Commentary: Gov. Sanford neglecting SC for TV

An irregular commentary.

Much like the barn pictured above, South Carolina has been in a state of neglect, and our governor has cast his lot elsewhere.

It is shocking, to say the least, the extent that Gov. Mark Sanford has been on television in the past couple weeks. Depending on the day, it could be any of the traditional broadcast networks, or cable news venues. Fox News has practically camped out in Columbia, waiting for the latest missive from the Governor on the federal stimulus package.

That is not to say that his opinion on the stimulus money doesn’t matter. It does. But, should we be expecting our top statewide elected official to be a regular talking head on national news about the plan? Should we expect the chief executive to be penning columns every other day about the stimulus bill? South Carolina has many pressing problems that do not originate from, or are being dealt with, by Congress.

This week, the S.C. Senate passed a sweeping reform of the State Ports Authority. At other times, this would have been one of Sanford’s top policy priorities. Unfortunately, all South Carolinians got was a short paragraph of a quote in the form of a news release. And, he got rolled. While the Governor might back a different bill, the plan passed by the Senate seems to be the one that will become law, if one does. But, while the debate was going on, Sanford was busy making appearances on Fox News and writing op-eds for the Wall Street Journal.

Also, he has been shouting from the rafters, not only about the stimulus bill, but also issues with the state Employment Security Commission. And, despite his talk, it looks like Sanford will capitulate on both issues, taking the stimulus money and more cash to pay the unemployment checks of numerous South Carolinians.

Much is made of the enmity between Sanford and the General Assembly, both from Democrats and members of his own party. This is, in part, because the Governor does not seem to be concerned with actual passage of laws and regulations. He looks to be more at home in a libertarian salon, and more apt to be a political philosophy professor at a university than a governor.

If Sanford wants a future beyond 2010, he will have to change his strategy, and fast. You can fool the WSJ and Fox News all you want, but when the rest of the national press and commentariat gets a hold of you, you are going to be just another presidential primary candidate left in the roadside ditch of history. As of right now, it appears Sanford’s legacy will be one of being able to win two elections, but not being able to do much else, except cause problems.

And, as a politician with a similar record will tell you, that only opens up the door for big gains by Democrats.