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Ear to the Ground

Did Taxpayers Fund Sanford’s Love Jaunts?

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Posted on Jun 24, 2009
Mark Sanford
house.gov

Mark Sanford, back when he was a congressman.

U.S. taxpayers twice paid for Mark Sanford’s trips to Argentina, though they occurred before he met his mistress there. Another trip to the land of gauchos was funded by South Carolinians and took place after he met his lover, though before he claims to have, er, danced the tango with her.

Politico via Political Wire:

Though it’s unclear precisely when the trip occurred, it likely would have taken place after he had met the woman. Sanford said Wednesday he met the woman eight years ago, though a romantic relationship did not develop until one year ago.

Sanford also traveled to China and Brazil through the state commerce department, and a review of its records late last year by state press found that taxpayers footed a total bill of $21,488 in Sanford travel. The governors’ office also spent $1,976 in travel for Sanford, according to the review.

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By Anonymous, June 26, 2009 at 7:15 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I think to make an issue of this is just plain silly.  A vote for a conservative politician does not mean that the candidate has to be a saint.  A vote for a conservative representative simply means that the candidate will work to preserve conservative values, i.e. vote in certain directions, support particular positions, etc.  It is really an unwritten work contract between the voter and the candidate nothing else.  It simply obliges the candidate to do his best in protecting supporting a given set of positions that s/he campaigned on when s/he is in her/his workplace (House of Representatives or whatever).

Whether he cheats on his wife is not any of the voters’ business.  It is certainly not an advantage but it is between him and his wife/family/etc, none of the voters (public’s) business to begin with.  Adultery is not to be supported, but it is a highly personal issue which usually depends on personal circumstances.

There are much higher level crimes in politics anyway, unnecessary wars, tax money (orders of magnitude more than higher than this guy’s plane ticket) thrown in the wrong places, etc., etc.

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Anarcissie's avatar

By Anarcissie, June 25, 2009 at 4:25 pm Link to this comment

Looks like he already had plenty of stimulus.

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By SteveL, June 25, 2009 at 4:13 pm Link to this comment

This is the same guy that did not want stimulus money for South Carolina in order to make himself look good for national republican politics. WOW!

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By purplewolf, June 25, 2009 at 2:10 pm Link to this comment

The party of family values guy couldn’t even hang around for Father’s Day to put on a false front of being the perfect American family man. His wife should tell him to take a hike right on out of her life. She and the children would no doubt be better off without this lying bottom feeder.

Give him a one way ticket to Argentina. We don’t need this self absorbed politician, along with others of this mindset, who are not helping solve the mess the last eight years of this very same party has left us with. Time to get rid of this guy also.

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godistwaddle's avatar

By godistwaddle, June 25, 2009 at 12:19 pm Link to this comment

Like the rest of the Republican filth, it doesn’t even have enough honor to put a bullet through its brain.  Despicable behavior from a family values dude..

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By greenriverkate, June 25, 2009 at 9:34 am Link to this comment

As a demo, I could care less. If someone else booked his travel (as it appears so) and he combined 2 for 1, so be it. I feel for his family and am sure he is being torn apart by what he did. Like I said with Bill Clinton, it is between he and his wife and (sons) daughter. Sex has become way overused. His own statements of condemnation toward Bill and other democrats is what bit him in the ass. The press has nothing better to do? This man will suffer his own hell without the aid of the press and gossip. His wife deserves her privacy and so does his sons. He took the stand as someone to judge and condemn others and now finds himself being judged and condemned for his own actions. This is a sad state of affairs for his family. What should be the issue is his words condemning others that he must now EAT. I hope he chokes on those ugly words. I don’t condone what he did, what he said, or the judgement side of the Republican party. Those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. This is why

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Anarcissie's avatar

By Anarcissie, June 25, 2009 at 8:21 am Link to this comment

Clonakilty32:
’... The Democratic party has its own embarrassments and disappointments. ...’

Yes, but we expect Democrats to fool around.  They’re Democrats—“Rum, Romanism and rebellion”, or, as Al Smith once said, when someone warned him about the rabble, “I am the rabble.”

I don’t think South Carolinians should complain if Sanford used public funds to visit his Argentine babe—they’re getting good value in entertainment.  I know whereof I speak—I’m a New Yorker.

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By Alan in SF Bay Area, June 25, 2009 at 7:15 am Link to this comment

What gets my goat is how Foxnews decided to make him a Democrat on their feeds.
http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/shocking-fox-news-labels-disgraced-re

This isn’t the first time apparently.

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By me-again, June 25, 2009 at 7:08 am Link to this comment

“No one needs to throw stones however.The Democratic party….”

Totally cool comment & request…..however I only carry a bag of hypocrisy “stones” and only target hypocrites who vote through tyranny to exclude based on “creeds and traditions” citing sanctity, regardless of what self identifying partisanship label they affix to their lapels.  Whats not cool…... I have to keep refilling it…

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Paul_GA's avatar

By Paul_GA, June 25, 2009 at 6:12 am Link to this comment

As a disillusioned former-conservative-Repub-turned-libertarian, I’m enjoying the Schadenfreude of all this. Every time the MSM anoints someone as the “possible Repub front-runner in 2010”, the nincompoop falls flat on his face—often because he can’t keep his hands to himself.

May the Republican Party die—and soon—by “swallowing its own lies”, as John Arbuthnot said about three centuries ago. The hypocritical, war-mongering scumbags deserve such a fate.

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By Clonakilty32, June 25, 2009 at 6:11 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

It truly is sad.  I’m no great fan of the Repugnant Republican Party or South Carolina but I did like Mark Sanford.  I can’t say I dislike him now but a lot of people are disappointed. I know Gov. Sanford is disappointed in himself. No one needs to throw stones however.The Democratic party has its own embarrassments and disappointments. The Republicans are no worse than the Democrats. This will all play out and exhaust itself and then the public needs to get more attentive to real problems. I hope!  Gov. Sanford is a good man, he is human, he is fallible, he made a poor decision.  No one is going to be harder on Gov. Sanford than himself.

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By Jason!!, June 25, 2009 at 5:33 am Link to this comment

John Edwards still holds top spot!

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By me-again, June 24, 2009 at 11:07 pm Link to this comment

Yes…. another Republican who doesnt truly support the “sanctity” of marriage creed laws.  Of which millions of Americans are forced to live and obey regardless of their own personal creeds.

Tsk

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By boggs, June 24, 2009 at 10:07 pm Link to this comment

Why not? It would be the most bang we’ve got for our buck in a long while.

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By Folktruther, June 24, 2009 at 8:35 pm Link to this comment

Why doesn’t truthdig have more about Paris Hilton?  We don’t know what seh’s doing now.  Inquiring minds want to know.

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By Aikitiger, June 24, 2009 at 8:01 pm Link to this comment

I hate being wrong… I guess Leon Lott isn’t the biggest A$$H01& in Columbia…

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By freedom loving american, June 24, 2009 at 7:30 pm Link to this comment

What does it matter he is a republican.  Nothing a republican does in the US can be unlawful.  Republicans can rape, murder, torture, steal and kill and as long as it does not affect other republicans it is OK…this is America for gods sakes…

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Ed Harges's avatar

By Ed Harges, June 24, 2009 at 5:52 pm Link to this comment

Did you notice how at his press conference/trainwreck he claimed, in a roundabout way, that he mistakenly gave his staff the impression that he had gone hiking on the Appalachian Trail, even though he’d really gone to Argentina?

It was like (to paraphrase freely), “Let me explain how my staff, through no intention of mine, got the impression that I was hiking in the Appalachians. I can see now why they thought I was hiking in the Smokies, but in the end, that’s not where I happened to be….”

Please!

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By AKBeyah, June 24, 2009 at 5:50 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Now we know why he refused to accept economic stimulus money from the federal government.  He had his own stimulus package.

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skulz fontaine's avatar

By skulz fontaine, June 24, 2009 at 5:45 pm Link to this comment

Of course the taxpayer paid for Sanford’s getting jiggy in Argentina. Come on Truthdig, you’re not that naive. Surely. Anyone think that Sexin’ Sanford paid for that liaison himself?

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johnnyfarout's avatar

By johnnyfarout, June 24, 2009 at 5:22 pm Link to this comment

Who cares. he’s out now. We can’t have a philanderer in office…! What would jesus think? Jesus doesn’t care…but he didn’t like being governor in this age of sin anyway…so he’s out…next.

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