By now, all South Carolinians - and most of the rest of the world - have heard about SC Governor Mark Sanford's betrayal. Not only have we heard about it, most of us are sick of it and ready to move on. So why have I taken this particular opportunity to bring The Unconstrained Discourse out of unofficial retirement? Simply, to tell the untold story.
First, let me set the back story for any scholars that are analyzing my writings hundreds of years from now and that might not be familiar with Mr. Sanford's fall. Without going into the details, Mr. Sanford has admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina. This all came to light when he left town on Father's Day weekend (leaving his wife and four young boys at home) to visit his mistress in Argentina. He lied to his staff about where he was; was unavailable for days; and in general left South Carolina without a leader for almost a week. There's much more to the story than that; including lies, cover ups, and constitutional questions of power. I'll leave those lurid details to the regular media to cover. A task they seem all too willing to undertake.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to admit to having been a long-time Mark Sanford fan. I first latched onto him during the Republican primaries when he was running for Governor. At the time, I was supporting someone else (I don't even remember who now), but the more I heard Mr. Sanford speak, the more enthralled I became. Here was the REAL THING! He was an honest, ultra-conservative, family-man without a political bone in his body running for the highest office in the state. He came out of nowhere to run away with the election.
During his time in office, nothing happened to change my opinion. Here was a man that I could really support for President one day. A man that knew what he believed and was unwilling to compromise those beliefs for political expediency. My belief in the man was so strong, that when the news broke that he was "missing" and had supposedly gone off to hike the Appalachian Trail alone, I offered the opinion that there HAD to be more to the story. I told others that he would not have left his family on Father's Day and that he must be on a nobler mission. I gloated that those who were already jumping to condemn him would feel foolish when they found that he off on some super-secret State or National business.
When the story finally broke, to say that I felt personally betrayed and hurt by the Governor's actions would be an understatement. I didn't want to read about what he had done. I didn't want to listen to others talk about it - or talk about it myself. At the same time, I realized that whatever betrayal I might feel, it was nothing compared to the personal tragedy that was unfolding in his family's life. There was no real harm to the State of South Carolina. There were no emergencies; no constitutional crises. Someone else would step up to lead. A new governor would be elected. No, the real tragedy was the one being lived by Mark, his wife, and his four sons.
But that's not what this writing is about.
As we've seen this story played out before us in the media, there's another story that's being ignored. A troubling story. A story that foretells a much gloomier future than Mr. Sanford's infidelity. A sadder story than all of the recent political scandals combined.
I first noticed this in the days leading up to the actual revelation of Mr. Sanford's affair. His political opponents lined up to take pot shots at the Governor for what they thought at the time was his "poor judgment" in taking a vacation without properly notifying all the people they thought he should have. They had found a crack in his armor so it seemed, and they pounced in an attempt to do political damage. Let's don't wait on the facts; let's do damage while we can. On some of their faces there was a visible pleasure in being able to inflict damage on Mr. Sanford without him being around to defend himself. If they had known at the time how much damage was going to be done in just a few short hours, I don't believe they would have been able to contain themselves.
Some will argue that taking pot-shots at each other is what politician do. It's what they're supposed to do. I might concede that point, and if it had ended there I would have written it off as just another sickening display of politics as usual. Unfortunately, when I began to listen to the comments of those around me, the story didn't get any better.
On the day of Mr. Sanford's press conference, I sat and listened to an educated middle-aged, black woman lament about the shameful course of events. She talked about the Governor's downfall. She talked about how SAD it was that his wife and children had to go through this painful time. She used the word tragedy much as I did above. And yet, the entire time, there was glee in her eyes. She was taking immense pleasure in seeing this man destroyed. With each new revelation, with each new lie revealed, her euphoria increased. Why? Because she disagreed with his politics. She disagreed with his fiscal and social ideals and this was her chance to participate in taking him down.
When I heard her talk; when I saw her reactions; I woke up and begin to look at what others were saying. I saw the same thing repeated over and over again. Common, everyday folks taking pleasure in a man's suffering - in his family's suffering - because they disagreed with some of his ideas. As I thought about what I was witnessing, I realized that it wasn't just Democrats. It wasn't just liberals. Republicans and conservatives have had similar reactions when high-profiled Democrats have fallen.
What a sad commentary on us as humans when we can't see past the politics. What a sad commentary when as a society we have devolved to the place where we revel in the suffering of others. Before today, I would have said that the human race has made tremendous progress in the past 100 years. Now, I not so sure.
Wayne