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Margo Howard | 07/01/2009 8:25 am

Whatever Happened to Discretion?

Margo Howard unleashes on disgraced governor Mark Sanford — and goes into ‘Dear Margo’ mode to provide the South Carolina politician with some advice.
Margo Howard

Editor’s Note: A longtime journalist, Margo Howard went into the family business (her mother was the fabled Ann Landers) in the 1990s as Dear Prudence. Her broad experience and understanding of human nature provide answers for the troubled — and entertainment for everyone else. Margo’s advice column, Dear Margo, appears twice a week — on Thursdays and Fridays — on wowOwow.com.

What’s up with Gov. Mark Sanford? I cannot remember another public confession so loaded with detail. It’s as though he were a "sinner" looking for forgiveness, and we are Oprah. Sanford is making John Edwards’s stonewalling look positively admirable. (You know … it was only one night and the baby isn’t his.)

I heard a reporter from South Carolina saying on NPR that the governor apparently “wanted to talk." I’ll say. We learned the Argentinean bombshell was his "soul mate," that he "had crossed the line before" — but "not the sex line" — on trips out of  the country to unwind with the boys. He went public with this tidbit: "This was a whole lot more than a simple affair. This was a love story."

However … let’s hear it for the little woman. Three cheers for Jenny Sanford who threw him out. How refreshing to see a political wife act like a woman instead of some humiliated helpmate who is often trying to save a political career. No Silda or Hillary she, in effect saying to the public: "If I don’t care, why should you?"

I am trying really hard not to entertain feelings of schadenfreude about love-struck dude being yet another one in a long conga line of Republican moralists who are caught with, well, their pants down. I am frankly embarrassed for the guy. How much more dignified to have sought out a therapist if he had the need to spill? In one of his confessionals he said he had blown up his career, his marriage and the lives of his children. So: what next? Putting on my advice columnist hat I would recommend that he move to Argentina to be with Chapur and become a gaucho, or something. And also that he sit down and shut up.

513 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Maia Haines

Well, deber B, that’s not really the point, is it? Or do you know what the point is? No one ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD cares one iota if Clinton, Edwards OR Sanford have sex 20 times a day with 20 different women. Not many people cared in the US, either—Clinton’s impeachment was nothing but a witchhunt, which is what pushed Clinton (a vain, weak man) to lie.

 Totally different ball game with Republicans, though, or are you so blinded by delusion that you can’t see it? No one in the Democratic Party (or anyplace in the world, for that matter) wastes one precious moment dictating other people on what is Morally Right and/or what is Morally Wrong. Republicans just can’t leave well enough alone—they can’t live and let live. And it’s not beause they believe their own crap, all those half-baked ideas. The biggest percentage of Republican leaders are just—like Sanford—hypocrites keeping up a front because it’s politically convenient. It’s the simple, simplistic, ignorant masses that follow the Republicans: they’re the ones who, for the most part (many of them are also deluded hypocrites) who believe it, or want to.  

That’s why you have idiots like jenny Sanford—who obviously deserves more than half of what she gets from that idiot husband—now blaming ‘gays’ for the collapse of her marriage!! Seriously, some people have no shame… 

By Maia Haines on 07/01/2009 12:20 pm
deber B
I don’t believe you are qualified to speak for "all" democrats or republicans.
By deber B on 07/01/2009 3:44 pm
Maia Haines
I’m not speaking to ‘all’ democrats—I’m pointing out how MOST Democrats vote. And how most Republicans vote. That’s the whole point of politics, actually: to vote and with your vote signal your ideology.
By Maia Haines on 07/02/2009 3:05 am
STACY SEARS
Maia…I must jump in here to say that the big issue with Clinton was that he lied under oath.  I could really care less who sleeps with who…that’s their personal business.  I think it was ridiculous that people that it was ok since he was dealing with infidelity.  I believe that this gov from SC should be booted from his post.  He abused taxpayer money…plain and simple.  I applaud his wife for giving him the boot as well. 
By STACY SEARS on 07/02/2009 2:58 am
Maia Haines

Clinton was an idiot to lie under no oath. Who doubts that? I’m a Democrat and I voted for him and would vote for him again and I still think he should not have lied. I think he was weak and ineffectual because he had a huge base of support and screwed it up by failing to keep boundaries. Plus, once caught, he then lied—I get all that. But as the whole world knows, Republicans didn’t care about Monica Lewinsky (that’s why they have Guiliane and McCain and Sanford etc etc etc in their party, all guys who’ve strayed in their marriages and from their absolute Morality stance), they just used that as an excuse to forge and inquiry that was never proven and went nowhere. A witch hunt. Pure & simple.

 

By Maia Haines on 07/02/2009 3:08 am
Margie Goforth
"Clinton was an idiot to lie under no oath. Who doubts that? I’m a Democrat and I voted for him and would vote for him again and I still think he should not have lied. I think he was weak and ineffectual… "

And you would still vote for him? Seriously?  Do you think that the lying, the weakness, would make for a good President, Senator, Ambassador, etc.?  Those are GOOD qualities to have? 

By Margie Goforth on 07/02/2009 11:23 am
MK P

Of course, the fact that Clinton lied about an affair under oath begs the question — what was the relevance to the country of a origional question about whether or not he had a consensual sexual relationship outside his marraige?   Republicans are so against spending tax money to help Americans — however, they have no qualms about wasting our tax money on the Ken Starr witch hunts OR invading other countries and bolstering their infrastructure while our infrastructure collapses.

By MK P on 07/02/2009 9:07 am
Victoria J
deber b….you republicans all suffer with the blame game syndrome…unable to stay on point and deal with the problem at hand. Bet your spouses (if you are a republican wife, do you know where your husband is?) find you women fight dirty too. Your need to bring up what happened a thousand years ago to try and make a really belabored point is well, pointless. We remember Bill Clinton and what he did. What’s that got to do with the South Carolinian Swinger, MSanford, the Republican …and his ego driven confessions… You said, "I cringe when people give out too much personal information." Does that mean deber, you are unaware that most of your responses are really Rorschach tests?
By Victoria J on 07/01/2009 1:57 pm
Maggie W

Victoria, the blame game.  Bingo!  If tomorrow another Holier than Thou Republican was caught doing the nasty, guess who would be rehashed and rehashed again and again.  Bill Clinton.  Really, that is all she has.  What the hey Sanford’s liaisons have anything to do with the entire Bill Clinton administration is beyond amusing.  But , here he is again. 

What really takes the cake is that ole Bill is the worst kind of hound dog.  We all know and acknowledge that.  They keep waving him in front of us like a flag as if we don’t know that.  Here’s the kicker.  His wife is Sec. of State, his daughter adores him,  he makes millions globally giving speeches ,and he is still involved in government.   People like the guy.  I think that is what just rips some people a new one.

By Maggie W on 07/01/2009 3:53 pm
Dona Howlett

Maggie,

He’s also probably the most Intelligent President this Country has had…………..

The World loves him……..they are not such prudes…We Americans are so Holier than Thou………….

Yet look at every aspect of our Entertainment World and it revolves pure and simply around SEX.

Marketing uses Sex as a selling Point.

A Big Majority of our Nation are Hippocrates…

Right Wing Religious Hippocrates.

By Dona Howlett on 07/02/2009 5:15 am
Rita@ Goldivas
You’ve nailed it, Dona - except - fortunately, a big majority are not right wing relegious hypocrits. A majority voted Democratic in the last election!
By Rita@ Goldivas on 07/03/2009 10:11 am
deber B
Reread Margo’s opening introductory thread.   Perhaps you will enlighten yourself as to why the republicans brought it up.   As to the rest of your post, I’ll gleefully pass.
By deber B on 07/01/2009 3:59 pm
Lady Gator

victoria — "You Republicans "all" suffer with the blame game syndrome"

Duh — here we go again — generalizing.  I have also noticed, especially on this site, that there are several (notice I used the word several) Democrats or Liberals that also "suffer" the blame game syndrome.  Blame George Bush comes to mind.  And, I’ll ask you the same question - If you are a Democratic wife, do you know where your husband is? 

There is enough unzipped shorts with dillywackers hanging out to go around!

By Lady Gator on 07/02/2009 2:27 pm
Marjorie C.

deber:  Go Jenny Go!

I can’t believe we’re still chewing on this bone.  The Democrats can chant their mantra about family values until the cows come home — it’s just a smoke screen like all the others.  The reality is that Obama is slipping, and Americans are not enthused at all about new taxes… especially on energy.  Rasmussen:  Fifty-six percent (56%) of Americans say they are not willing to pay more in taxes and utility costs….  

Sanford is a blip on the radar.  Jenny’s gotta do whatever she’s got to do, and Mark I hope, soon disappears from the scene.   

By Marjorie C. on 07/01/2009 2:54 pm
R.J.B. Reed
Personally I think Obama is doing a fine job, given the state of the country he was given.  Yes, he’s made some decisions I don’t 100% agree with, but I don’t think I’d agree with every decision a person has made.  However, there is no point in discussing the issues with the coolaid drinking Republican crowd because they are *SO* desperate to win the "game of politics" that they will not think critically about anything.
By R.J.B. Reed on 07/01/2009 10:17 pm