Blinded by ideology, Sanford is the anti-Dale Carnegie

By Andy Brack, Publisher

MARCH 20, 2009 - - Blinded by ideology, Gov. Mark Sanford can’t see what’s happening economically to people across the Palmetto State and how his behavior is hurting.

Our state’s devotee to the notion that government should be so small that it can be drowned in a bathtub is the anti-Dale Carnegie:He’s winning enemies and influencing few. Sanford’s fiscal insensitivity is manifest in a seeming obsession to turn down $700 million in federal stimulus money that state lawmakers already have included in the $6 billion state budget that’s tight because of the national downturn Just this week as more than 10 percent of South Carolina workers are unemployed – the second highest jobless rate in the nation – Sanford said he’d ask again for a waiver from President Barack Obama to use the $700 million to pay down debt instead of seeking more immediate job relief.(In a stinging editorial, The State newspaper wondered what part of “no” did Sanford not understand.) Sanford’s windmill-tilting efforts on the federal stimulus package highlight how he’s disconnected from everyday people’s troubles.State Sen. Hugh Leatherman, R-Florence, characterized the governor’s position so well recently that it bears repeating:“If my house is burning down, I don’t get in my car and drive to the bank to pay off the mortgage. I put out the fire.I think that’s where we are in the state of South Carolina today. We need to put out the fire.” It’s pretty clear that while Sanford is ignoring people who are hurting, he’s using the stimulus package and national financial crisis to his personal advantage to be talked about as a presidential candidate in 2012. “He knows what he’s doing,” one seasoned Charleston political observer said.“He’s running for president.” Perhaps Sanford’s slogan will be, “No We Can’t.We can’t get jobs for people.We can’t use the power of government to help us get out of the ditch.We can’t try to help.” Historian Jack Bass, co-author of a new book on South Carolina history, observed Sanford seemed to fail to understand the relationship of spending money on education to impact economic development. “I’ve heard it said that he seems like someone who was born on home plate and thinks he hit a homerun.” When asked how Sanford might be remembered historically, Bass said, “What until now has become his capacity to win public popularity based in large part on a mastery of symbolism has seriously deteriorated in the last month or so. “People in general understand that when the governor talks about [having] ‘rainy day’ [funds], he doesn’t seem to understand it’s pouring down right now.” A new poll by the S.C. Senate Democratic Caucus shows Sanford’s unfavorable rating has grown to 53 percent overall.“Fifty-four percent of voters who identify themselves as independents say they have an unfavorable opinion of the governor,” according to a press release.“Fifty-six percent of all independent voters surveyed also disagreed with the governor’s handling of the stimulus money. “ Good leaders listen, compromise and mature.GOP Sen. Strom Thurmond, the Dixiecrat candidate for president in 1948, eventually became the first Southern senator to hire a black staffer.Republican Gov. Carroll Campbell, who got his start protesting desegregation of Greenville schools, became a strong supporter of public education because he saw how better education created a more viable economic atmosphere. For six years, Sanford has done little to help the state move forward.Yes, he’s provided some environmental leadership.Yes, he’s gotten lawmakers to be focused on smarter spending – but they would have gotten there anyway due to the economy. But his calls for using public money to fund private education have hurt.His administration is roundly criticized for denuding a state Department of Commerce that used to bring lots of jobs here.His continuing spats with the General Assembly have eroded people’s confidence in government – confidence needed now more than ever before. On this current “leadership” path, by the time Sanford leaves office in 2010, his terms as governor might best be remembered as the lost decade.And that isn’t something on which anyone should build a presidential campaign.

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