Lo and behold, Fox has a new commentator helping out in South Carolina: the ousted, very conservative, very intelligent former governor, Mark Sanford. Sanford, for whom I had high hopes a few years ago, because he was willing to go for the jugular against then–newly elected Barack Obama, was disgraced after being caught cheating on his (first) wife. As you recall, he was caught out of town, off the grid, visiting the mistress. Then all hell broke loose; his wife threw him out, and the good conservative people of South Carolina informed him that his services were no longer needed due to moral turpitude. This, even though he had an unusually successful record for cutting spending and balancing the budget, while articulating conservative positions brilliantly.
Is Mr. Sanford, then, the perfect person to explain how the same electorate which threw him out after trashing only one marriage — albeit a picture-perfect one with four adorable young sons — has now embraced Newt Gingrich, who is also articulate, balanced some budgets, trashed two marriages, and actually married his mistress (who would become first lady of the U.S., should he win the election)? Because I don’t get it.
One of the fascinating results of this race is that SC white evangelicals have just done their best destroy moral issues as a serious subject of federal concern. The GOP no longer has a shred of credibility on this issue, unless the SC results are rejected by other states.
What a fascinating election. Are we facing a repeat of Goldwater 64 (albeit with the Goldwater this time an adulterous faux conservative)? Could be. The worst thing is that Newt may take the GOP class of 2010 right down with him. The GOP could be facing an election catastrophe that it hasn't seen in decades.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, it would have been no different had Romney one, Romney having supported taxpayer-funded abortion, socialized medicine including other violations of conscience for religious healthcare providers, and who instituted gay marriage in his state while governor.
I hope we rally behind Santorum, but Gingrich is at least preferable to Romney, who neither says nor does the right things when he has the power to do so.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYou'd better take a look at Gingrich's track record. Most conservatives hated him less than a year ago, and for good reason. You folks are easily led (not too mention your flexible value systems)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseRE: "You folks . . . "
Yeh . . . cause if there's one thing I'm interested in it's the opinions from liberal trolls about us folks.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSadly, it is true. Apparently many conservatives do not actually have values, they simply have preferences about who runs the government.
My wife refused to vote entirely, just because none of the candidates were worth a flip, in her estimation.
I voted for Ron Paul. Just to make sure that the discussion of economic policy continues to percolate in the Republican party.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI don't understand it either, Lisa.
I just saw Santorum's SC speech, and Rick said, to paraphrase, if a conservative GOP is not a party that promotes marriage and parenthood and passing lessons in moral conduct onto a new generation, who cares.
I agree. One way or another, the recession will end and we'll have "jobs, jobs, jobs." The nation will survive another four years of Obama; the hyperbole aside, we've survived bigger challenges and grown stronger.
What we will not survive -- not in a way that we would want to recognize -- is the continuing, complete collapse of public and private morality.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI see Lowry really took the negative feedback about the memory-sucking page-slowing jive-not-for-grownups tweep- er, twerp, um, oh yeah- tweet-thingie on the Corner mainpage seriously- hey, back atcha, Big Guy.
-outta here.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseSC voters must not have been under the misapprehension they were voting for Husband of the Year, Lisa.
It isn't hard to understand----they want a conservative who will fight liberalism. If only our so-called conservative pundits did.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf only the adulterer did.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYeah, because gleefully supporting infanticide and implementing gay marriage gets you a pass in the eyes of God.
Pluck that plank out before you hammer Newt too hard.
And I say that as someone who won't vote for Gingrich if he's the nominee. Santorum is the choice of social conservatives---Not Mitt "I will defend a woman's right to abortion" Romney.
External Link
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseTime heals all wounds and all that BS. Whether you like it, it's often true.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseYep, if Newt did it during the campaign he wouldn't have had a chance.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm struggling with the very problem that Schiffren describes. My only explanation of myself is that emotionally I want to vote for Newt because I recognize the media as a force in the destruction of the United States- our culture, our morality, our Constitution. The GOP electorate has been jerked around by the media like a monkey on a chain, and I'm angry about that. Newt appears to get his message across in a way that the media cannot deny. With my reason, however, I choose Rick Santorum. He has experience, godly principles, and is conservative. He hasn't lost sight that he represents the people. He is not flashy, not well-connected to the GOP elites, and he hasn't been rammed down my throat by GOP leadership and conservative media. He just may be the last man standing- and that's fine by me.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI can't stand the idea of having a greedy, Tiffany bejewled, home-wrecking harlot living in the White House as first "lady,"
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusebejeweled
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, come on. South Carolina is the state where fathering an illegimate child with a black woman gets you re-elected Senator multiple times, while adopting a southeast Asian child out of the goodness of your heart is grounds for voting against. Asking them to vote according to what they say they believe is like asking a Democrat to think about the consequences of their policies.
(For those who have forgotten their very recent history, I'm talking about Strom Thurmond and John McCain, in that order.)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat can you expect from the benighted state that started the Civil War? Apparently neither Christian Principles nor Family Values. Cordially, Bill
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGovernor Sanford is not in this race. The only candidates here are Santorum, who isn't very good verbally (just like Bush II) and Romney. Romney has not repudiated RomneyCare. Romney raised taxes seven hundred million in four years as Governor. There is no plus with Romney. Gingrich who is not perfect, does have a great conservative record. Certainly more than Romney. Gingrich is the best choice of those still running. Santorum would be second but only because Ron Paul's foreign policy is mad. Ron Paul is fantastic on many domestic issues, but he also has some crazy, crazy sounding ideas. And Romney is actually last. He has no ideas.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt's really, really simple. Amazingly, astoundingly simple.
You know when someone you don't like tells you to do something, how you get that kind of tingly, light sensation just below your sternum? Your adrenaline starts to flow and you start to think "I'm just going to do whatever I darn well please."
That's your pride.
People in South Carolina have a LOT of pride. They do NOT like to be told what to do (remember the Confederate flag issue back in 2000? Yeah, like that) and what they've heard from the media and conservative media for the last two years is that Mitt Romney is the inevitable, even though he's not really all that conservative, really.
But here came Newt in two debates, rhetorically punching back at the media and showing himself to be the kind of person who doesn't take well to being told what to do, or to being pushed around. People in South Carolina LIKE that. They like an underdog who refuses to be pushed around. Because it shows that person has pride. Because South Carolina is full of people who are full of pride.
Because you can't tell us what to do.
I'm not saying it's the most intelligent thing ever - if you think about it, your pride gets you into trouble more often than pretty much anything else except possibly your lust. I'm just explaining what it is about South Carolina.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGuess that old saying about South Carolina is still true "too small for a country, too big for an insane asylum."
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse