From The Hotline for Friday, June 26, 2009

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Friday, June 26, 2009


The wall-to-wall M. Jackson coverage may give Sanford a break from the nat'l spotlight. But back at home, the SC press isn't giving Sanford much breathing room. And, while many questions about Maria have been answered (including what she looks like), there are still plenty left to answer:

-- What does the SC legislature do? Despite his acrimonious relationship w/lawmakers, impeachment calls are few. First, it would require them to hold a special session. That costs money. And as we know, SC doesn't have a lot of it. Even Orangeburg's Times and Democrat, one of two papers in the state to call for his resignation, thinks his actions were "reckless" but don't "warrant impeachment."

-- Will he resign? Sanford looks like a guy who's staying put and trying to move ahead. Yesterday, he paid back the state for some taxpayer-funded travel. Today he sits down with his cabinet.

-- What does this mean for '10? There's a reason you don't hear GOV GOPers McMaster, Haley or Barrett urging Sanford to step down: such a move would give LG Bauer the chance to run as the incumbent. Meanwhile, it's hard to see Dems taking advantage of this situation. Their strongest statewide contender, Inez Tennebaum, was recently tapped to work in the Obama admin.

-- At this point, SC pols seem content to stay on the sidelines. The only question now is if SC voters will want them to do something more.

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