Is Mark Sanford running for President?

[liberalpragmatist]

The conservative press has touted him as a rising star, as have many GOP insiders. And he might be able to get in through support from the religious right and small-government wing. If the GOP is in the midst of a civil war in '08, as I think it might be, then I think Sanford may have a good shot at the nomination.

[LastDemocratInSC]

1. Don't forget the Republican primary contest that preceded his election

The religious right and small-government wing fought Sanford like mad. He was viewed as a favorite of "elite liberal educators" because of his association with Furman University and other colleges. In the Upstate Sanford was portrayed, by the Repugs who represent primarily rural areas, as a favorite among the "downtown liberal elite" who run the banks and cities. It didn't seem to matter that those elite educators, bankers and politicians are mostly Repugs.

Sanford made the mistake of not being a machine-made Repug candidate. Now that he has carried a live pig into the State House (yes, he did that, and the little piggie also pooped on the marble) Sanford's stock may have gone way up among the wackos.

Isn't it amazing what a little pig shit can do? One might think it would stink, but it might just make Sanford end up smelling like a rose.

[kayell]

2. The irony of that portrayal is that ever since, Sanford has been

targeting various Universities budgets for extreme cuts. In fact he is apparently so angry that he didn't succeed in cutting Clemson's Public Service Activities programs by the 41% he'd fantasized of (largely because Master Gardeners and others around the state turned out in mass) that he has now targeted the volunteer Master Gardeners program as a waste of money, and up for elimination next year.