After U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson had a moment of temporary insanity and yelled at the President from the floor of the House on live, national television — joining the long list of off-kilter moments from S.C. politicos — he seemed really contrite in his apology, given to Obama chief of staff Rahm Emanuel (then Emanuel probably said, “Fuck you, Joe,” because he’s contractually obligated to drop f-bombs every few words).

But, almost immediately, he started back on the attack, which was almost like saying, “I’m sorry, but not really.” The fact is, if you’re not winning, you’re losing. The gaffe necessitated that he had to turn it to his advantage. His consultants started seriously aggressively pimping his shirts, and there was a rally scheduled at his office in West Columbia. He went up on YouTube.

In the video, Wilson says, “The supporters of the government takeover of health care and the liberals who want to give health care to illegals are using my opposition as an excuse to distract from the critical questions being raised about this poorly conceived plan. They want to silence anyone who speaks out against it. They made it clear they want to defeat me and pass the plan.

The campaign’s use of social media was well-done, though at times very annoying.

And considering he’s being blown out in the post-speech money race, something had to be done. He gave an underdog that he should clock for a second-straight cycle some life and made his reelection — an all-but-certain prospect — a real doubt.

If Wilson had just kept his head down and got whipped by the Democrats in the media and let challenger Rob Miller keep rolling in money, he would be in an even worse position. He had to circle the wagons, as a matter of course. Whether his reaction saves his seat or he wins just because the district is drawn that way, we’ll be able to deduce next year.

One of the few good things to come out of Gov. Mark Sanford‘s email dump is that we finally get clear answers to what was obvious, but what his prevaricating staff would never make clear.

Reform SC
Though the Governor and his people have said damn near everything to the contrary, it’s been common knowledge that groups like Reform SC have been getting their marching orders from “downstairs” at the State House. With a kicker, that revelation is attached to a PR strategy email about ways to attack Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell.

The alternative budget
Earlier this year, Sanford allies in the Senate said time and time again that the “alternative budget” did not come out of the Governor’s Office. Sen. Tom Davis seemed to bristle at the suggestion that the budget was a Sanford venture. The first cracks in this façade were when Sen. Kevin Bryant said in a news story that several senators had met with the Governor’s staff to develop the proposal. Now we finally know the real truth.

Not so obvious
Because to have a blinding flash you first have to have the dark, here it is: the now-anonymous email talking to Sanford about a media play by consultant Bob McAlister against the Governor’s stimulus position. Who sent it? From where? Thanks to the redacts, it’s hard to know.

One has to wonder about the weeping and gnashing of teeth that is going on over at 1600 Gervais Street these days. First, some one-term Democratic senator makes their boy John McCain look like the new Bob Dole, and now he goes and takes their candidate for 2012.

Monday, President Barack Obama appointed Utah Gov. Jon Hunstman as his administration’s envoy to China. Huntsman, who was seen as a leading contender for the GOP presidential nomination in three years, had been solidifying his ties with the gentlemen at Richard Quinn & Associates, and Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster.

Even The Washington Post‘s Chris Cillizza called this one:

LOSERS
Former McCainiacs: A number of people with close ties to McCain’s two presidential bids — led by Weaver and South Carolina consultant Richard Quinn — had already signed on to help Huntsman in 2012. With their guy now off the presidential playing field indefinitely, they have to find a new rising star for 2012 or run the risk of being left out of the machinations over identity of the party’s next nominee.

Oops. Well, there is always Sen. Lindsey Graham, if he can manage to keep his home state Republicans with him.

Richard Quinn & Associates resident blogger Adam Fogle appears to have painted himself into a corner. While aggressively pimping his firm’s candidate for governor, Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster, he went on and on about how U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett was given the Bronx cheer at a South Carolina “tea party” for voting for the latest stimulus package.

Now, apparently, he is the “chairman” of a group running 60 second ads asking Gov. Mark Sanford to accept the stimulus money to fund education and law enforcement.

The South Carolina Taxpayers Alliance is putting out an advertisement urging Gov. Mark Sanford to accept the $700 million worth of stimulus money.

The group says the ad will begin airing on Tuesday in hopes of changing the governor’s mind.

Chairman Adam Fogle says his group agrees with Sanford about the stimulus being a bad idea, but he hopes he will change his mind so the money won’t go to some other state who may not need it as much as the Palmetto State.

Looks like just the beginning in Henry Mac’s problems as he makes the long run toward the primary.

For six years, Gov. Mark Sanford has done all he can to alienate himself from his own party, poison the political atmosphere (which should have been impossible) and show how not to lead.

He also heralded the front line presence of South Carolinians for Responsible Government, S.C. Club for Growth, S.C. Policy Council and a myriad of Sanford shell groups.

Until former State Treasurer Thomas Ravenel’s cocaine bust, he was the obvious heir apparent for this small, but well-funded and vocal, lobby. Hell, Ravenel was even best buds with Mallory Factor.

But, here we are, with three major candidates for governor, none of which is an easy fit with Howard Rich‘s heimwehren. If last year is any indicator, even with a coordinated attack, these groups had to rely on one man, some mistakes, and pure political skullduggery on one particular race, to get just a few key people elected to the General Assembly.

And, some of those guys might as well make plans to go back to the day job full time as of the next cycle.

Still, this lobby cannot do what they like, the Governor is acting like a spoiled child, and the leadership in the House and the Senate is just a little hostile.

Right now, all Team Sanford has to bet on is Karen Floyd, one of theirs. She will be the next chairman of the S.C. Republican Party. But, as has been said, she was the only statewide Republican to lose in 2006 and still has tens of thousands of dollars in campaign debt to pay off.

Unless Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer‘s involvement with Floyd’s firm is him tipping his cards to Project Mayhem, Sanford’s stormtroopers are going to be even more marginalized than they are already.

Gov. Mark Sanford‘s disclosure report for this quarter finally went online, confirming what was expected and also raising questions.

Currently, the term-limited governor is sitting on $1.68 million, and has enough money earning interest in accounts that NBSC sent over $1,512.42 in January and $944.35 in February.

His expenditures were pretty much run of the mill from previous periods. Reimbursements to Sanford, payments for cell phones and credit card fees.

However, the Governor also paid consultant Jon Lerner, who helped run his 2006 campaign, $4,000 on January 29. Now, what would an official in Sanford’s position need with a campaign consultant?

Rumors that Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman‘s recent visit to meet with Atty. Gen. Henry McMaster, in order to secure McMaster’s support for a presidential run, may now have some validity.

In McMaster’s latest disclosure report, there is a sizable showing from the Beehive State, including donations from Huntsman and his wife. It begs the question: why would a number of big-money Utahans be sending their cash all the way across the country for an as-of-yet unannounced gubernatorial candidate? Surely not good feelings about being connected to the last GOP standard bearer, who made Bob Dole’s ’96 run look good in comparison.

2009.03.06 | Omiture (Orem), $3,500
2009.03.09 | Christopher Von Maak (Salt Lake City), $100
2009.03.11 | Bingham Family Alaska, LLC (Orem), $3,500
2009.03.11 | Blue Diamond Capital, LLC (Orem), $2,000
2009.03.13 | Layton Companies (Sandy), $3,500
2009.03.13 | Jon Huntsman Sr. (Salt Lake City), $3,500
2009.03.13 | Scott Anderson (Salt Lake City) $3,500
2009.03.13 | Raser Technologies (Provo), $3,000
2009.03.13 | Mary Kaye Huntsman (Salt Lake City), $3,500
2009.03.13 | Jon Huntsman Jr. (Salt Lake City), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Thurland Reay (Layton), $250
2009.03.14 | Tyson Creamer (Bountiful), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Ryan Creamer (Salt Lake City), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Steve Creamer (Salt Lake City), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Jeannine Bennett (Salt Lake City), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Diane Creamer (Salt Lake City), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Danielle Creamer (Bountiful), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Niels Melville (St. George), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Angela Melville (St. George), $3,500
2009.03.14 | Webb Consulting (Salt Lake City), $250
2009.03.15 | Lew Cramer (Salt Lake City), $500
2009.03.16 | Jeffrey Wright (Salt Lake City), $1,500
TOTAL: $60,100

In the past, as in the most recent election cycle, Gov. Mark Sanford used his coterie of independent groups to run ads favorable to his slate of candidates, who were, ironically, running against fellow Republicans.

The Governor has taken to the airwaves again, this time courtesy of his group, “Carolinians for Reform.” Of course, the names and staff for these organizations are basically interchangeable, so the name barely matters.

However, and here is the kicker: CfR was the group Sanford gave state grant money to after the National Governors Association convention. Maybe the Governor does not understand that people know how to use Google (he should probably tell Mr. Kuyk that). Maybe he does not care, period. In the event that taxes may have to be raised, it does not take a brilliant pollster to find out that people would be willing to shell out an extra couple bucks for good schools and secure prisons.

Wonkette is already on top of the matter and reposted the video below.

Interestingly today, Sanford combined this ad with bypassing the S.C. media and going directly to The Washington Post. After a number of years of digesting and dissecting the Governor’s pablum, most journalists in this state have figured out how to separate the wheat from the chaff, and that is not good for Sanford’s ambitions.

So, he went to talk to Chris Cillizza. In the interview, Sanford admitted that the issue was a political loser. But, that is what gets him off. If he really thinks that pulling stunts like this is what is going to get him the Republican nomination in 2012, then he truly is out to lunch. The national Republican Party does not nominate people like Sanford to be its presidential candidate these days. Normally, it is someone who has bided their time (McCain, Dole), an establishment figure (Dole, Bush Sr.) a legacy (Bush Jr.), or preferably a combination of any two of the three factors.

And, has been said many times, Sanford does not play well with others. This appears to be another one of those circumstances.

Jeffery Sewell, S.C. political consultant and noted RINO hunter, recently sent out an email advertising his access to the S.C. Election Commission voter file. In the subject, he writes, “Complete ’08 SCEC file complete with appendeges e.g. no dead, felons etc blah blah…buy from me or pay twice the price…available right now.”

Now, Sewell has been kind to this site in the past, which surely means Wolfe Reports will join the number of recently axed sites from his news aggregator. That is fine. It is only a matter of time until we piss off nearly everyone and find ourselves begging for money for cheap beer like the rest of the homeless in Five Points.

However, how does a guy who has taken pride in going after “Republicans In Name Only” offer his voter file to Democrats? One of the email addresses listed is Jay Parmley, executive director of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Not only that, but Parmley is a member of the RISE SC Facebook group. RISE SC, as you may recall, is totally opposed to school choice, which Sewell says he favors and in which movement he has been involved.

But, that is not all. He has also offered the list to Rick Beltram, chairman of the Spartanburg County Republican Party. It should not take most people long to wonder why a guy who says he is a supporter of Karen Floyd and says she will be the next S.C. Republican Party chairman would be offering his list to one of her opponents.

And, still, there is more. He also offered it to people he called RINOs in the past, like S.C. operatives Rod Shealy and Wesley Donehue. What is not known is if the other people on the listing, like SCGOP chairman Katon Dawson, Richard Quinn & Associates’ Rick Quinn, McAllister Communications‘ Dave Wilson and Starboard Communications‘ Mike Green are considered to be in the same camp as the others, or just open to cut rate voter file access.

Either way, there are more things afoot in S.C. politics than anyone could even imagine.

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.