Spitzer, because he was a good governor with good politics who just happened to like sex too much.
Blago, because as corrupt as he was, actually did a lot of really good things policy-wise.
Sanford is last, because he has been an awful governor where even his conservative, Republican legislature fought him over his refusal to accept free money from the Feds. I am not sure that I could agree with one thing that Sanford has done in SC.
Wumpus
· 6 months ago
Sanford, as his indiscretion was least offensive. He tried to go to a foreign country to do it. SPitzer paid for it, plus he was the guy who indicted his way to the gov office. Blago was a corrupt goof.
Sanford commited no felony or misdemeanor, he is just a jerk. Given the financial conditions of each state, Sanford all the way.
The Doc
· 6 months ago
Yeesh. I suppose Spitzer, as his work as AG was pretty impressive.
Sanford is a rabid ideologue and Blago is, well, Blago.
Carl Nyberg
· 6 months ago
I'm going to lean toward Spitzer based on him being a reasonably competent AG. He actually succeeded at an executive job.
Although, Spitzer's popularity plummeted as governor almost immediately. Blagojevich and Sanford both got re-elected as governors.
Blagojevich and Sanford both have a disconnected with reality quality about them.
Spitzer's trysts with prostitutes seemed to engage in a reasonable level of self-preservation. Spitzer was caught b/c the feds engaged in unexpected or unusual scrutiny of one particular escort service.
Speaking at Will
· 6 months ago
For all of his troubles, give me Rod Blago. No one took corrutpion and total destruction of government to the level he did. He brought Illinois to the forefront of the National dialouge with aplomb, style and a hairbursh.
Give me Rod Blago, for his spin sisters, plane trips back and forth from Chicago, and $2000 dollar suits. Oh how I long for the days of Rod Blago, the governor with style and disgrace!
wordslinger
· 6 months ago
The first one off the island is easy: Blago. He was corrupt through and through.
I wasn't a big fan of either Spitzer or Sanford (both incredibly arrogant) before they got caught, so choosing between the two is a little tough.
Spitzer broke the law repeatedly. Sanford appears to be having a nervous breakdown. Spitzer is certainly closer to my politics.
As so often happens in a democracy, I'll hold my nose and vote for Sanford (we had to make a choice, right?). He didn't break the law, as far as we know. Maybe just middle-age crazy.
Don't Worry, Be Happy
· 6 months ago
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the weirdest governor of all? Still Rod Blagojevich.
I'd have to go with Spitzer on this one. His problems had the least to do with his job as governor. Blago was, well, Blago, and Sanford left the country without telling anyone and left the State with no one in charge. Both of them violated constitutional principles. Spitzer was mostly just a shmuck and a hypocrite, although he may have misused campaign and State resources in his sex trips.
Besides, where would Lisa Madigan be without having Spitzer as a role model? Politically speaking, that is.
Dirtybird
· 6 months ago
I would still stick with Rod...the entertainment value alone is priceless. Besides Spitzer doesn't even have a full head of hair! How could he compete with Blago's mop?
Bill
· 6 months ago
Speaking, Now you're talking, brother! Give me Rod. too. For many reasons: Minimum wage increase Pre-school all kids Balanced budgets with no tax increases Beer bashes with Jay and Kevin card check CapFax blogging And, finally, a governor who told Madigan to shove it
Rich Miller
· 6 months ago
===He didn’t break the law, as far as we know. ===
I believe adultery is illegal in SC. Then again, we're not sure he actually broke the law within SC state limits, so it probably doesn't matter.
Ulysses
· 6 months ago
Spitzer. He may be a philanderer, but at least he was a competent executive.
South of I-80
· 6 months ago
I think I may have a way to settle this question. A new reality game show:
"I'M A GOVERNOR.....LET ME KEEP MY JOB!!!"
Six Degrees of Separation
· 6 months ago
Then again, we’re not sure he actually broke the law within SC state limits, so it probably doesn’t matter.
Is thinking about adultery legal in SC?
Anyway, I think Rod takes my prize. While the other 2 shrank apologetically when caught with their hands in the "cookie jar", Rod just got more audacious, oblivious, and defiant. His first quote off the plane from Argentina would've been, "Basically, it's an up day."
Carl Nyberg
· 6 months ago
Didn't West Virginia and Kentucky have governors caught in sex scandals too?
Bill
· 6 months ago
With Rod, every day is an up day....even today.
Pat collins
· 6 months ago
We've forgotten about NJ's ex gov too :)
it's easy:
3) Blago - state in horrible fiscal shape. He took a bad situation and made it worse.
2) Spitzer - he didn't really govern long enough to do much good or bad.
1) Sanford - don't cry for me, Argentinnnnnaaaa. all things considered, SC is not too bad. Deficit not too bad, unemplyment is high, but foreclosures are low.
Take the gov with the most miles, not the most indictments :)
Will County Woman
· 6 months ago
I'd rather have Blago. I really miss his 2 p.m. Friday press conference/ literary sessions. adultury is really no big in the greater scheme of things.
In all seriousness Blago was impeached and ousted for reasons that had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with his competency as a governor, and that was the real shame. It was nothing but personal petty politics on the part of the Illinois GA.
wordslinger
· 6 months ago
Judging by the Great American Country Music Songbook, I think that's all they're thinking about!
Six Degrees of Separation
· 6 months ago
“Basically, it’s an up day.â€
Or, "It was an up 5 days."
Statehouse intern
· 6 months ago
Spitzer- You get the sense the he and his family can actually recover from his personal ordeal.
I mean, Sanford ditched the state for an entire week without anyone knowing his whereabouts. Leaving the continent without delineating a contingency plan is a totally irresponsible act, adultery notwithstanding.
As for Blagojevich...well, I don't think there's any chance of recovery there...
Anonymous
· 6 months ago
If the question is which of the three we'd rather have as governor, I'd have to (very reluctantly)vote for Spitzer by default. Blago is off the list because... well, you all know why.
Sanford is off my list, not so much because of his affair, and not because of his policies (I think he had a good point about the future effects of the stimulus money), but because of his extreme negligence in disappearing from the state for days and not telling anyone where he could be reached, or leaving someone in charge in case of emergency.
What if there had been a prison riot, tornado, flood, etc. that required activating the National Guard or making a disaster declaration? That he would simply walk away from potentially life and death responsibilities, and not even bother to check in with an aide periodically to see if everything was OK, is the deal breaker for me. Even Blago never did that.
Greg B.
· 6 months ago
I gotta go with John Ensign. His numbers are still better than Harry Reid's.
Wumpus
· 6 months ago
Can't forget about New Jer(k)sey's gov.
Bluefish
· 6 months ago
I'll take Spitzer for $1,000 an hour, Alex.
He made a poor choice but at least it did little direct harm to his state (unlike Blago's madness and Sanford's utter irresponsibility). And he at least had the decency to resign. Oh, and if you think Illinois is in bad shape even with Blago gone, you should read up on the utter madness taking place in the NY Senate this month. Wow.
Macbeth
· 6 months ago
Spitzer is definitely the smartest of the bunch. I'd rather have a smart guy like Spitzer, then a -- dare I say it -- dummy like Blagojevich. I don't know anything about Sanford except that I find running off to Argentina quite odd. I mean, like, really really odd.
All I ask is that my governor have brains and be committed to solving significant problems. Quinn's up there -- he's no dummy -- but his performance is quite disappointing. He's a smart guy, but he's clearly lacking some of the leadership qualities I'd hoped he might have.
siriusly
· 6 months ago
1) Spitzer - and I think the people of new york will agree when the elect him to office again. Scandal, hyppocrite, personal demons. Those issues aside, he did some things well and seemed like a pretty decent governor. He didn't abuse his office for personal gain as far as we can tell. He never shook down anyone.
2) Sanford - freaky yes, but at least he was functional as a governor. He didn't abuse his office for personal gain as far as we can tell. He never shook down anyone.
3) I didn't even want to put Blago on the list, but i try to follow your QOTD rules. Nothing good to say about him. He did abuse his office for personal gain. Ultimate betrayal of public trust. Pathological liar.
I agree with the NYT - THANK YOU Sanford!
My question in all of this: Why did the SC paper wait 6 months to investigate or publish those emails? What gives with that?
Little Egypt
· 6 months ago
Is "None of the Above" an option?
Will County Woman
· 6 months ago
Wumpus, you're right how did NJ's governor not get thrown into the mix. The way he trashed his wife after he went he down in flames. He was really something else. And, it wasn't good.
phocion
· 6 months ago
Rod's still the worst. Spitzer's babe was pretty hot, so at least that part of his judgment was decent. I reserve my judgment on Sanford until I see photos of his mistress in a bikini. And the guy did at least fall in love with his paramour - with plenty of turgid love poetry to prove it.
Skeeter
· 6 months ago
Wumpus, Least offensive? You are not offended by the fact that this allegedly pro-American Republican Gov. had to go overseas to find his partner? What kind of example does this set? What a great insult to the United States of America!
At least Spitzer chose an American, and helped stimulate the American economy.
In response to the question -- the very first post nails it. What he said.
Six Degrees of Separation
· 6 months ago
It was nothing but personal petty politics on the part of the Illinois GA.
Well, technically, all the GA except for Deb Mell.
Rich Miller
· 6 months ago
WCW, since he was not at all competent, how could his impeachment have been based on that?
Just sayin...
Bakersfield
· 6 months ago
Sanford, at least when he's gone he can't screw things up too bad. Imagine how much lower that deficit would be had Blagojevich been away from the Gov's mansion his entire time in office...ok, bad example.
Greg
· 6 months ago
What's all this about Spitzer being such a good executive? The same guy who railroaded unpopular defendants and pursued political opponents to all ends? He is a lot like Blago...just smarter.
In the end, phocion is right. Ashley Dupre beats a massive deficit and dysfunctional legislature.
Tony
· 6 months ago
I'd like Spitzer. Taking away his issues with call girls (high-quality, expensive ones, I might add), he seemed to be an effective governor and leader. A few years ago, he went after the big record companies for payola allegations, and that turned me into a fan. Obviously the guy's got problems, but he didn't go on and on about the sanctity of marriage, etc., so the hypocrisy isn't there the way it is with Sanford, and he wasn't caught red-handed allegedly selling a seat in the U.S. Senate like Blago.
These are my thoughts
· 6 months ago
When it comes to running a state, it's sad if I really would have to choose this but I would take unfaithful over mentally ill. My answer is, anyone of them except for Blagojevich. Spitzer seems to be more skilled at running the show than Sanford, so I guess I'd take Spitzer if I had to.
Randolph
· 6 months ago
Spitzer - first post nailed it. A smart, competent guy who just liked sex a little too much. At least he was smart enough to a) not get involved in an actual relationship and b) not abandon his state.
I can't pick between Rod and Sanford. Rod is corrupt through and through but closer (although not especially close) to my politics.
Sanford is pretty much anathema to my politics, completely shirked his responsibility, abandoned his state and might be having a nervous breakdown, and is most certainly as arragant and hypocritical as Rod, but I haven't seen any evidence that he's a crook. So for those two, it's a tie.
bored on 1
· 6 months ago
Blago was not unfaithful. He does seem to care about his family.
L.S.
· 6 months ago
-And, finally, a governor who told Madigan to shove it-
And how did that work out for him?
In order of preference:
Spitzer wasn't a terrible governor, not great, but a decent executive, just had a major, major flaw.
I disagree with Sanford on just about everything but I kinda like his weird honesty about the whole thing.
And then there is Rod, maybe he should have tried a sex scandal. It would have been better than what he was: an inefficent, unintellignet and utterly incompetent "governor" who from day one was only in business to steal anything that wasn't nailed down and stroke his own narrsistic ego. His crimes are much, much worse that Spitzer and Sanford becuase they were not foolish personal trists. They were a criminal enterprise, a poorly run one at that.
Captain America
· 6 months ago
Spitzer was the most competent - he really was an excellewt AG.
Sanford is a a typical Republican hypocrite who led the ridiculous impeachmnet agains out adulterer in chief. But adultery is not a crime in my book.
Sexual pecadillos/adultery are not as seerious as Balog's multitude of alleged felonies. Blago would be my last choice as Governor, since he ran a crooked operation from start to finish and really betrayed the public trust.
Ben S.
· 6 months ago
Spitzer is currently more popular in NY than the man who replaced him. Considering that and his courage to go after Wall Street before it became popular, I'd have to go with him. I go to school in NY and was home on spring break when the Spitzer scandal broke and said at the time that I would rather have him then than Blago. Looks like I was pretty prescient...
I'm certainly no lawyer, but there doesn't appear to be any qualifiers regarding the location of the "relations", especially given the definition offered in Section 16-15-70.
To the question, I don't know much about SC's grounds for impeachment, recall (if any), etc. but certainly Sanford's disappearance for nearly a week -- being completely unreachable in the event of an emergency -- would seem to be at the least to be a massive dereliction of duty. (Several big weather events did happen elsewhere in the country during the time Sanford went AWOL. Had SC's National Guard been needed, Sanford wasn't able to give the orders.) Not sure if anyone in SC will bring him up on adultery charges, but he did clearly admit to committing adultery.
And, of course, we know Blago was impeached on several offenses. At this point he stands accused of breaking the law and is awaiting trial.
So, that leaves Spitzer. Again, he probably committed impeachable offenses (depending on NY's own state Constitution) and he certainly broke the law re prostitution, but at least the guy appeared to be running the state fairly well -- didn't disappear for days on end and didn't try "selling" the office.
Levois
· 6 months ago
I choose Sanford. At least he didn't get arrested as a Governor. He just got caught cheating!
Six Degrees of Separation
· 6 months ago
So, Rob N, if I commit adultery in Argentina or IL, I could be brought to trial in SC? A resident of SC, if committing burglary in GA and arrested either there or SC, would expect to be tried in GA under their laws even though it is also unlawful in SC. I will go out on a limb here and say, no legitimate charge unless the physical act occurred on SC soil.
Speaking at Will
· 6 months ago
Blagojevich Trial Date. June 3 2010.
Rob_N
· 6 months ago
Six,
Sheesh - I said I'm not a lawyer and that I didn't know if location of the activity mattered or not. :)
The question of whether or not adultery is illegal in SC was brought up and I answered it with a link to the actual SC law.
And, no if you are not a citizen of SC, not married under the laws of that state, etc. then why would SC have any claim to extradite you from Argentina or Illinois for committing adultery?
But, if you are a citizen of SC and you are married under the laws of SC then I should think that if you commit adultery it wouldn't matter where the crime took place.
Your marriage contract is still bound by the laws of SC. Your wife and family still live in SC and they are the ones most directly "wronged" by the offense.
I'm not sure that your analogy of burglary is a good one since the people "wronged" by that type of offense are the ones from whom you steal.
Will County Woman
· 6 months ago
you people who are voting for spizter...are you aware that he and the NY GA did not get along and many legislators had come to despise after he became governor? There was legislative gridlock and turmoil when he was governor. He was not very well liked in Albany, which undoubtedly hastened his decision to pack it in and resign.
Anon A. Muss
· 6 months ago
Spitzer, hands down.
Spitzer was an excellent Attorney General and seemed to be doing a very good job as Gov before he was caught with his pants down (metaphorically speaking). Moreover, he was willing to work with the legislature to get the job done - unlike Blago and, to a lesser extent, Sanford.
Rob_N
· 6 months ago
Will Co Woman,
The NY General Assembly is in the midst of an all-out civil war even now...
I don't think that Spitzer being governor was the cause of the problem.
Rich Miller
· 6 months ago
WCW is right about Spitzer. He was a raving madman in his dealings with the legislature.
Randolph
· 6 months ago
Levois- Blago was the only one of the three arrested, so in essence, Spitzer only got caught cheating too.
WCW - None of the three had good relationships with their respective GAs. Heck, Sanford's staff even cited that as a reason he was "hiking the Appalachian Trail." Heh, new euphemism
doc
· 6 months ago
Sanford seemed to do the best job. Spitzer was talented, but too prone to abuse his office. Blago was an across the board disaster.
Pat collins
· 6 months ago
“hiking the Appalachian Trail.â€
maybe it should be hiking the Argentine trail? :)
SC law
Given Lawrence v. Texas I doubt that could stand a constitutional challenge.
Truthful James
· 6 months ago
Sanford has been the best governor of the three. (BTW, South Carolina has term limits and he is in his second -- and final -- term.)
Looks as though he found and fell in love on his last trip to Buenos Aires for fact finding. He got an obviously warm reception in Argentina, and was stooped enough to do an email correspondence. On the other hand, had his trip sent hm over the Andes to Santiago, he would have gotten a Chile reception there.
LOL
Pat collins
· 6 months ago
Why did the SC paper wait 6 months to investigate or publish those emails? What gives with that? Rampant speculation alert
They were going to ambush him if he ran for president. When he was "gone" they saw it was coming out now, so no need to hang on any longer.
dave
· 6 months ago
He didn’t abuse his office for personal gain as far as we can tell. He never shook down anyone.
Sure... unless you consider his refusal to take stimulus funds, and in turn trying to harm his state, in order to improve his national standing among conservatives.
Rob_N
· 6 months ago
Lawrence v Texas was about the 14th Amendment...
I'm not sure how that applies if this became a court case since the wife and family were in theory harmed by the admitted offense (not just a crime against "society") and while the actions were clearly consensual between the two adults engaged in them a third adult (Mrs. Sanford) most obviously did not consent.
Also, there is no "discrimination" present in the language of the SC law because unlike the Texas law that was struck down it is not written in such a way to exclude or include only one particular group of citizens.
...And this is where Rich steps in and says stick to the topic...
Rob_N
· 6 months ago
Pat Collins and Siriusly,
A reporter from the paper has already said they held onto the emails because they received them from an anonymous source and had not been able to confirm the content.
You can remove your tinfoil hats now. :)
Had any "liberal" media wanted to derail his supposed presidential bid they would've come out with the emails before he went on Fox News every week for weeks on end to rail against the Obama Stimulus Package.
Amy
· 6 months ago
LOL, Rich. this is very amusing. Spitzer. cause he's book smart and he wrote the template on how to be an aggressive AG for the people. we'll never know what good he could have done as gov. next, Blago. cause his methods are madness but his policies are not so far off the mark. last our newest shameful face, this nut Sanford. total right wing jerk who does not do as he forcefully wants others to do. Don't cry for me Carolina.
pmels
· 6 months ago
Gail Collins gets her hat handed to her each and every week in her little banters with David Brooks. She is qualified for nothing more than the lowest brow talking points from the Democratic Party (note how she claims having an affair is "less responsible" than hiring hookers on a regular basis--why? because Sanford is a Republican, thats' why). That said, I would like to have Spitzer as governor-he would take on the Madigan machine in a big way.
Secret Square
· 6 months ago
Has anyone besides me noticed the one thing all three of these guys have in common besides scandal: they couldn't get along with their legislatures, even when (in the case of Blago and Sanford; not sure about Spitzer) BOTH houses were controlled by their OWN party?
Ben S.
· 6 months ago
Secret Square, to be fair, Spitzer was dealing with a Republican Senate, although he did have a Democratic house.
Will County Woman
· 6 months ago
@Randolph - Thursday, Jun 25, 09 @ 12:45 pm
I agree; you're right, he's not liked by his legislative branch anymore than blago or spitzer were theirs.
I just couldn't believe the way people were making spitzer out to be a saint, or the fact that they seemed oblivious to what was at the crux of his resignation. sure he was facing possible criminal charges and clearly the infidelity issue, but he was barely functioning as a governor prior to his scandal.
and to other people's point...yes, he was a good AG, but aren't they all ususally? It's the type of office that lends itself to doing good things and looking good.
Secret Square
· 6 months ago
Ben, thanks for the clarification. Still, I never stop marveling at the way members of the same political party often fight each other far more fiercely than members of the opposing party do.
Wumpus
· 6 months ago
Skeeter my friend...Re: Sanford, blame NAFTA. He is trying to expand his international chops, why not expand it to Argentina.
Didn't Spitzer choose a NJ girl? How disgusting.
Pat collins
· 6 months ago
Sanford, blame NAFTA. He is trying to expand his international chops,
Didn't Palin get dumped on for lack of passport? Too bad for Sanford he had one :)
Boone Logan Square
· 6 months ago
Spitzer is the only one of the three who demonstrated actual competence at his job (though he was better suited to be AG than governor). Sanford and Blagojevich were congressional reps who wanted to be executives, yet preferred grandstanding to managing. (Sanford earned bipartisan wrath in SC well before he went MIA.)
With Spitzer and Sanford, I don't care about the sex. How the sex affected their abuses of office (Spitzer breaking the laws he used to enforce, Sanford abandoning the responsibilities of his office without alerting the lt. gov), however, is worth discussion of leaving office. Credit Spitzer with actually taking responsibility for his actions and resigning. Imagine Blagojevich doing that...
It's too bad Bob Taft didn't have a sex scandal, as he was an awful governor. He did, however, plea no contest to a crime and remained in the governor's mansion. That's worthy of mention.
Suburban Republican
· 6 months ago
1. Is George Ryan an option?
2. I think Sanford should resign. That is probably what will happen in the near future.
3. That being said, he was by far the best Governor out of the three choices, and his personal flaws aside, he was the only one who was not corrupt in a public sense. So, it seems like an easy choice.
If only Blago knew when it was time to "take a hike."
sanford's the one
· 6 months ago
Sanford. He seems to have done it for love, for free. Which has a bit of Southern charm about it. So that's better than paying hookers. And better than extorting contributions. And Sanford actually looked distressed as he rambled along actually APOLOGIZING. None of the sorry if I hurt you stuff. He really apologized.
VanillaMan
· 6 months ago
I can't believe those who said that they would be willing to accept Blagojevich over Sanford or Spitzer.
I would take a philanderer over a corrupted blowhard anyday as governor.
Anon
· 6 months ago
Thank you WCW, all other comments while funny are exactly the "pile-on" that WCW was talking about in her first comment. Anyone and everyone can play the blame game but Blago is gone, the ineffectiveness of this year can no longer be blamed on him. It's on the legislature.
All Comments
Spitzer, because he was a good governor with good politics who just happened to like sex too much.
Blago, because as corrupt as he was, actually did a lot of really good things policy-wise.
Sanford is last, because he has been an awful governor where even his conservative, Republican legislature fought him over his refusal to accept free money from the Feds. I am not sure that I could agree with one thing that Sanford has done in SC.
Sanford commited no felony or misdemeanor, he is just a jerk. Given the financial conditions of each state, Sanford all the way.
Sanford is a rabid ideologue and Blago is, well, Blago.
Although, Spitzer's popularity plummeted as governor almost immediately. Blagojevich and Sanford both got re-elected as governors.
Blagojevich and Sanford both have a disconnected with reality quality about them.
Spitzer's trysts with prostitutes seemed to engage in a reasonable level of self-preservation. Spitzer was caught b/c the feds engaged in unexpected or unusual scrutiny of one particular escort service.
Give me Rod Blago, for his spin sisters, plane trips back and forth from Chicago, and $2000 dollar suits. Oh how I long for the days of Rod Blago, the governor with style and disgrace!
I wasn't a big fan of either Spitzer or Sanford (both incredibly arrogant) before they got caught, so choosing between the two is a little tough.
Spitzer broke the law repeatedly. Sanford appears to be having a nervous breakdown. Spitzer is certainly closer to my politics.
As so often happens in a democracy, I'll hold my nose and vote for Sanford (we had to make a choice, right?). He didn't break the law, as far as we know. Maybe just middle-age crazy.
I'd have to go with Spitzer on this one. His problems had the least to do with his job as governor. Blago was, well, Blago, and Sanford left the country without telling anyone and left the State with no one in charge. Both of them violated constitutional principles. Spitzer was mostly just a shmuck and a hypocrite, although he may have misused campaign and State resources in his sex trips.
Besides, where would Lisa Madigan be without having Spitzer as a role model? Politically speaking, that is.
Now you're talking, brother!
Give me Rod. too. For many reasons:
Minimum wage increase
Pre-school
all kids
Balanced budgets with no tax increases
Beer bashes with Jay and Kevin
card check
CapFax blogging
And, finally, a governor who told Madigan to shove it
I believe adultery is illegal in SC. Then again, we're not sure he actually broke the law within SC state limits, so it probably doesn't matter.
"I'M A GOVERNOR.....LET ME KEEP MY JOB!!!"
Is thinking about adultery legal in SC?
Anyway, I think Rod takes my prize. While the other 2 shrank apologetically when caught with their hands in the "cookie jar", Rod just got more audacious, oblivious, and defiant. His first quote off the plane from Argentina would've been, "Basically, it's an up day."
it's easy:
3) Blago - state in horrible fiscal shape. He took a bad situation and made it worse.
2) Spitzer - he didn't really govern long enough to do much good or bad.
1) Sanford - don't cry for me, Argentinnnnnaaaa. all things considered, SC is not too bad. Deficit not too bad, unemplyment is high, but foreclosures are low.
Take the gov with the most miles, not the most indictments :)
In all seriousness Blago was impeached and ousted for reasons that had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with his competency as a governor, and that was the real shame. It was nothing but personal petty politics on the part of the Illinois GA.
Or, "It was an up 5 days."
I mean, Sanford ditched the state for an entire week without anyone knowing his whereabouts. Leaving the continent without delineating a contingency plan is a totally irresponsible act, adultery notwithstanding.
As for Blagojevich...well, I don't think there's any chance of recovery there...
Sanford is off my list, not so much because of his affair, and not because of his policies (I think he had a good point about the future effects of the stimulus money), but because of his extreme negligence in disappearing from the state for days and not telling anyone where he could be reached, or leaving someone in charge in case of emergency.
What if there had been a prison riot, tornado, flood, etc. that required activating the National Guard or making a disaster declaration? That he would simply walk away from potentially life and death responsibilities, and not even bother to check in with an aide periodically to see if everything was OK, is the deal breaker for me. Even Blago never did that.
He made a poor choice but at least it did little direct harm to his state (unlike Blago's madness and Sanford's utter irresponsibility). And he at least had the decency to resign. Oh, and if you think Illinois is in bad shape even with Blago gone, you should read up on the utter madness taking place in the NY Senate this month. Wow.
All I ask is that my governor have brains and be committed to solving significant problems. Quinn's up there -- he's no dummy -- but his performance is quite disappointing. He's a smart guy, but he's clearly lacking some of the leadership qualities I'd hoped he might have.
2) Sanford - freaky yes, but at least he was functional as a governor. He didn't abuse his office for personal gain as far as we can tell. He never shook down anyone.
3) I didn't even want to put Blago on the list, but i try to follow your QOTD rules. Nothing good to say about him. He did abuse his office for personal gain. Ultimate betrayal of public trust. Pathological liar.
I agree with the NYT - THANK YOU Sanford!
My question in all of this: Why did the SC paper wait 6 months to investigate or publish those emails? What gives with that?
Least offensive? You are not offended by the fact that this allegedly pro-American Republican Gov. had to go overseas to find his partner? What kind of example does this set? What a great insult to the United States of America!
At least Spitzer chose an American, and helped stimulate the American economy.
In response to the question -- the very first post nails it. What he said.
Well, technically, all the GA except for Deb Mell.
Just sayin...
In the end, phocion is right. Ashley Dupre beats a massive deficit and dysfunctional legislature.
I can't pick between Rod and Sanford. Rod is corrupt through and through but closer (although not especially close) to my politics.
Sanford is pretty much anathema to my politics, completely shirked his responsibility, abandoned his state and might be having a nervous breakdown, and is most certainly as arragant and hypocritical as Rod, but I haven't seen any evidence that he's a crook. So for those two, it's a tie.
And how did that work out for him?
In order of preference:
Spitzer wasn't a terrible governor, not great, but a decent executive, just had a major, major flaw.
I disagree with Sanford on just about everything but I kinda like his weird honesty about the whole thing.
And then there is Rod, maybe he should have tried a sex scandal. It would have been better than what he was: an inefficent, unintellignet and utterly incompetent "governor" who from day one was only in business to steal anything that wasn't nailed down and stroke his own narrsistic ego. His crimes are much, much worse that Spitzer and Sanford becuase they were not foolish personal trists. They were a criminal enterprise, a poorly run one at that.
Sanford is a a typical Republican hypocrite who led the ridiculous impeachmnet agains out adulterer in chief. But adultery is not a crime in my book.
Sexual pecadillos/adultery are not as seerious as Balog's multitude of alleged felonies.
Blago would be my last choice as Governor, since he ran a crooked operation from start to finish and really betrayed the public trust.
Adultery is illegal in SC.
I'm certainly no lawyer, but there doesn't appear to be any qualifiers regarding the location of the "relations", especially given the definition offered in Section 16-15-70.
To the question, I don't know much about SC's grounds for impeachment, recall (if any), etc. but certainly Sanford's disappearance for nearly a week -- being completely unreachable in the event of an emergency -- would seem to be at the least to be a massive dereliction of duty. (Several big weather events did happen elsewhere in the country during the time Sanford went AWOL. Had SC's National Guard been needed, Sanford wasn't able to give the orders.) Not sure if anyone in SC will bring him up on adultery charges, but he did clearly admit to committing adultery.
And, of course, we know Blago was impeached on several offenses. At this point he stands accused of breaking the law and is awaiting trial.
So, that leaves Spitzer. Again, he probably committed impeachable offenses (depending on NY's own state Constitution) and he certainly broke the law re prostitution, but at least the guy appeared to be running the state fairly well -- didn't disappear for days on end and didn't try "selling" the office.
Sheesh - I said I'm not a lawyer and that I didn't know if location of the activity mattered or not. :)
The question of whether or not adultery is illegal in SC was brought up and I answered it with a link to the actual SC law.
And, no if you are not a citizen of SC, not married under the laws of that state, etc. then why would SC have any claim to extradite you from Argentina or Illinois for committing adultery?
But, if you are a citizen of SC and you are married under the laws of SC then I should think that if you commit adultery it wouldn't matter where the crime took place.
Your marriage contract is still bound by the laws of SC. Your wife and family still live in SC and they are the ones most directly "wronged" by the offense.
I'm not sure that your analogy of burglary is a good one since the people "wronged" by that type of offense are the ones from whom you steal.
Spitzer was an excellent Attorney General and seemed to be doing a very good job as Gov before he was caught with his pants down (metaphorically speaking). Moreover, he was willing to work with the legislature to get the job done - unlike Blago and, to a lesser extent, Sanford.
The NY General Assembly is in the midst of an all-out civil war even now...
I don't think that Spitzer being governor was the cause of the problem.
WCW - None of the three had good relationships with their respective GAs. Heck, Sanford's staff even cited that as a reason he was "hiking the Appalachian Trail." Heh, new euphemism
maybe it should be hiking the Argentine trail? :)
SC law
Given Lawrence v. Texas I doubt that could stand a constitutional challenge.
Looks as though he found and fell in love on his last trip to Buenos Aires for fact finding. He got an obviously warm reception in Argentina, and was stooped enough to do an email correspondence. On the other hand, had his trip sent hm over the Andes to Santiago, he would have gotten a Chile reception there.
LOL
Rampant speculation alert
They were going to ambush him if he ran for president. When he was "gone" they saw it was coming out now, so no need to hang on any longer.
Sure... unless you consider his refusal to take stimulus funds, and in turn trying to harm his state, in order to improve his national standing among conservatives.
I'm not sure how that applies if this became a court case since the wife and family were in theory harmed by the admitted offense (not just a crime against "society") and while the actions were clearly consensual between the two adults engaged in them a third adult (Mrs. Sanford) most obviously did not consent.
Also, there is no "discrimination" present in the language of the SC law because unlike the Texas law that was struck down it is not written in such a way to exclude or include only one particular group of citizens.
...And this is where Rich steps in and says stick to the topic...
A reporter from the paper has already said they held onto the emails because they received them from an anonymous source and had not been able to confirm the content.
You can remove your tinfoil hats now. :)
Had any "liberal" media wanted to derail his supposed presidential bid they would've come out with the emails before he went on Fox News every week for weeks on end to rail against the Obama Stimulus Package.
I agree; you're right, he's not liked by his legislative branch anymore than blago or spitzer were theirs.
I just couldn't believe the way people were making spitzer out to be a saint, or the fact that they seemed oblivious to what was at the crux of his resignation. sure he was facing possible criminal charges and clearly the infidelity issue, but he was barely functioning as a governor prior to his scandal.
and to other people's point...yes, he was a good AG, but aren't they all ususally? It's the type of office that lends itself to doing good things and looking good.
Didn't Spitzer choose a NJ girl? How disgusting.
Didn't Palin get dumped on for lack of passport? Too bad for Sanford he had one :)
With Spitzer and Sanford, I don't care about the sex. How the sex affected their abuses of office (Spitzer breaking the laws he used to enforce, Sanford abandoning the responsibilities of his office without alerting the lt. gov), however, is worth discussion of leaving office. Credit Spitzer with actually taking responsibility for his actions and resigning. Imagine Blagojevich doing that...
It's too bad Bob Taft didn't have a sex scandal, as he was an awful governor. He did, however, plea no contest to a crime and remained in the governor's mansion. That's worthy of mention.
2. I think Sanford should resign. That is probably what will happen in the near future.
3. That being said, he was by far the best Governor out of the three choices, and his personal flaws aside, he was the only one who was not corrupt in a public sense. So, it seems like an easy choice.
If only Blago knew when it was time to "take a hike."
So that's better than paying hookers.
And better than extorting contributions.
And Sanford actually looked distressed as he rambled along actually APOLOGIZING. None of the sorry if I hurt you stuff. He really apologized.
I would take a philanderer over a corrupted blowhard anyday as governor.