June 26, 2009...This week,
another pro-family, religious right Republican leader fell from grace. South
Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitted an affair with a woman in Argentina. In
his news conference, he apologized to his family, his constituents, and his
staff and to “people of faith.”
The media firestorm began after
Sanford was reported missing for several days. Initially, his staff reported
that he was hiking in the Appalachian Trail to unwind from a testy legislative
session. Then his wife said that he was in seclusion to work on a book. Of
course, the real story was that he went on a 5,600 mile trip to Argentina to
hook up with his mistress.
Sanford let down his party, his
state, his family and ruined his reputation. He resigned his position as
Chairman of the Republican Governor’s Association, but may fight to preserve
his job as Governor of South Carolina. He may choose to follow the path of U.S.
Senator David Vitter and hang on to his position, or he may resign like former
New York Governor Elliot Spitzer.
In this Sanford sex scandal,
there are still a few pieces of the puzzle missing. One of the real questions
involves whether he broke the law by vanishing last week, leaving no one in
charge. He also visited with his mistress during an “economic development” trip
to Argentina last year. Sanford said he would reimburse the taxpayers of South
Carolina for the Argentine portion of the trip. If more taxpayer financed trips
to Argentina are uncovered, the scandal will only intensify for Sanford.
One thing is certain; Sanford
will never be a player on the national political scene. It is a real shame
because he was the type of independent libertarian leaning Republican that the
GOP needs to connect with millions of disaffected voters.
Unfortunately for the GOP, the
party has now been rocked once again, and another shining political star has
been exposed as a hypocrite and an adulterer who has corrupt family values. The
long list of recent GOP sex scandals is growing: Bob Livingston, Newt Gingrich,
Henry Hyde, Mark Foley, Larry Craig, David Vitter, John Ensign, and now
Sanford.
It is one thing for a Democrat to
be exposed as a philanderer because liberal candidates rarely embrace family
values or stress the importance of the sanctity of marriage. When this type of
scandal happens to a Republican, it harms the entire social conservative
movement and raises legitimate questions in the minds of voters. Who can we
trust? Are they all just a bunch of narcissistic phonies?
So many Republican politicians
have been revealed as hypocrites, it will be no surprise if conservative voters
do not trust anyone. The Sanford scandal is a symptom of our corrupt society
today and reflects the troubles of many marriages. In a society in which 50% of
marriages end in divorce, it is no surprise that so many GOP politicians are
having affairs.
However, Sanford did more than
just have an affair. He lied to his staff; he abandoned his constituents and
went on a mystery trip. In the process, he disgraced his family and he
concocted an elaborate story to cover his tracks. How stupid for a man to ruin
his promising political career for a 5,600 mile booty call.
It shows once again the frailties
of human beings and the egotism of our politicians today. Who do we trust? It
is time everyone stopped placing trust in fallible human beings and started
placing trust in the only being that is truly worthy, God.
