When will it end? Governor Sanford is a disgrace to his family, his staff and those he is at the pleasure of serving. A love affair with a woman in Argentina ends Sanford’s political career and worse off has caused massive damage within his family. I care less about Sanford’s political hopes, but I do hope that the family is able to work through this. Sanford needs to do the right thing and step down, now. He has not lived up to his own standards and he is clearly a liability in office both for the state and for his party.
I will not argue that he should step down because he put the state in danger by going on this tirade with a mistress, though that is certainly the case and people who approach the argument from that angle have a great point. I, unlike most people, still think there is fundamentally something wrong with adultery. This is not fundamentally a “personal matter” as the mainstream media keeps saying. As a public official, this is clearly not a personal matter. Men who cheat on their wives are breaking the vows of their marriage, which is one of the most fundamental promises they are committed to. It is two people coming together as one, and to remain faithful to that one person. In my opinion, breaking a marriage vow ought to have a harsher penalty than not paying a car payment or a student loan, because it is that much larger a commitment. The state often comes in to let justice prevail in what could be called a “personal matter.” To say we can’t intervene here makes no more sense than not intervening in other contracts.
Sanford needs to leave, and he needs to leave now. If he will not leave, the state of South Carolina should remove him by whatever means necessary. He needs to leave the public eye and get his life back in order. If he does that, maybe, just maybe he can make a comeback to political life in a few years. Still, it’s a long hard road.
