know. It certainly seems he put himself first and the needs of his beautiful boys and wife second. That’s the thing about marriage. The “we” should always comes before the “me.” That’s something that seems to have gone away in the last 30-40 years.
There has been a basic moral decline in both political parties. I can’t wait for trolls to trot out how hypocrites like Sanford are the norm and not the exception. It’s happening in both parties, a statistic often ignored. That doesn’t mean that people of both political persuasions shouldn’t keep their marriage vows and the promises they made to their spouses.
The Gays destroy another marriage, and that is why gay marriage should not be allowed.
We only have Gov Sanford’s word that it was a female he was involved with, but the other shoe has not dropped. Ask anyone, the Gays destory marriage, and Gov Sanford’s marriage, is well, quite possibly on the edge, therefore it must be the Gays.
This is what happens from Gay marriage. Stop the Gays from getting married and destroying marriages and this sort of thing will stop, and marriage will be saved.
Just speculating because it is silly fun. Everyone go ahead and speculate.
zyzzyg
whiskey.
tango.
foxtrot.
When the story was buzzing earlier today that the ‘gentleman’ from South Carolina was not hiking the Appalachian Trail, but was actually in Argentina, I immediately quipped to my hubby: “He’s shacked up with some bimbo.” Sadly, I was right. He needs to resign. My heart goes out to his family.
I don’t have a link, but I remember laughing heartily when Hannity excused McCain’s cheating by saying that his POW status made him do it. This, of course, was after McCain had secured the nomination and the “derail Obama express” was in full-speed-ahead mode.
Hannity is the dimmest of bulbs and the weakest of spines.
That is right. But even a great man like him(or was it his wives) found “Till death do us part” to be too restrictive.
Is it any wonder that informed voters don’t trust politicians? It doesn’t matter what their political stripe, elected officials who cheat have one stripe in common, and it’s yellow.
No courage to end their sham marriages…no courage to decline leadership positions, no courage of convictions. It doesn’t matter. Yeah, I know…the heart is willing, but the flesh is weak.
If public servants can’t keep it in their pants, controlling the basic of all human traits, then how can they be trusted to keep faith with those who elect them to office? The answer is, they can’t!
This hasn’t been addressed before in the question of term limits, but here is just another good reason to have term limits with all elected officials. Power corrupts!
Let’s not forget the women who cater to these weak men…they are power hungry whores as much, if not more, than the men upon whom they prey. No man of conscience (regardless of party affiliation) is immune to the lure of the Lorelei. Stronger, men of principle resist, knowing that she will ultimately lead them to ruin and humiliation.
Good riddance, Gov!
Men have an animal nature. True enough.
But what separates Humans from the Animals, is knowledge of God, and the ability to choose to obey or not to obey his commandments.
For Christians, it is remarkably easy.
Believe in one God, and love Him.
Love Your Neighbor.
And adultery is one of the few sins Jesus specifically addressed.
As soon as I heard that Sanford had changed his retreat from Appalachia to Argentina, I figured out what this is all about. At least, Sanford had only one mistress over these eight years. Eliot Spitzer liked variety in his choice of escorts and had the big bucks to bankroll these after-hours flings.
Well, as to the “not monogamous” part, yeah. That kinda explains the commandment to be monogamous, that, like other commandments, calls us to be better than our natures.
As to the alpha male part, I’m as alpha a male as I know, and certainly no choir boy. I just value my word.
Honor is a word I can hardly utter without profound emotion.
I know what kind of hurt I’d visit on a lady that I love by entertaining the temptations I’ve been handed. I would never be able to look my daughters in the eye again, and my sons would rightfully call me a hypocrite. I also took a vow to God, who I know I can’t really hide stuff from successfully.
Could I conduct a successful, undetected affair? Oh, hell yeah! It would cost me everything I am, though.
That is way too much.
I’ve been in and out all day with minimal access to any kind of media, so I’m just catching up with this idiocy. And from what I’ve heard and read, I have to agree with Michelle – except that IMHO calling Sanford a bastard is too kind.
One minor point of dissension – or perhaps it just wasn’t articulated: both major parties have their share of bastards, but usually only one of them calls the bastards to accounts. And I don’t think I need to spell out which party that is (otherwise Massachusetts wouldn’t still be suffering Teddy and Barney, to name only two).
My two-bits. Sorry to hit-and-run, but it’s been that kind of day.
On June 24th, 2009 at 4:02 pm, usa_usa said:
I am just saying most men I HAVE DATED are not monogamous by nature. You may be different ( if you never coveted anyone except your spouse ).
Bitter much? Please put up some links to support your finding of “most males”. Most males I know will not cheat – ever.
I think most politicians are not true Christians. They just fake it to get the votes.
My heart goes out to his wife and children. I just hope he doesn’t trot them out for any public apologies. Just take your shame and go quietly into the night.
Haven’t read any of the comments. I agree with Michelle – BASTARD!!!!
Thanks for the psycho-babble, but when civilized, intelligent officials do uncivilized, stupid things like this, they have broken a sacred vow before God, and a public trust. Drugs and drinking, though horribly destructive, do not violate sacred vows or trust. The moral equivalence is invalid.
My only problem with Michelle’s take on this is she left out the word stupid.
Stupid Bastard.
Is there just one wormy bastard we can trust in either of these trashy Parties? I’m beginning to think it doesn’t matter what any of us do because there’s nothing but dirt bags in politics.
As good an example as any that will be found of: If this has to be explained to you, you will never – never – understand.
Michelle:
I echo your term for this south Carolina individual that you introduced at the top of this thread.
Rags:
Agreed.
I’m with you – have never even thought about cheating in 32 years.
Perhaps I am the only one reading that comment this way; but, there’s something Faustian bargain-like about that comment, as if it says to us: “Let’s accept ur-dishonesty from someone as long as he votes and governs the way we want him to.”
To that, I say, “No, thank you.”
True, he did not honor his commitment.
The point is speculation without any real eveidence. I speculated that his paramour may not be a woman. Many on this site have speculated without evidence, or have asked silly questions that solicited emotional responses, so I was doing the same, speculating. And, I cited specific examples of speculation without foundation. That is the point. And, the only point. We should avoid speculating.
Please note that in my post #101 I said, “Do not take the following seriously . . . ”
Ummm, did you read that?
I just listened to Sean and Michelle. Great job, MM!! And no, Sean does not condone what Sanford did. So please stop smearing him, bigterpfan
From my personal standpoint…I would like to live in a world where the issues resulting from these kinds of transgressions are between the actor, their spouse and their God. But the toothpaste is out of the tube, the issues are invariably tied in with values, both political and personal and its naturally going to be a part of political discourse.
It all seems so unseemly, though, and I wish it never took place.
Ditto – cheating, aka infidelity of any kind destroys marriages. zyzzyg shouldn’t be chumming the water with speculative accusations that don’t matter one way or the other. Cheating is cheating, period.
Granite…
Love you, man…
Another troll has been outed.
It’s still chumming the water. There’s no need to do that. The situation is bad enough as it is.
Maybe I’m tired enough to be prone to conspiracy theory but one of the first thoughts that popped in upon reading about Sanford’s fling was a set up similar to what Mitch McDeere ran into in Grisham’s The Firm. Would it be beyond the far left statists to target up and coming conservatives, set them up with temptations and wait for them to succumb and fall and then reap the benefits?
I didn’t say he was condoning the behavior here. Somebody else did. I’m glad he’s not condoning it here. I’m hardly smearing Hannity. He’s a spineless dolt and has condoned such behavior in the past. If you actually want a link demonstrating what I said, here’s one. BUt I had to go to a liberal site to get it, and I feel dirty now. Thanks for nothing.
Whoops. Here’s the link:
http://www.ickypeople.com/2008/08/fox-news-defends-john-mccain-adultury.html
I want to protest in the strongest terms possible the use of the word “bastard” here. That word is no longer acceptable in Western Norms. Sort of like “bum,” or “deadbeat.”
You may refer to the Governor of SC as “offspring of a single mom,” or “child of a single-parent home,” or “I hope he gets a horrible disease and dies cold and alone.”
Just don’t call him “Bastard.”
That is all.
What can you say, he is a scumbag.
On Father’s Day no less. Nice role model material for your four boys Chief.
This guy rivals Spitzer for gall.
rplatt – They are all dirt bags. I think it goes hand-in-hand with the quest for power. They think they walk on water, particularly after they are in power for a while.
It doesn’t matter what the details are, or if it was man, woman or telephone pole he was seeing in Argentina. It is another Republican politician rendered ineffective, regardless of what actually happened.
This guy was being touted as a possible GOP presidential candidate. Now he is ruined. We count on the Republicans to be the standard bearers for our conservative principals and we are continually let down by them.
A pox on the houses of all politicians. They play and manuever for themselves all the time our country is burning to the ground.
Yesterday evening my husband commented that the fact that Gov. Sanford’s “disappearance” had many of the signs of an affair.
Look’s like my husband was correct.
What a cruel thing to do to your family.
Sandford is a worthless scumbag.
Sorry, the shoe fits, and if anything is too kind. The real words he deserves would get you kicked off this site.
Well, Good luck finding honest and biblically correct politicians. In the meanwhile I’ll settle for those who merely vote to support the Christian values.
There is always a bad apple in every barrel, and Republican bad apples are thrown into the garbage. Democrat bad apples are rewarded. One hell of a political system we live with.Throw them all out of office.
I believe it was Marx who said…” I would not belong to any club who would have me as a member”
I was NOT going to post today…
Too much to do.
But here’s
asome question[s]…When we vote a person into office, we expect them to act according to the oath they take on assuming that office. We expect them to be responsible. We expect them to be truthful (at least, by-in-large). We expect them to exert their best judgment.
When someone indulges his or her appetites in one arena of human behavior, in violation of a sacred oath, what assures us they won’t indulge them in every other?
When someone acts irresponsibly…in apparent dereliction of their duty…how then could we entrust them with a great responsibility?
When an office holder shows such a suspension of sound judgment, will we justifiably invest them with greater power, relying on their judgment?
And, when an office-holder uses the organs of their office (resist the temptation, Chedder) to publish a lie to the people who put them in office, can we ever expect we would be wise to again trust that person?
My answers to these questions put Mr. Stanford out of consideration for ever having my vote, or my support.
There was once a movie called Bastard from Carolina! Wow!
“It’s just about sex.” Isn’t that what they say?
We gave John McCain the nomination. Not exactly thrown in garbage.
Rags–I’m with you on all of the above.
Yes, if it’s a dhimmicrat.