Beyond Clueless

Ok, so back in 2009, then GOP South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, married and the father of four boys, got caught having an affair in Argentina when he was supposed to be “hiking the Appalachian Trail.”  His wife Jenny divorced him.  Sanford is now engaged to his Argentinian mistress, Maria Belen Chapur.

Sanford served the rest of his term, which ended in 2011.

When Jim DeMint left the Senate to run the Heritage Foundation last year, Tim Scott got appointed to fill his seat, leaving a House vacancy in the Charleston district.  Mark Sanford held that seat before becoming governor.  His ex-wife had managed all of his campaigns.

So Sanford decided to run for his old seat.  Fine.  But what’s incredible is that, although this was not a “friendly” divorce and they are barely on speaking terms, he asked Jenny to manage his campaign.*  As you’d expect, she told him that wasn’t going to happen.

The man definitely has a screw loose, which I guess makes him a good fit for the current House GOP Caucus.

*  “Back on the Trail,” Jason Zengerie, New York Magazine

Senate D’s and R’s Agree on Something — They All Hate Ted

I’ve been writing about how Ted “Clueless” Cruz, the new Tea Party senator from Texas, has made a terrible first impression on his colleagues.

Here’s Elepeth Reeve, “Senate Reaches Rare Bipartisan Agreement on Ted Cruz,” The Atlantic Wire:

“Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, has only been a U. S. Senator for 43 days, but he’s already accomplished the amazing feat of uniting both sides of the aisle.  Less than six weeks into his term, a remarkable number of both Republicans and Democrats have come forward to say that they think Cruz is kind of a jerk.  In a steady stream of reports from his new colleagues, Cruz’s rudeness comes in both public and private, and it’s not just the words he uses but also how many of them he uses.”

Here’s Ruth Marcus, “Ted Cruz, making quite an entrance,” WaPo:

“Behind the scenes, Cruz has rankled even Republican colleagues, who think he lectures too much at private party sessions — ‘pontificates’ is one word used — and listens too little, especially for a newbie.

“One Republican senator described Cruz to me as ‘Jim De­Mint without the charm,’ referring to the rigidly conservative South Carolina Republican who left the Senate to head the Heritage Foundation — and who was not exactly renowned for being warm and fuzzy. Cruz is said to have a frosty relationship with his state’s senior senator, John Cornyn (R), dating to Cruz’s surprising decision, as Senate candidate, not to endorse his fellow Texan’s bid for party whip.”

Colbert’s Sis Runs in SC

Stephen Colbert’s sister, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, is running as a Dem for the House seat Tim Scott gave up when SC Gov. Nikki Haley appointed him to the Senate to fill Jim DeMint’s seat.  DeMint left to make a million bucks at the Heritage Foundation.

Former GOP Gov. Mark Sanford, famed hiker and adulterer, has announced that he’s running for the Republican nomination to that seat, which he held before he ran for governor.  He’s also planning to marry his Argentine mistress this summer.

I guess Colbert-Busch can count on her brother to write as many Appalachian Trail jokes as she wants.

Mitch and John — Statesmen or Politicians?

From “The Republicans’ Moment of Truth,” Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast:

“So this all falls entirely on the shoulders of McConnell and Boehner.  Obama…has done plenty of compromising, especially for the guy who won the election. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are behind him. So the Democrats are ready to play ball.

“The only thing the Republicans are ready to play, as usual, is roulette, with the cocked gun against the country’s temple, unfortunately, and not their own. It’s worth taking a moment in this context to consider: Never have the priorities for survival and success of a major party’s Washington politicians been so utterly at odds with the priorities required for the country’s survival and success. These Washington Republicans represent the one-third of the country that hates government, despises Obama, and considers obstruction victory.

“The rational two-thirds wants compromise, good-faith bargaining, higher taxes on the wealthy, a reasonably strong safety net, and lower defense spending. But the obstructionist one-third wants the opposite. McConnell and Boehner aren’t ideologically committed to that one-third in the way that Jim DeMint and Paul Ryan are, but so far, they have never once stood up to it for the country’s sake. We’ll find out this weekend who they really are.”  Emphasis added.

Tim Scott Appointed to Senate

Republican SC Gov. Nikki Haley has appointed Congressman Tim Scott to fill retiring Sen. Jim DeMint’s seat.  Scott will have to run in 2014.

Scott will be the only African-American in the U. S. Senate.

Colbert Moving from Comedy Central to C-Span?

A new South Carolina PPP poll shows Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert in the lead to replace GOP Sen. Jim DeMint, who is moving his Tea Parties to the Heritage Foundation.

Colbert has 20%, GOP Congressman Tim Scott has 15%, GOP Congressman Trey Gowdy has 14%, and former first lady — and spurned spouse of former Gov. Mark Sanford — Jenny Sanford has 11%.

Gov. Nikki Haley will choose someone to fill the seat until the 2014 election.

 

Jim DeMint, the Candidate-Forum Nazi

No Candidate Forum for you!  That’s what Jim DeMint has told presidential contenders Jon Huntsman and Rick Santorum about his South Carolina candidate event on Labor Day.  But while he’s not inviting some candidates to his candidate forum, you apparently don’t have to be a candidate to be included because he has invited Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin.

Both Santorum and Huntsman are planning a big push in the Palmetto State, so the snub has to hurt.

I wonder if DeMint is now higher on Santorum’s Enemies List than Dan Savage.