Give Mark Sanford an "A" for Audacity, But We'll Take Larry Grooms, Thank You

Mark Sanford: Clever and Audacious

You have to give Mark Sanford an "A" -  for audacity.  It was a clever move to ask the wife he betrayed to run his Congressional campaign.  He must have remembered how philanderer Gary Hart's wife told America that "if it (adultery) doesn't bother me, it shouldn't bother you."  Fortunately, Jenny Sanford, who has more smarts and class than the Hart's and Mark Sanford combined, turned him down.

 

We're glad Sanford claims to be repentant and we forgive him and wish him well, but repentance doesn't qualify one for the people's trust and the high honor bestowed with a seat in the United States Congress.  We also think he was right when he used to rail against career politicians.

Larry Grooms: A Faithful Conservative

Let's give the honor to someone who has earned it - a faithful husband, dutiful father, solid conservative and dedicated public servant.  

Larry Grooms will make a superb Congressman for South Carolina's First Congressional District.

Why Mark Sanford Wanted His Ex-Wife To Run His Comeback Campaign

Jason Zengerle has a long profile of ex-South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford in the latest edition of New York magazine that's worth a read for anyone fascinated by the Republican's return to politics less than four years after he became a national punchline thanks to his time "hiking" the Appalachian trail. But the nugget that's making the most headlines this morning is that the Republican asked his ex-wife Jenny to be his campaign manager late last year when he was laying the groundwork for his bid to fill Rep. Tim Scott's old House seat:

When [Mark] first ran for Congress in 1994, he installed Jenny as his campaign manager. He did this for reasons of economy—"You’re free," he told her at the time—but she proved a natural at the job. She blossomed into a shrewd political strategist, running Mark’s subsequent campaigns and becoming his top adviser. Will Folks, a former Sanford press secretary, says, "There’s absolutely no way he would have ever won the congressional seat or been governor without her."  ...

So when Mark came to visit her, he arrived with a proposal. "Since you’re not running, I want to know if you’ll run my campaign," he said. "We could put the team back together." Jenny told him, in so many words, that wasn’t going to happen.

Read more at Slate >>